The Silence That Speaks | ONC 2025

Liss Aguilera can see things that aren't there. The world is cruel to a girl it perceives as crazy, so she's learned to live her life in the quiet--to ignore the false voices, act normal, and believe in only what she can touch. Until the unseen monsters start to come for her.

Her protector is just as strange as every other hallucination, but he's determined to convince her he is real and that he needs her help. He's the servant of a guardian spirit tasked with defending humanity from behind the veil, but the spirit he serves has disappeared, and he believes Liss is his key to finding answers.

He might still be imaginary. But if what he says is true, this could be Liss's chance to finally understand her own fractured existence--and maybe even save it.

𓁿

Written for the Open Novella Contest 2025, using prompt 105:
"Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns--only this time, they're real."

Credit to @Heuristic_Hashmath for the gorgeous cover