Opennovellacontest2024 Stories

[ONC2024] Everyone can read minds except for Ethan Langdon. And Ethan Langdon has the dumbest (and cutest!) thoughts Lukas Hoffmann has ever heard. ____ Part one complete. Part two updating every Friday until completion (but already fully complete on my Kofi!) ____ Lukas Hoffman's life in Brambleburg is about as boring as you'd expect for a town where everyone can read minds. He's used to his routine of dusting the LPs at the record store where he works and helping out his grandma around the house. Nothing in Brambleburg changes. No one in Brambleburg changes. Until Ethan Langdon stumbles in with the soggy remnants of a paper map, asking for the quickest route to Berlin. Ethan, it turns out, doesn't have telepathy, and as aggravatingly inane as his thoughts are, Lukas hasn't felt the excitement of meeting a stranger since.... well, ever. And the more Lukas listens, the more he starts enjoying Ethan's cute thoughts about life, the universe, and Lukas's dimples. ____ Might bring to mind: "Cherry Magic" but set in a fictive European town where everyone except the love interest can read minds. ____ Written for the Open Novella Contest 2024 using prompts 8, 75, 82, and 85. 8. You start singing along to a movie soundtrack late at night forgetting that your window is open. Someone from the outside starts singing with you. 75. You awake in the middle of the night to a voice saying loudly "May the force be with you..." 82. You wake up on a seemingly ordinary day to discover that your thoughts are not private. There is someone else in your head with you. 85. "If you do that again, I'll throw you out that freaking window. What are you doing?" "Checking how high the drop is to see if it's worth it."

ONC Entry based on Prompt #90: You were officially dead for 2 minutes. Ever since then you can see guardian angels, and not a minute goes by in your daily life that you don't see an annoyed angel doing their job.

The 20s are back and the Prohibition is in full effect. Only this time the only spirits that are being outlawed isn't alcohol - it's powerful potions, endangered magical creatures and living souls being confined into bottles. These illicit spirits are coveted by criminal organizations that want to take over the underworld. One dangerous concoction could decimate an entire city to oblivion. Some of these spirits can be used to power engines, regenerate the tissue of a cadaver or make someone glow like a firefly, but the most dangerous of them all is to use the vessel of an imprisoned spirit to use mind control. Aster Rhodes was just a homeless lad who travelled across the states playing an old violin in the park when he got discovered by Daisy Ray. The young violinist has a penchant for bad poetry and soliloquys though it didn't deter the widow from introducing Aster to the frontman of the once-nomadic band called the Daisy Dukes - Darrell "Zib" Zibulon aka the Dandy Lion. After passing the rehearsal, the real head honcho of the speakeasy, Blaise Ray shows Aster the ropes of the business operates, though he didn't know the real extent of what his job would entail after the owner of the Dandelion speakeasy gets murdered one night. The business starts to sink and the only way to keep it afloat is to procure the illicits spirits, no one else is willing to take the risk to go bootlegging except for Aster, and Blaise's goddaughter - Ivy Taylor.

#ONC2024 Round 2 Ambassadors Pick | Shortlister (Finalist) When Prince Oskar decides to disguise himself and goes out into the village to see what the people are like, he is met with a shocking sight. There are orphaned children in the streets, beggars at every corner, and people fighting for their next meal. The kingdom of Unara has never seen poverty and the royal family looks out for the people. Why is this village struggling? As Oskar returns every day, he befriends one of the village's deformed members. A young woman with multiple scars on her face. Taking pity on her, the prince gives her one of the rings on his fingers, intending for it to bring her a better life. However, the woman is soon arrested for being in possession of this ring and Oskar knows she is innocent. Until he discovers she possesses a ring with the Unaran royal crest. This is not the ring he gave her. (The Royals of Unara) Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2024 | @OpenNovellaContest - Rules & Guidelines: https://www.wattpad.com/story/359598678 ©2024 E. S. Elias All Rights Reserved. Created & Published to Wattpad 02.01.2024 Completed: 04.27.2024 Main Prompt #55; "You're a young royal in disguise who befriends a villager with a scarred face. One day they are arrested for stealing something you gave to them." Secondary Prompt #67; "A promise is a promise. A secret is a secret. They must not tell anybody." Cover: Me @DesignsbyEH Image was generated using Dream.AI by Wombo solely for the purpose of making my book look pretty. Cover is temporary and subject to many changes. Word Count: 24,689 / 20,000 Round 1 ✔ | 2,000 words ✔ Round 2 ✔ | 8,000 words ✔ | Ambassadors Pick ✔ Round 3 ✔ | 20,000 words ✔ LONGLIST ✔ | SHORTLIST ✔ Rankings; #opennovellacontest #31 on 02.20.2024 | #ONC2024 #opennovellacontest2024 #15 on 02.20.2024

