Story cover for To Be, Rather Than To Seem by CrownedMadness
To Be, Rather Than To Seem
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  • WpHistory
    Time 30m
  • WpView
    Reads 979
  • WpVote
    Votes 152
  • WpPart
    Parts 8
  • WpHistory
    Time 30m
Ongoing, First published Feb 25, 2024
[Disclaimer: This book is a first draft and is currently on hold as it's in the process of transitioning to a full novel.]

How many friends do you have? 

When a stray thought forces Will Marte to notice the oddities in his everyday life, what follows is a reflection on the friendly relationships he has and had and a contemplation on the question: what is a friend? 

Having had an unconventional upbringing, he still feels its effects as an adult. Now, everyone around him is aging normally in their conventional life, and he doesn't know how to be rather than to seem. 

                                             ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Published in February 2024 for Open Novella Contest 2024
Copyright © by CrownedMadness (Maddy Alson) 2024
All Rights Reserved
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Graduation is right around the corner for Ada Sinclair. She's spent all of high school saving up for her dream college and skipped high school traditions to keep her grades up for scholarships. When the acceptance letter came in the mail, every ounce of her effort felt worth it. She's spent her life being a small fish in a small pond, but eagerly awaits September so she can spread her wings and move on to big things. When her mother comes home to reveal she is in the early stages of Huntington's Disease, a disease passed down from her own mother, she can't hide from the truth she may be next in line. It is then that her plans and dreams for her future shatter. Nothing is more important to her than her family, people who need her and her strength more than Ada needs her dreams. Not knowing how much time she has left with her mother, she makes the choice to remain at home and has no regrets. Only the fear of uncertainty. Feeling like the world is crashing down on her, Ada turns to the man who's been there for her for the last four years. He'd given her the confidence she needed to become the woman she is now, held her while she cried and has been there through every struggle she's faced. He seems fully willing to be there for her again, even if that means risking his career as a teacher; her teacher. As their friendship grows stronger, they find strength in one another and a connection they can only ignore for so long, a connection that comes with life-changing consequences for them both.