❛ he had loved her for years, centuries, eons even. he had loved her from the very first touch, from the very first word upon her sweet lips. ❜ all grayson had ever wanted was his chryssie.

When Venus Wilson is found dead the day after her annual Halloween Bash, everyone assumes it was a tragic accident. Except it wasn't. And those who know there was foul play involved aren't enthusiastic about speaking up. + + + There were about forty people under the same roof as Venus Wilson the night she took her last breaths. Four people found her lifeless body, and all four ran in the opposite direction. The beginning of the end started for them when they failed to inform anyone about the body. Now, left alone with no one to talk to, the four must put the pieces together to determine the culprit, before their past deeds catch up to them. Despite desperate attempts at returning to normalcy, every night in the loneliest hours they find themselves asking the same question a mourning town does, What happened to Venus Wilson the night of her Halloween Bash? [EDITOR'S CHOICE 2020] *cover by @claraelisibeth*

After being given an ultimatum by his parents and a bumpy plane ride, Noah Cooper finds himself locked inside Leuthold Preparatory Academy for Young Adults. Despite its luxuries and accommodations, Noah comes to the realization that things are not right with the academy. Beginning with his roommate, to his teachers, to the hauntings in the hall; Noah finds a friend in Hannil Sinclair, a like-minded individual with the want and know-how to escape after a series of events puts their freedom in danger. Noah is forced to make a choice that has devastating consequences no matter his pick. [Content warning: strong language, drug/alcohol use, violence, and mentions of child abuse/neglect ]

❝POWER IS A PRETTY THING.❞ ❝NOT AS PRETTY AS YOU, BABE.❞ MEI IS BEAUTIFUL. With beauty is danger.

Cain Luther is mad. Truly, voluntarily mad. He's obsessed with mutilation, creation, and absolute discovery. His goal is to create a chemical that the government will fear. To create something that the American people want more than anything else. A chemical to rid all of life's problems. He's willing to die for this experiment, and little do they know; he is. Cain is addicted to injecting himself with the deadly failures his studies produce. His body is quickly falling apart, as his bones have become so brittle you could break them with no effort at all. His eyesight is dimming each day, he'll soon be blind, and his muscles are so weak, he doesn't have the strength to carry himself most days. He is a walking test subject. His body struggled to hold life. Doctors warn he will die in no less than a year if he keeps this up. So can Ophelia Alvarado, a college student who just so happens to be his roommate, have what it takes to save Cain from voluntary suicide? Can she save him from his own man-made plague?

The sun was rising, and for the first time, Shamse wasn't the only one awake on the sombre street watching the sun rise. That very same morning, Edward caught sight of the rising sun but just before, he caught a glimpse of the human embodiment of sunshine, Shamse. The light bestowed by the sun and the moon guide us through our days and our nights. And through their days and nights Shamse was captivated by the moonlight and Edward was in awe of the sunlight. But the sun is potent, it's light can burn and the moon is tranquil, it's calmness can be misunderstood. Shamse worried that getting too close to Edward would only burn him and hurt her; but Edward would rather burn everyday for the rest of his mortal life than spend a single silent sunrise with Shamse.

He runs his fingers through her hair and tugs on it. "You're my doll," he says as he breathes her in. "You need me. You're mine to play with. You're mine. Without me, you're nothing." What happens when he one day disappears and the monsters buried deep in the basement begin scratching the walls and howling her name in the night? Why does her mother force big yellow pills down her throat, saying it's for the best? Why isn't she allowed in the basement? Who's in the basement? What's in the basement? Who is the little boy with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, crying for his mother? Tick tock, Monique. The monsters are crawling up the basement. And they're coming for you.

Eric Thompson has always felt uneasy about the strange little boy down the road. There's something unnatural in his vacant stare, something chilling in the way he speaks about dolls-as if they're more than just toys. Eric's younger sister doesn't see the danger, and no one else believes him. But as time passes, his fears grow harder to ignore. The boy isn't just obsessed with dolls. He wants to make them. And in his mind, humans are the perfect material. Amazing cover by Tomorrowland

Didn't you know? Destructive youths with killer tendencies and magic in their veins are the best kind. book i, first draft © 2019, arkhaic

When Neva Álvarez moves to Queens, she's merely biding her time between bartending and dodging her brother's phone calls before her final year at NYU, and with the summer dwindling to an end, it's difficult not to find herself drawn to her new next-door neighbors and their wild lifestyle. Before she can stop it, Neva is plunging headfirst into a tumultuous affair with drugs, left desperately trying to navigate too many bad decisions that threaten to bring an intimate cocaine kingdom down into ice-cold chaos. || CW: Honestly, I wrote this story to process a lot of feelings and experiences. It explores addiction, immigration, and recovery through a very gritty lens. It explores distance, deportation, and family separation. It explores the concept of home. It explores a woman's right to her own bodily autonomy in a society that shames us for owning or loving our bodies. It may contain triggering elements (slut-shaming, abuse, drug use, violence, and rape). [July 2019 CampNaNo Winner]