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~A voice, foreign to me, whispered in a gravely voice. "I hope she enjoys her time in hell"~ For Adira, there's a whole life spread out ahead of her, waiting to be lived. For Jayson, time is of the essence. In the midst of the stress of high school and daily life, Adira Brower's world is turned upside down when an unwanted attraction rolls into town. A boy without a family, Jayson is the perfect recipe for disaster. Against all odds, and Adria's boyfriend's wishes, the two cross paths time and time again. A party, a project, a prank that goes horribly wrong - it's like the stars are aligning in their favor. What Adira doesn't know, is how dangerous of a boy Jayson really is, and how much she'll have to give up to get her happily ever after. Secrets lie behind closed doors, and in the end, time stops for no one.
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Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up
― Veronica Roth
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I was running.
My legs pumped, bringing me further and further away from what I was running from. Driven by fear and adrenaline, my feet tore at the lush, grassy ground, as if they were angry to even walk upon the earth.
My brain pulsed, the banging of a drum beating constantly on my skull. But it wasn't unusual. At the moment it seemed like the most natural part of my body.
Bang bang bang.
One, two, three - hitting sixty with a harsh hammer that pierced my temples. It sounded much like a gunshot, but harsher still, like time itself was exploding.
Seconds, minutes, hours passed, and I could feel it all in my head. Sixty seconds, paired with a harsh bang at the end. Sixty minutes, followed by an even harsher bang.
A tree branch slapped against my face as I ran past it. I didn't notice the hard wood until it was too late. My legs kept working, kept driving me, and my hand went up to cradle my stinging face. Drops of blood inked slowly from the wound. I looked down for the only second I could spare. Blood dripped down my fingers, red and sticky.
My eyes flitted around. The forest was fading away at the edges, inky black fog seeping in through the looming trees.
The knotted, brown hair atop my head was flying in snarled locks behind me, catching on small branches and twigs, but I kept running, because suddenly the feeling of being chased was heavy in my conscience.
They was the predator and I was the prey. I couldn't hear the footsteps, though in my head they were loud and heavy, crushing me under their weight.
Fear was etching itself into my skin, creating scars that sliced through my being. My heart was hammering inside of my chest, so fast that it physically hurt.
"Stop, " I cried out loud in between gasping for air. My lungs were collapsing with every anxiety-filled moment.
Bang bang bang, went the drum in my head.
"Please!" I cried, my voice raspy. I couldn't explain it, but I knew that getting caught would be the end - it would either be the end of the pain and misery, or the start of something much worse.
The latter seemed more likely.
Suddenly, the scene changed, and leaves crunched beneath my feet. It was autumn, but the absence of birds proved that I was nearing cold and winter.
I hated the cold, and cringed as snow piles leaked up from the forest floor, piling higher and higher until it became difficult to run.
Torrents of cool air were rushing in behind me, pushing pushing pushing, until my body threatened to splay itself across the snow.
My bare arms and legs, covered by shorts and a t-shirt, were suddenly piled with goosebumps, and I began to shiver.
The predator was running behind me, their footsteps finally mixing in with mine. They were close.
Fear, cold and crushing, filled my chest. I felt their presence behind me, running faster than I could.
My converse shoes were soaked and filling with snow. I almost cried out when one of them slipped off my heal and was left behind in the snow. The now-bare foot slapped against the freezing snow, shooting pain slicing up my leg.
I didn't want to do it anymore.
What if I stop running? I wondered vaguely. Will it end?
But the question of how it would end was more overpowering, and I pumped my arms faster, moving my legs until they threatened to break.
Snow was falling, pelting, shooting down from the sky through the leafless tree branches.
I ran.
"Remember me, Adira?"
The voice was hard and cracking, a deep, angry male.
A scream tumbled out of my mouth and I choked on it, struggling for air.
There was something so familiar about the voice that it sent a spine-chilling shiver down my back.
The banging in my head was as prominent as ever. My skull was being smashed with a hammer.
The man was getting closer - I could feel him on my heels. It was only one person, but it felt like an overpowering group of many.
A hand, as cold and clammy and as frozen as the air around me, clamped town on my shoulder.
I was jerked back.
The scream in my mouth was cut off by another hand, which slapped down on my mouth. I struggled to draw in air through the stiff fingers. My chest constricted.
And then I was falling.
<<>>
I woke up, another scream caught in my throat.
Drops of sweat slid down my forehead as I dropped my head into my hands, pushing my bed sheet away from my sweaty body.
The same dream, over and over, for the past two weeks, and I didn't know what it meant.
"Dream my ass, " I muttered shakily. That had been a nightmare.
The fear I'd felt was still caught in my chest, taking up too much space.
I never knew what the nightmare meant. Except that when I woke up, the banging in my head was gone.
"Oh, shit, we're cuddling..." ~~~ Three girls, a Jack Daniels bottle, and a game of Truth or Dare: the recipe for disaster. And if you add in a website, a Cuddle Application, and an incredibly attractive boy named Oliver, the recipe gets a little tastier. But what if a silly joke, like submitting a Cuddle Application to find a hug buddy, becomes something so much more? What if it slowly transforms into love?
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."