Painting Stars
- Reads 49
- Votes 1
- Parts 1
Ongoing5m
Last published Sun, Jul 20, 2025
Twelve years ago, Delaney Calloway vanished without a trace during a family reunion in England. The best detectives in the world failed to find her. Now, sixteen-year-old Stella, her little sister, refuses to believe Delaney is gone.
Bullied and broken, Stella drops out of school and travels alone to England, determined to uncover the truth. But what she finds is darker than she ever imagined-a tangled web of secrets, lies, and danger.
With a hacker, a troubled detective's son, and a mysterious podcaster by her side, Stella discovers that some stars burn brighter when they're lost in the dark.
But not every truth wants to be found.
Will Stella find her sister? Or will she become the next missing star?
All Rights Reserved
#212
coldcase
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Sofia's Secret Mafia Brothers
Sofia is a 17 years old high school student under the guardianship of her step-father. Several weeks after her mother's death Sofia discovers the horrible truth. It wasn't an accident, it was a murder. And she's living under the same roof with her mother's killer. Without any backup plan or money, Sofia escapes to Italy and slowly starts to unveil the mystery of her mother's past. She hopes she can find her biological family before Paul finds her. But will she succeed? Content warning: suicide attempt, self-harm.Complete
Whispers in the Dark
Fame is a performance, and the greatest illusions happen behind the scenes. When Evelyn Hart, a celebrated actress, vanishes from her hotel room without a trace, the world is left grasping for answers. No witnesses. No forced entry. No sign of struggle. Just a few cryptic diary entries, a collection of old photographs, and a past that refuses to stay buried. Detectives Adrian Cole and Madison Lane, once childhood friends turned reluctant partners, are called in to investigate the disappearance. Their reputations precede them-Adrian, known for his calculated approach and sharp intuition, and Madison, relentless in her pursuit of justice. But years of distance and unresolved emotions make working together more complicated than either of them expected. As they unravel Evelyn's past, they discover a tangled web of deception, power, and betrayal leading straight to Victor Calloway, a renowned director with a talent for crafting perfect illusions-on and off the screen. He was once Evelyn's closest ally, but something dark simmered beneath their friendship. And now, as Adrian and Madison get closer to the truth, they realize someone is erasing every trace of Evelyn's existence, silencing those who dare to speak. With every step forward, the danger intensifies. Someone is watching. Someone is pulling strings. And the deeper they dig, the harder it becomes to tell friend from foe. But in the midst of the chaos, Adrian and Madison find themselves facing another mystery-the one between them. Years of separation couldn't erase the bond they once had, but will this case bring them back together or break them apart for good? Because in a world where deception is an art form, some disappearances are meant to stay unsolved.Complete
Secrets of the Great Oak
Maggie Matthews went missing six years ago and her sister, Anna has made it her life's ambition to figure out what happened. Her parents believe her dead, but Anna simply can't accept that. Convicted of this belief, she takes up studying Criminal Justice at Nashville Community College. Anna gets the chance of a lifetime when her Criminal Investigations teacher gives the class a chance to investigate a cold case of their choosing. Her lifetime best-friend, Jake Johansen teams up with her for the project. In their investigation, they seem to keep running into dead ends and things that just don't add up. That is until they look into Maggie's old journals and find a few well-kept secrets. The pair takes a wild adventure leading them to a mysterious clearing with an ancient oak tree. But, will they be able to uncover the truth in a heap confusing stories and convincing cover-ups?Complete
Finding my Forever
Elisa is on the run from her parents' past, and the rucksack full of secrets that she carries is key to protecting her estranged brothers from an unseen enemy. ***** Entrusted with secrets from her family's past, Elisa West has been on the run for half of her life. She's always kept people at a distance, jumping from foster home to foster home, and now she's landed with her biological family. Her brothers haven't seen her since she was a toddler, and don't know what to make of the strange closed-off teenager or her secrets. But when she finally opens up about murder, scientists, and dangerous experiments, it becomes evident that Elisa hasn't just come home to reunite with her family. She's come back to destroy the terrible legacy that haunts them. (Book One of The Roses of Forever Series) #1 in Missing- 15/11/20 #1 in clues- 12/08/20 #1 in familyissues- 14/08/20 #2 in missingparents- 23/08/20 #1 in familymystery- 27/08/20 #2 in sister and brothers- 28/09/20 #1 in sadness- 17/02/21 #1 in familyproblems- 6/05/21 #1 in clues- 06/02/22 Cover designed by Holly ThurstonComplete
The Society
It's been nine months since Sam's beautiful sister Maggie went missing from boarding school and nobody is doing anything about it. In search of answers, Sam decides to go undercover at Sparrow Hall herself-only to find that the hot guy she hooked up with the night before is already enrolled. Sam has heard many things about Sparrow Hall. How it's said to be the most beautiful school in the country. How students act more like grown-ups than teenagers, and hail from some of the biggest cities in the world. Sam is way out of her element here. But nothing can prepare her for her new reality...the beauty and intrigue, the shockingly familiar faces, the handsome students-or the family secrets that will change her life forever. Sam just wanted to find her sister. But she's getting a lot more than she bargained for...Complete