The Horcades and the Horcanes are family names in a fairytale. Nobody thinks the present Horcades have any connection with it. People don't even believe the tale. The idea that the tale is based off a true story is only a speculation by few. However, the truth is scarier than people think. And when this tale turns out to have some truth in it, the Horcades realise that some stories are best when fictional.

A work in progress, an unfortunate night. Henry Smickle stumbles into a world he had no idea existed. Where memories are erased and nothing is the way it seems.

Magic runs thick in the veins of every creature in the woods of Iryndor, in one twisted way or another. It could be beautiful, it could be benign. It could be breathtakingly evil. Rhae has lived in these enchanted woods all her life, a loyal member of the Sisters of Breath. She is familiar with the cold winters, and the looming threat of what lurks in the dark. But one day, she finds something else: a stranger, lacking the ever-present hum of power that hums through her own veins. Though at first wary, Rhae is soon enthralled by his tales of the mundane and ordinary. But in a world of magic, there is no place for the earthly. While an enchanting tale of love and its strength, "A Melody of Ice" also provides a chilling reminder of betrayal's sting, and what it can awaken within us all. ONC 2024 entry under prompt #95. Cover images retrieved from Pixabay.

❀ ONC 2024 Shortlister ❀ In a world tinged with whispers of faeries of sort and forgotten bargains, Ayina, a gifted dreamseer, witnesses a chilling prophecy unfold. Every ten years, a girl is offered to the Azenar gate. The gate either chooses to take her in or sacrifice her for all to see. As she witnesses her mother get sicker, Ayina heads to the Choosing ceremony festivities to procure a healer, however her world is turned upside down when her younger sister, Rani is chosen tribute for the ceremony and thrust into the clutches of the dark court, a sacrifice to appease an ancient threat. Driven by unwavering love and fierce loyalty, Ayina embarks on a perilous quest into the forbidden dark realm that had now festered between the borders of two mighty lands, Benar and Elemore. There, she encounters the mad wraith king of the dark court and Haider, a sarcastic Haraseen warrior ostracized for his mixed human and fae blood. As they navigate treacherous landscapes and formidable enemies, an unexpected bond blossoms between them. But a hidden truth awaits, one that forces them to confront a difficult choice: fulfill a prophecy that could save their kingdoms, or defy fate and fight for a love that transcends the boundaries of human and faerie.

A boy with a fatal secret. A prince desperate to protect his people. A princess fighting for freedom. And they will do whatever it takes. In a world of secrets, betrayal, and deception, the monsters around us inevitably grow and grow, but it is easy enough to turn a blind eye. That is until a murder and a message disrupt the biggest feast of the year, of course. Wilder, Theon, and Odelia begin to investigate, but as the monsters begin to rise, will they be able to uncover the truth, and stop them once and for all? TW's - violence, discrimination, drinking, murder (please let me know if I have missed any) Will they be able to save themselves from the monsters inside? prompt 95 - I will become as monstrous as I must

Four girls, one destiny: Hacker, Arsonist, Recluse, Thief. Cara, Siouxsie, Red and Jenna may appear to be ordinary teenage girls, but they're anything but. As delinquents, their paths collide when they're given up to an experimental juvenile rehabilitation program known as The Pandora Project. However, upon arrival, they quickly realize that things are not as they seem. Strange occurrences begin to unfold: bizarre tests, mandatory 'Vitamin' shots, timeslips, combat and weapons training. The girls soon discover that The Pandora Project has ulterior motives, far from the rehabilitation they were promised. Uncovering the truth only leads to more questions, putting their lives at risk. Could it be possible that the organization is turning troubled teens, unknowingly, into genetically modified super-powered assassins? And what fate awaits assets who dare to defy control? In a race against time, they must navigate the shadows of deceit, relying on the extensive training provided by the program to take it down. The stakes are high, and the girls are about to discover that their unique skills may be the key to exposing the dark secrets of Project Pandora. But will it be enough to survive?

