Mysteryillness Stories

The odds were against them. Chronic pain, distance, and family drama, but through their troubles, they managed to find each other.

My name's Catelyn-AKA Cat--and I'm a perfectly normal girl. Then, life threw me a curveball and my normal, boring life became a not-so-boring, not-so-normal one with doctors, blood tests, monthly medical visits, and unexplainable symptoms. Add in the social experiment we call high school in which hormonal teenagers get to be packed into rooms to try to pay attention to school and you have an even more stressful life. And, the fact that I'm half Latina, half Irish doesn't make this social experiment any easier. Oh, and one more thing: a new kid just came to town. Though, to be honest, kid is not the right word. In a small town, Dax stands out. He could, literally, have any girl he wanted but, for some inexplicable reason, he's fixated on me. But, when I get a diagnosis that changes my life, I make the decision to not let anyone close. He just doesn't seem to respect said decision.

Burned out, overwhelmed, and betrayed by her own body, high school teacher Renee is barely surviving. But just as the entitlement, harassment, and school politics reach a boiling point, a teachers' strike looming, she's roped into house-sitting a remote cottage for an uncle she barely knows. The quiet foothills promise a chance to breathe...and maybe to live. A steady-hearted realtor, a truth-seeking photographer, and a mothering beekeeper challenge Renee to finally fight for herself. But can she escape the rot that smothers her, or will it finally overwhelm her-even here?