Maelin wasn’t supposed to exist. After publishing the first book in the Belladonna series, Nightshade Academy, I dove straight into writing the second one, but the idea of this companion novella wouldn’t stop pestering me. I eventually accepted that I couldn’t not write it. So I put Underground Royalty on hold, and here we are. … Read more
Chapter 1 It takes me a minute to remind myself that the red paint dripping from the table isn’t my own blood. It glows unnaturally in the light of my single white LED lantern. In moments like this, the best thing to do is just remain silent. If you don’t move, they can’t see you. … Read more
chapter one: ari On a strange November afternoon, I woke up with my eyes already opened. I was sitting on a furry beanbag in my bedroom with an incomplete psychology worksheet on the desk in front of me. The hippocampus, a brain structure responsible for learning and memory, is located in which part of the … Read more
#201 This one’s for a boy I’ve chosen not to name. The anonymous student annoys me to the core, but I can’t get him off my mind (and neither can you, judging by the fact that you’re reading this). He strives for perfection when he knows he’ll never get there, climbing and fighting but never … Read more
Chapter OneGoodbye It would make a tragic story. Benji Marino, fourteen, kills himself on a venture to paradise. A catchy title for the announcements on Wishville News before the morning weather report. On the other hand, he might survive. Benji emerged around the corner of Wishville Junior High, eyes locked on a hill in the … Read more