Onc2023 Stories

It's 1893, and Kitty's eleven cousins - her adoptive siblings - have all moved out. She only has Sherlock Holmes for company, until Cousin Joey returns from America alongside his dashing benefactor, Benedict Hawkins. Scotland Yard Inspector Tobias Thackery has spent a decade looking for his runaway sister. New clues on her trail point to an anarchist plot, and Kitty won't be left out as Tobias recruits family members into a spy network. The risks are real, and more personal than Kitty expects, on her whirlwind quest to self-fulfilment. * ONC2023 shortlister! Prompt 51: The problem with red flags is that I'm attracted to them. * To be completed on July 1st, ~40k words. Cover by @cxmern

** The horror slumbers buried under many meters of rubble and desert sand. Nameless cartouches, desecrated relics, and a sarcophagus containing an ancient riddle. ** "Ancient lands lost in time. Storms of sand, walls of lime Surround this mask of death that I wear Awakened by invading souls The curse of Pharaoh upon you Who dares to invade his holy ground The gods rise to destroy you." - Symphony X - When young student and photography enthusiast Arabella Redcliffe visits her uncle at an excavation site in Egypt anno 1922, ancient secrets are uncovered that should have remained hidden forever. The men and women of the archaeological excavation stumble upon a still-sealed burial chamber. But not only its condition and location raise questions. Who was buried here, why was his name erased from all records and reliefs, and why were many grave goods wantonly desecrated? Together, Arabella and the dashing archaeological assistant Miles Thornton try to get to the bottom of the mysteries. But then, inexplicable and terrible events begin to take their course. If they don't figure out what's going on in this cursed place fast enough, this tomb could become theirs, too. ***** My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023 Cover by Me ***** 🥇TheGemstoneBooksAwards - Mystery 🥇 1st Place The Aster Awards - Paranormal 🥇 1st Place Rose Book Award - Mystery 🥇 1st Place Crown Awards - Mystery 🥇 1st Place Luminous Award - Best Title 🥇 1st Place Starlight Mini Awards - Best Prologue 🥇 Grad Prize Starlight Mini Awards 🥇 1st Categories Awards 2023 - Best Cover 🥇 1st Place Astania Awards - Mystery 🥈 2nd Place Starlight Mini Awards - Best Cover 🥈 2nd Place Megawatt Awards - Paranormal/Horror 🥈 2nd Categories Awards 2023 - Best Blurb 🥈 2nd Place Dazzle Awards - Thriller/Horror *****

"Excuse me, mister, but why did everything suddenly turn black and white?" A miserable adult who prefers to ignore everything, including their dying father. A concerned neighbor/friend/something more with curious connections. A taxi driver who doesn't bother to ask where the passenger wants to go. And a cat with unclear intentions. Where will this journey lead to, if anywhere? --------------------------------------------------------- • Based on prompt #9 of ONC. • Started: February 2, 2023 • Ended: November 15, 2023

Aria is on top of her game. Putting away criminals, closing cases, she is smart, tenacious, and ambitious. As a detective with the NYPD, she is putting in the hours and working diligently towards a promotion. Only instead of a new title, she finds herself transported into the future where death is not the end, but merely a transition into virtual reality. Now in the year 3000, Aria is immersed in a new type of case where the victim of a grisly murder can still provide some clues to help catch the perpetrator through his consciousness. Worse yet, as Aria delves deeper into the investigation, she finds herself falling in love with a mysterious man named Ayden. Nothing is as it seems in this new world where reality can be augmented and the truth may be hiding in plain sight. As Aria and Ayden grow closer, the looming shadow of the murderer threatens everything they have come to care for. Aria must use her skills of deduction to unravel the truth and bring justice to the victim while saving the man she loves. -------------------------------------- ONC2023 Prompt 82. In a future where humans have the ability to upload their consciousness into virtual reality at the time of their death, a detective must solve a murder case in both the virtual and physical world as the victim's consciousness may still exist in the virtual world and hold the key to solving the crime.

Jessi Albright needs a vacation. With few clients for her life makeover business, it's hard to justify getting away, even for a weekend. But when she finally gets away to a much-needed retreat in Saltport, her vacation is undermined by a misplaced credit card. Desperate for some cash, she makes an emergency stop at the local ATM. It was supposed to be a short detour, five minutes max. She got far more than she swiped her bank card for. Prince Tewen, a merman, kidnaps her and the $70 million dollars the ATM mysteriously gave her. The only way out is for Jessi to transform the prince into a human in twenty-four hours and get him into a gala in thirty-six. Even if such a makeover is feasible, it's certain to cost a fortune, a $70 million dollar fortune. From yachts to New York to sea urchin extract, this part-comedy part-absurd tail is sure to make you question your life choices as much as Jessi. #ONC2023 74. You have an ATM that gives you the exact amount of money you need to survive for the day. How you spend it is your choice. Today you are given $70,000,000. ONC 2023 Shortlister Open Door Awards 2024 - Best Blurb The NaNo Watt 2024 - Novella Grand Winner ONC Milestone Road Map: Chapter One: 2,321 words (2k) Chapter Four: 9,184 (8k) Chapter Nine: 20,241 (20k) Word Count: 25,310

