Opennovella2026 Stories

Anna lives a deliberately colourless life-one spent in the background, where asking for anything comes with a price she learned to stop paying long ago. At school, on the bus, at home, her world has been built on silence, routine, and the certain safety of going unnoticed. It's a balance she maintains meticulously, because being seen has never ended well for her. Then, one day, that balance fractures after a brief moment of accidental acknowledgement-small, meaningless, fleeting, and completely impossible to undo. Now, Anna is forced to confront the quiet life she's built. She begins to question whether survival is the same as living... and what it might cost to want more. She finds herself wondering whether the price is too low-or far too high. Because once you're noticed by someone, the world doesn't always let you disappear again.

Eating mermaid flesh grants immortality, but at a terrible cost. Yamada Ryūji became immortal in 1880 and spent more than a century hiding from the world, believing he was the only one cursed with eternal life. In 2026, he meets Inoue Rina, another immortal, and discovers the existence of a secret government agency that manages gods and immortals. As supernatural threats rise and secrets of eternity unravel, Ryūji must face what it means to live forever and whether immortality is truly a blessing or a curse. ------ This is my Official Entry to the Open Novella Contest 2026

Cassidy Marlow is a senior who likes to keep her life simple and fun. School, music, friends, and books are all she needs to stay sane. Between scrolling through posts and daydreaming, she doesn't expect much to shake up her carefully balanced world. That is, until, the new kid appears and Cass just so happens to be interested. Asher Park, a senior as well, likes to keep to himself. He struggles with isolation, hiding behind his careful smiles and guitar. And beneath everything...lies a secret that's captivated millions. Starting at a new school feels impossible, until he notices the one girl who actually tries to see him. As Cassidy's and Asher's worlds collide, identities and growing feelings start to develop. Shadowy online threats, comments, and bullying starts to hit at them relentlessly and puts them both at risk. Cass must navigate her own heart while helping the boy she's coming to know, bit by bit. Maybe some connections are worth risking everything for. ----------- Open Novella Contest (ONC 2026) - Prompt 23: You discover the quiet transfer student in your class is actually a world-famous pop star hiding in plain sight, and their secret begins to reshape both your lives.

Mariella intends to marry rich. Then she'll live as she chooses. But there's a problem. The crown prince isn't as blind as everyone else, especially after he sees her true self. He now notices everything, the little lies, the carefully crafted manners, the rehearsed kindness. He is indifferent, dismissive, and dangerous in ways she can't anticipate, but she needs him on her side, because one slip, one glimpse behind her mask from the court, and everything she has clawed towards will collapse. She has spent her life perfecting the art of being the sweet, proper lady no one suspects. How to appear harmless, timid, and polite. But every word, every gesture, every tear is calculated. Because, in a world of wealth, titles, and ambition, the clever survive and the careless get left behind. And she will not be left behind. ××××× "She is deceiving you, Your Majesty!" Percival insisted, dragging Mariella back to the present, ''I swear upon my honor.'' The throne room felt smaller than before as the silence after Percival's words stretched. The King's gaze softened. "Mariella has served this court with nothing but grace." Mariella sobbed harder. The sound loud in the silent room. Finral's gaze burned into her. He had not spoken or shown any indication of revealing the truth. Maybe he was still in shock from her magnificent performance but she had to be sure. So she slowly lifted her head slightly, meeting his eyes for the briefest moment. Just for a second. And winked. The smallest movement. Gone in an instant. His lips parted. Whether from shock or apathy, she couldn't tell but he still said nothing. And in his silence, the ruling fell swiftly. ××××× Written for the open novella contest 2026 prompt 16: And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul (Quote by John Muir) Interpreted in a romantic sense.

#ONC 2026 ENTRY ​"They told us our love was a sin. They didn't tell us our lives were a lie." ​Anaya Singh is a 23-year-old MBBS student who believes her life is an open book. Raised with love and freedom by her parents, Adhiraj and Reena, she values her self-respect above all else. But when her bubbly best friend, Heer, is left shattered by a cruel "marriage prank" played by her brother, Anaya decides to step in. She never expected that walking into the glass-walled corridors of RR Group of Industries would rewrite her entire history. ​Enter Arun Rajput. At 26, he is the "Cold CEO"-a man with hunter eyes and faint physical scars that mirror the "broken soul" he hides from the world. Adopted as a child for charity, he has lived a life of ill-treatment and competition, surviving only through his own strength. ​The moment they meet, the air crackles with a tension they can't explain. But the spark is extinguished before it can truly burn. A meeting with her parents unearths a devastating "truth": they are told they are siblings, bound by blood they cannot cross. ​But the Rajput family tree is watered with blood and secrets. ​As Anaya and Arun struggle with their "forbidden" feelings, they begin to pull at the threads of the past. They soon discover a monster named Randheer Rajput-a man who killed his first wife for property and hunted down his second wife once she knew him trully. ​Hidden in the shadows is the real truth: Anaya was a child of tragedy, saved by Arun's biological mother at the cost of her own life and handed to a trusted friend to be raised in safety. ​Now, Anaya and Arun must team up to expose the man who murdered their mothers and stole their lives. In a world built on high-stakes deception, will they be able to rewrite their bloodline, or will the lies of their fathers bury them alive?