Anna's Secret (Editing)
[FEATURED×5] Bright Young Minds on @mystery Chills and Thrills on @paranormal Our Favourite | Newly Written Picks on @newlywrittenbooks I can see you on @CelestiaCove Mystery on @Project_Athena "What If You Don't Know Your Secret?" In the gripping thriller, "Anna's Secret," a 17-year-old girl named Anna, her calm life becomes fearful when a strange person enters her world. Anna gets annoyed with him following her around and she soon discovers that he keeps a secret about her which can shake her world. At the same time, heartbreaking murders begin across the city. An FBI agent named Michael is engaged, endeavouring to catch the person responsible for these crimes, but he doesn't know his investigation might be related to the mystery surrounding Anna. As days go by, Anna's reality becomes confusing, making her doubt her feelings. Is she just imagining the things the stranger said, or are they true? And could her secrets be linked to the terrible events in the city? Anna digs deeper into the mysteries surrounding her, and the lines between truth and lies, sanity and confusion, start to blur. She faces many dangers on her journey, making her wonder about everything she thought she knew about herself and her past. In "Anna's Secret," things are not what they seem, and reality is always being put to the test. This thrilling story will keep readers on the edge of their seats, making them question what they believe about truth and the secret things that shape our lives. Total word count is 26,723 I hope you will like my story. This Cover Made By Me (Note: If you have seen my book in another location or with another username then you are reading a stolen version. Contact me if you know)Complete
Gone
Evelyn Turner is missing. One night she was at a party. The next, she was gone. Now the town of Portsby, Ohio is on edge. The search grows colder, the whispers get louder, and fifteen-year-old Connor finds himself at the center of it all. He was one of the last people to see Evelyn before she disappeared-and he might know more than he's letting on. As investigators close in and the town turns against him, Connor has to piece together what happened that night before it's too late. Gone is a tense and fast-paced mystery about a missing girl, a quiet town, and the secrets people keep to protect themselves. ---------------------------------------------------- This book is recommended for ages 17+ due to moderate depictions of violence. ---------------------------------------------------- Achievements: #1 in "smalltownhorror" 6/25/24Complete
Left Behind
Be careful what you ask for. When digging deep, you may uncover bodies. Maisie's life has been falling apart since her older sister went missing years ago without a trace. With a dead father and a mentally unstable mother, the teenage girl has been left in the care of her older brothers. When she bumps into hidden boxes in the attic, a web of lies and secrets unravel between her fingers. Pieces of what happened to her sister wait to be put together. And the complete puzzle might give Maisie more answers than she bargained for. Not just a mystery, a story about the ties that bind a family and have the power to break one. [extended summary inside] [contain mature themes] #1 littlesister #1dysfunctionalfamily
intrepidity
Aurora's life had always been about survival, each day a quiet battle against fear and pain. When her stepfather was finally arrested, she thought the fight was over. But leaving one dangerous world meant stepping into another-one she didn't fully understand. Now, she's living with seven older brothers she barely knows, their lives a tangle of secrets and shadows they never speak of. Their house is loud, protective, and filled with rules she's afraid to break. For Aurora, it's a new kind of survival. For her brothers, it's a chance to keep her safe-no matter what it takes.Complete
Cherry Two
Even before Calley Nameth reached the age of reason the English girl knew something different lingered inside her brain. Not a frightening thing. It had always been there, a friendly presence in a way. It told her she'd never really been alone, even when she was. The haunting began in earnest soon after she reached her fifteenth birthday. Some nagging compulsion, that had made the teen paw over her father's old photo album, now ramped up to new level of urgency. She had to go, and perhaps retrace the steps her father had taken many years before she'd been born-discover real things James would never speak of to anyone-about her American namesake and a summer of lust and adventure in a far away land of excess. James didn't want to let her go alone, but knew he must. His American cousin Sonia and her Police Chief husband, Keenan, would keep her safe. He could never face a trip down that scary memory lane he'd spent the last two and a half decades trying to erase. A time when an orphan boy almost lost his sanity as dire warnings inside his head all came horribly true. Calley Nameth is a virtual reincarnation of Sonia's murdered sister-her dead Aunt Calley. Travel with her to California, while her father deals with disturbing and bizarre events at home. Romantic crime drama, paranormal overtones.Complete
Sofia is a 17 years old high school student under the guardianship of her step-father. Several weeks after her mother's death Sofia discovers the horrible truth. It wasn't an accident, it was a murder. And she's living under the same roof with her mother's killer. Without any backup plan or money, Sofia escapes to Italy and slowly starts to unveil the mystery of her mother's past. She hopes she can find her biological family before Paul finds her. But will she succeed? Content warning: suicide attempt, self-harm.
More detailsContent Guidelines