"We called them angels not necessarily because we believed them to be merciful but because back then we had decided they came from either Heaven or Hell, and devils at least bore some resemblance to humans." "These beings did not." ~ Once a month, the city at the end of the world is plagued by Dark Days-days wherein the sky goes black and the sun refuses to shine. Gray Barnes, a struggling university professor, has spent years studying the strange beings known as "angels" who appear during the Dark Days. They've never been harmful before, but Gray has reason to suspect that this coming Dark Day, the angel's intentions are far less innocent than they may seem. When an unexpected arrest disrupts Gray's plan to flee with their wife, they find themself trapped in the city during the Dark Day. And though they've spent years researching this phenomenon, nothing can prepare Gray for the day that awaits them. The city is dark. The angels are coming. The world is slated for change-and Gray can rely on the people around them, but for the first time, they're not so sure they can rely on themself.

Moving schools and towns is always hard but it was something that Kayla was quite used to. This year was no different to previous years except for one thing, she was greeted by a typical high school bully. That was where she met her potential new friend Hailey. As time goes by Kayla starts to question her sexuality when she falls in love with one of the students in her music class and a participant in the school talent show. Can music unite these 4 very different/ diverse teenagers or would music fail to do this?

The dead objects know how to tell a story. If you know how to ask them... An unfinished novel. A golden medallion. Even an ordinary coin. When she was only a teen, Clara learned that the voices in her head - the ones that tormented her - came from the objects around her. The family curse that was sprung upon her had followed her for years before she learnt how to live with it. But no learning happens without mistakes. Once anonymous threats start arriving to her door, Clara knows her past has finally caught up to her. Now, she must trust her powers and solve a murder that happened ten years ago before it becomes too late. ----- Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2023 ONC Prompts #5 & #15 ©2023 Jana Tulisa Published to Wattpad 1st of Feb, 2023 Draft Ongoing

12 An evil sorcerer offers you an immense amount of power-but it comes with a price. ~~~ When a King has three sons and only one kingdom to inherit, he raises his heirs to serve different purposes. Fjell-og-dal had a wise and business-friendly Crown Prince (Pawel) who could rule justly in times of peace, and a decisive warrior in the 2nd prince (Olbretch). What would such a king do with a 3rd son? Anselm was a fool, a prince stuffed full of fairy tales, useless in days of peace or war. Or was he? Neither were the cause of devastation in their kingdom-something malignant was changing their world. Perhaps the king had known he needed a 3rd path, where someone was trained to understand the strange ways of fairytales, in order to save them all. The problem is that Anselm isn't a fool, and he doesn't trust what his father made of him because a man trained for foolishness isn't needed once the folly has been averted. Every step his father laid out for him was a brilliant lunacy-a lie wrapped in truth. He brought his brothers along as a precaution-to save them or to save himself? The 3rd prince had no clue. What awaited the brothers at the end of their journey was immense power with a terrible price-but only 1 had to pay. Would they make a good decision in a series of consequences that they could not run from?

[Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023] Fate is a twisted thing, or the evil sorcerer had a hand in her demise. Roysia Ysembert made a deal to cure her mother, but with every gift comes a price. A matrimonial union is to take place between enemies. One who rejoices in the taste of blood. Another who hopes to spill it.

Copying is a common occurence, but not to the extent of copying someone else's image and likeness. Carina a.k.a. The Copycat was the harbinger to usher in an era of usurping on a galactic scale by stealing the encrypted data of a bioweapon which can copy and splice the genetic composition much faster than any plastic surgeon and geneticist combined. The Genome Collider was the original bioweapon that can copy, alter, transfer, and adapt for the user to morph into anyone or anything they desire-given the right combination and master it. Carina, now public enemy No.1, was last spotted in Pinwheel Galaxy according to the Intergalactic Bureau Investigation. It's up to Micah Arganism and Stella Spacey to pick up where they left off to find The Copycat and turn her in to the I.B.I. That is if they are able to find her.

A supernatural romance story written for the ONC 2023 This cover was made with Canva's QuickGen app.

When a lonely vet tech unknowingly befriends a gorilla shifter over a mutual love of music, their lives will change forever. Claire Beck is at a crossroads in her life when her ringtone song attracts the attention of the newest gorilla at the local zoo, a male who refuses to interact with either guests or the female gorillas he shares an exhibit space with. Charlie is a withdrawn silverback captured running loose in a Denver park. A year at the zoo in Colorado Springs hasn't changed his outlook, so he's going to be transferred to an animal refuge with a questionable reputation. The zoo keeper in charge of his care has a plan to help Charlie escape-with Claire's help. In the aftermath of the escape, Claire discovers that Charlie is more than what he seems. She must then decide if she will return to her old life alone or instead bond with a beast who is likely to leave her with a broken heart.

