9412 is a Different, she's a mistake. She accepts it because she's told to. But when she catches a glimpse beyond her home's barrier, she starts doubting what she's been told... "...but I am a box full of misfit toys, and even I keep finding ones I've forgotten about." A 'scientific mistake', Differents are anything but perfect and spend their life trying to change who they are to be Normal. No one disagrees, no one falters, because if you do, you're never seen again. 9412, a girl of seventeen, never questioned her life but always wondered what it would be like if she hadn't had a genetic mutation, causing her to be as she is. Where would she go? Where would she live? And looking out over the vast expanse in which her home is situated, the most unnerving question of all: What else is here? dif·fer·ent /ˈdif(ə)rənt/ adjective not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form, or quality Copyright © 2020 by @mel10rism First place in "POC Winners" of the Diverse Awards (April 2021) Winner in the WattOriginals 2020 Awards (November 2020) Second place in SCI-FI of the Watt in the World Awards (September 2020) Second place in SCI-FI of the Creator's Choice Awards (July 2020) 2 in #SHAWROCKETPRIZE (May 2020) 2 in #FLAWED (May 2020) 3 in #FLAWS (May 2020) #theaceawards2020 ----- Started April 2020 Finished December 2020 All chapters published February 2021

A looming virus, a rampant serial killer and an unconventional romance. The fate of Vinteria lies in the hands of college student Evelyn Thompson and Detective Elliot Lind. *** A new virus (Oz-X) is spreading rapidly. It is deemed Oz-X because the victims' bodies melt from the inside out, similar to how the Wicked Witch in Oz met her demise. The deaths are piling up exponentially and a specific cluster of deaths starts to become apparent in a small town named Vinteria. Evelyn is a senior in college and is eager to graduate. She is anxiously waiting for decisions from law schools and cannot wait to start her life - including finally stepping into the dating world. Yes - she's held off on dating this long. As Evelyn and her roommates Jane and Mark start to prepare for the worst, the deaths in Vinteria start to increase. The striking attributes of the victims' bodies point to a murderous end - not a virus related one. With an apparent serial killer hiding behind the mask of the virus, it becomes harder and harder to distinguish virus and homicidal related deaths. Evelyn inadvertently becomes intertwined with the death investigations due to her proximity to the emerging victims. She starts to experience inexplicable occurrences and believes that she is being targeted by the serial killer as their next victim. The lead detective on the cases, Elliot Lind, makes it his mission to solve the mystery of the Vinteria killer and to figure out why Evelyn Thompson of all people attracts so many bodies. With threats of quarantine looming and life ceasing to exist, Elliot and Evelyn start forming an unlikely bond while working through the cases. As they try come to terms with this newfound relationship, they must work together to save their town from demolition. *IN PROGRESS *MAY use coarse language