Young Haven is a spunky girl who does not much care for rules. In fact, she breaks several laws when she was four and she started eavesdropping on the young Prince's lessons. This wouldn't have been such a problem if she had not gotten caught.
Now, six years later, the prince is two weeks off of becoming king, and she and him have never been closer. That is, until Lady Rosaland turn up out of nowhere, and the young king falls into a deep infatuation.
Haven quickly realizes there is something not quite right about Rosa, and tries to tell the king about it. He, however, refuses to listen and slowly but surely their lifelong friendship begins to show its cracks, and the king drifts away from Haven and towards Rosa...
Armed with nothing more than her determination, cleverness, and stubbornness to help the king regardless of his betrayal to her, Haven sets off to discover what is really going on with Rosa. Of course, she can't do it alone...
Cedric is the type of young man with no last name, and no real past to speak of. He lived a boring life of scrubbing floors and organizing books in the library for his lazy father and was quite content with it All of that is turned upside-down by a mysterious girl who says her name is Haven.
At first, they settled into a mutual loathing where they barely said a word to each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Honestly if she could be a nice, quiet girl like all the other girls who came into the library, Cedric believed they would have less problems.
But than he is thrown in the dungeon for something he never did on the word of Lady Rosaland, whoever she was. And who should happen to break him out but Haven herself? When he asks why she helped him, she simply explains it was to make Rosaland angry. Now his honor won't let him leave Haven alone, and he's become determined to help her. Even if that means diving into the Castle's secrets and risking their lives.
Even if that means he has to die.
Geoff and Naomi are dead, and they're depressed, but when Geoff's cat Bernie dies as well, they embark on a wild journey to find it in the underworld.
*****
When Geoff dies, alongside his girlfriend Naomi, they end up sharing an apartment in the Underworld as skeletons. But after a few years, Geoff starts suffering a mid-death crisis. What's the purpose of going through the motions as a skeleton if you can't really live? Then he gets word that his cat, Bernie, just died and he can collect him and bring him home! Geoff and Naomi hurry to get Bernie only to discover that, due to a clerical error, their cat has been lost. With the hunt for Bernie giving new purpose to Geoff's un-life, he and Naomi begin a quest to get back their cat. Battling skeleton pirates, climbing the sky ladder and facing off against the villain who took Bernie, Geoff is determined to find his purpose - or die a second time trying!
[[2018 Wattys Winner - The Originals]]
[[word count: 30,000-40,000 words]]