⊹ Book 2 of the Aldergrove Duology ⊹ {ONC 2023 Shortlister} Desperate to see his dead mate again, Sebastien makes a deal with the Devil. But the price he has to pay is much more complicated than simply handing over his soul. ⤠ ≻ ◈ ≺ ⤟ Graduating from Aldergrove Academy and heading to the New World was anyone's greatest dream. But what was the point in starting a new life if the person Sebastien fought so hard to be with wasn't around to start it with him? Struggling to accept the death of his mate, Sebastien seeks out one of the rulers of the New World and offers him his soul in exchange for his lover's resurrection. But any deal made with the Devil is never so simple, and there are several deadly strings attached. Sebastien faces his greatest challenge since going up against Aldergrove's elites, and this time, his brute strength simply won't be enough. ♠ Gay Male MC ♠ Haunted House & Paranormal Curse ♠ Race Against Time ♠ Word Count: 31,600 ─────────────────────────────────── ✵ NumenVerse year: 1177 2023 © Tate Csernis | | Exclusive to Wattpad and Inkitt

Hell is empty and all the devils are here Earth has been invaded by the demonic and humankind has been brought to its knees. It was beaten into me that tough times create strong men, and I guess I'm one of them, whether I like it or not. They call me the Nemesis and label me as the Vanquisher of Evil. I do not need or seek fancy titles, however, as long as I can do what has to be done. My steel heart doesn't delude itself into thinking I don't purport some manner of evil, but these desperate times call for drastic measures. Love can't save us from a horde of mindless beasts. Takes a monster to beat a monster, and I intend on being the bigger monster. Enough talk, though, it's time to kick some demon ass and drive these invaders away. Prepare to meet your worst nemesis.

Constance meets a hot man named Beom on a bus. She always sees him on her commute to her new job, but is too scared to say anything to him. One day, she decides to talk to him. He is surprised when she can see him. After all, he has invented a way to be invisible to everyone, saying he's done with other people's expectations. Constance has to slowly coax Beom to stop doing that by convincing him of the value of being seen. |One of my entries for the 2023 Open Novella Contest| |Cover designed by @EstelleKnightrise| |Description is under construction| © Sherly Holmes 2023 (All Rights Reserved)

Rae's life was always black and white. She tried to suppress all of her emotions because she couldn't expect them anymore. The only thing she could focus on was paying her parent's debt, working day and night. But everything changed when she met her idol. Though.. he was announced died.

Colton has always thought he's better than others. After all, he's a marvellous wizard in a world full of dull humans. But after getting expelled, his pretentious attitude gets a massive blow. Suddenly he's forced to enroll at a local high school where his powers must stay hidden at all times. But without magic he's a loser... That won't do, especially not when the hottest guy totally ignores him. So he does what he does best; turns to magic. A spell, to be specific. That turns out to be a big mistake when he accidentally sends them into an alternative universe. And to make it all worse, they're forced to escape with a bunch of uninvited classmates.

Where there is misfortune, there is magic. It is a phrase Annabelle Baker has heard enough times to have it drilled into her mind. Everyone in town follows it, after all, you don't want to get on the bad side of the Wardens, Mere's staunch protectors. They already have more than enough on their plate... Life in Mere used to be easy. That is, before a mysterious plague rolled into town, infecting everyone except a lone pharmacist, her business associate and a group of charming strangers belonging to Varian Merradem's circus. The good Merian civilian that Ann is, she grows immediately suspicious of the latter, their arrival matching that of the plague slightly too close to be true. In an effort to chase the circus out of town for good, Baker accidentally finds herself amongst their ranks, hoping desperately to escape and solve the conspiracy of the mysterious disease once and for all. A story based on a Dungeons and Dragons game. If you enjoy a bit of simple fantasy, dramatic characters or a good circus wreathed in mists and mystery, this might be one for you. Prompt 54. As townspeople are overcome with a deadly sickness, it's up to you, the only one not afflicted to find the cause and cure. ~(✩✧✩)~✶~(✩✧✩)~ Chapter 1 • 1319 W (Total 1319 W) Chapter 2 • 970 W (Total 2289 W) Chapter 3 • 1038 W (Total 3327 W) Chapter 4 • 1264 W (Total 4591 W) Chapter 5 • 1304 W (Total 5895 W) Chapter 6 • 1279 W (Total 7174 W) Chapter 7 • 826 W (Total 8000 W)

40. Accidentally stuck in a place between life and death, you open a door that allowed the dead into the world of the living. Now you and the grim reaper have to pull each of those souls back.