Round1✔ - Ambassadors' Pick - Round2✔ - Longlist✔ - Shortlist✔ ----------- Oct 4, 2025: featured on @Fantasy - Mythology & Folklore ----------- Genre: fantasy, romance, and a teeny tiny bit of action. ----------- Of a Moon, majestic silver and soothing blue, that hung in the sky, breathing life into barrenness and lifting away the darkness that threatened to swallow everything. And a wolf, fur darker than night itself, that would passionately howl at the moon in a holy nocturnal ritual. He yearned to go and reach his beloved sphere of blessed silver rays for it breathed life into his very being and gave meaning to his existence. His howls were a balm to her lonely soul and so, on one spectacular night, the Moon in all her glory descended, gracing her devoted worshipper with her radiant presence. That was how the wolf's search for his otherworldly beloved ended. She'd come to him instead. Indeed, a desperate wish, made from the heart, is always answered, sooner or later. ----------- Warning: mention of violence (wolves, duh) and blood, fluff, extremely gorgeous FL, one hawt ML, and (A LOT OF) sexual tension. *evil laugh* ----------- Note: 1. this is the prequel to Rieka (ONC22) and The Dark Side Of The Moon (ONC23) 2. the story is written from an omniscient point of view. ----------- + If you are reading this on any site other than Wattpad then it is being unlawfully shared. Mirror sites often contain malware so please protect yourself and the work of this author by reading only on Wattpad. ------------------ [ONC entry - 1st draft - unedited]

Torn between following a family tradition of being a bounty hunter-one that he's not particularly fond of-and following his dreams of being a private detective, Niel has always struggled to land himself a job and put the food on his table. Few people were willing to hire an untraditional bounty hunter like him, so when he gets an urgent invitation from the eldest son of the wealthy Ravillet family, he is more than surprised. Enticed with the promise of a generous payment, Niel is determined to find the runaway young lady of the Ravillet family despite the lack of clues. With the help of an eccentric adventurer, he follows the trail of mysterious Kasena and her accomplice all the way to an esteemed swordsmanship tournament. But with no clues to go off of, can they really find someone who seems to have vanished into thin air? ⁕⁕⁕ STARTED: 2/17/2024 FINISHED: 11/15/2024 Word count: 27.8k words

Round two ambassador pick. Wyatt has just won it big and, in a drunken haze, buys an old, neglected mansion. When she moves in to start renovations, she gets an eerie feeling that she's not always alone-and let's not forget the noises. One fitful night, she heads to the kitchen for a midnight snack and is shocked when a random stranger runs past her in the hallway. A handsome man dressed like Mr Darcy, who disappears like a ghost. After her encounter, Wyatt does some research into the old house, only to discover it has a creepy and troubling past. But that's nothing compared to the revelation that the old antique wardrobe in her room is a secret doorway to the past and the handsome stranger is no ghost, but the son of an Earl looking for his long-lost aunt.

Published as at 29th Jan 2025 . 24th February 2025, marks the date, where the sun had vanished, plunging us into an abyss of darkness, the immediate concern wasn't how we would survive. Survival was not the answer; modification was. It was the day, we became Oxy, altered humans integrated with parasitic plants designed to produce oxygen in a realm deprived of sunlight. This transformation marked the loss of that world, birthing a new one - our world - sustained by the symbiosis between modified humanity and parasitic flora. . Open Novella Contest (ONC) No. 52 "And that is how that world was lost and a new one, our world, was born."

