In the heart of a bustling city, 19-year-old Luna Hart finds herself reluctantly attending a birthday party for a colleague she barely knows. The directions lead her to a grand mansion, its opulent halls bathed in dim, ambient lighting that casts long shadows across the marble floors. The atmosphere is thick with the murmurs of elegantly dressed guests and the soft strains of a distant piano. Unbeknownst to Luna, she has wandered into the wrong mansion, a place shrouded in secrets and enchantment. As she navigates the large, crowded room, her eyes meet those of Cassian, a powerful witch with a magnetic presence. The moment their gazes lock, it's as if the world pauses, and in an instant, their hearts collide with the force of a hurricane. Drawn together by an inexplicable connection, their meeting sets off a whirlwind of emotions, transforming the serene night into a tempest of passion and intrigue. As they converse, the energy between them intensifies, creating a storm that neither can escape. With each stolen glance and whispered word, Luna and Cassian are swept into a tumultuous journey where their destinies are irrevocably intertwined, and the calm before the storm is but a distant memory.
Author Note: (hopefully the story captures the intensity and emotion inspired by the song "Hurricane" by Fleurie)
*Wattys 2018 Winner / Hidden Gems*
CREATE YOUR OWN MR. RIGHT
Weeks before Valentine's, seventeen-year-old Kate Lapuz goes through her first ever breakup, but soon she stumbles upon a mysterious new app called My Dream Boyfriend, an AI chatbot that has the ability to understand human feelings. Casually, she participates in the app's trial run but finds herself immersed in the empathic conversations with her customizable virtual boyfriend, Ecto.
In a society both connected and alienated by technology, Kate suspects an actual secret admirer is behind Ecto. Could it be the work of the techie student council president Dion or has Kate really found her soulmate in bits of computer code? She decides to get to the bottom of the cutting-edge app. Her search for Ecto's real identity leads Kate to prom, where absolute knowledge comes with a very steep price.