Every little girl dreams of being a princess, but what if that dream came true? For Cassie Manning, it does just that with only one exception...she doesn't want to be a princess. Cassie never thought she would end up in a castle, let alone living there. However, when the King comes calling, there isn't much choice. Of course, in Cassie's case, that king just so happens to be the father she never met. To make matters worse, she also had a twin sister, who recently passed away. Now she must attend a new school and learn to become the princess she was born to be in order to take over for her twin sister. However, will she be able to live up to her sister's reputation or will she have to give up and let her family down?

84. A witchy tale from the perspective of the familiar. 81. The town's witch has gone missing and no one is looking for her but her two familiars - a crow and a black cat, plus the teen who has always been scared of her. ~~~ Eclipse is a raven familiar, an invasive Corvus splendens in small-town coastal Louisiana. He serves an outsider called Mamman Simbi, a witch hidden between a Catholic and Voodoo culture, when a new witch is born into Cajun bloodlines (Tammy Broussard, b. 1977). Being overburdened in soul leads to the new witch having dangerous fevers that Eclipse and Simbi protect her from until she's old enough to take over as Mung Bean's witch (Simbi's rescue cat the same age as the girl). Familiars take on that excess spirit and help manage their partners health and daily work, becoming as human as their masters. The process of protecting Tammy leaves her frightened of Mamman Simbi, and parents in denial don't push children to stray outside their culture. But the world has never been safe for their kind, and just as the deep south starts to recover from a painful recession, the witches hiding in their culture start disappearing, leaving Simbi too distracted to reach out to a fearful child. Then Simbi disappears from a gathering during the worst years for murders in New Orleans (1994), with police corruption running rampant. Mung Bean and Tammy, both now 16, run away from home soon after, leaving Eclipse to sort out how much is safe to tell the young witch's parents, Rafe and Dinah Broussard, and Simbi's boyfriend, T-Beau LeBlanc. Can Eclipse find his master, ride herd on two teens (a witch and her familiar), keep mere humans safe, and not lose himself to the humanity he's avoided as a crow? Life wasn't supposed to be so complicated for a bird brain.

After a near death experience, James Jones, or Jimmy to his friends, begins to see ghosts. While in surgery, he meets Henry Costa, a renowned ghost buster. Henry is dead, but he's about to become Jimmy's best friend. when he's recovering from his surgery, Jimmy learns his sister has gone missing, and may also be dead. Flying off to America, he sets out to find his sister.

Asha Ahmad and Nikhil Mohan find themselves set up for an arrange marriage that neither of them are keen on follow through with - until they catch each other sneaking out the night before their wedding. They both see a future for themselves in America, far away from their families in India, and that's enough common ground to agree to give it a go - for five years. They settle on the terms of their five-year plan over a honeymoon, but a lot can change in that time. Will they have a change of heart or keep to their original promise? Even Asha and Nikhil don't know...

Amesh is the fourth and youngest child of the Suriname family, a family of well known superheroes that protect not only their world but others that surround it. While his siblings are out saving the world, Amesh is at home playing Mango Life. Unlike his siblings, Amesh has no interest in being the hero of the story, he prefers to be normal. And like all normal teenage boys he locks himself in his room and plays video games all day and night, only to come out when the dinner bell rings. The only family member you don't want to piss off is Momma Suriname, and dinner is always reserved for family meal time. It was a normal family dinner time, the Powerhouses were relaying their adventures of the day, Father and Momma Suriname gleamed at the tales, and Amesh drank his strawberry mango smoothie. That was until the tales became a little too similar to the gameplay Amesh had experienced earlier that day. ======== Written for ONC 2024 Main Prompt: 50 Sub Prompts: 49, 87 Fun Fact: Amesh means "Sweet like a Mango"

Blurb On a dark and stormy night, Mia is running along the road, unable to handle what has just occurred, which shouldn't have been logically or scientifically possible. As the storm intensifies, a strange lightning bolt strikes her. She miraculously survives the strike but is split into two people unknowingly. Unaware of each other, one continues forward and the other turns back. #An 'Open Novella Contest 2024' entry. #Prompt 23: It's a dark and stormy night and you're running along the road, unable to handle what has just occurred. Then a strange lightning bolt strikes you, which causes you to split into two people. Unaware of each other, one continues forward and the other turns back. #All places and people are fictional.