Title: Type X Author: M.A. Phipps Series: Project W.A.R. #2 Genre: Young Adult Dystopia
Feared by many. Frightened of few. Torn between humanity and the monster she’s become.
When Wynter surrendered to the DSD two years ago, she thought she was protecting her friends. Lured by the promise of a cure, she hoped she might finally be rid of her devastating disease or, at least, be on the path to controlling it. But Dr. Richter was never interested in curing her.
With a collar around her neck keeping her unstable powers in check, Wynter is transformed into an unstoppable weapon. Compelled to do the State’s bidding, she kills without feeling, remembering nothing of the people she gave herself up to protect. Her only thought is to obey.
When a mission goes wrong, triggering suppressed memories, Wynter finds herself determined to piece together her past. But as she uncovers the truth, she realizes it’s no longer clear who the real enemy is, and with the threat of war looming, she must again make a choice. Can she escape her role in the impending destruction?
A grunt resonates in the back of my throat as the toe of a boot kicks my legs out from beneath me. Wincing, I drop to my knees in the dirt.
Through a scalding veil of tears, I stare down at the ground. How could I have allowed us to wind up like this? Why did I just sit by and do nothing?
Rough hands pin my arms behind my back, binding my wrists in thick, metal shackles. I don’t struggle because I already know from experience there’s only one sure-fire way out of this. One way to undo the mistakes—my mistakes—that got us into this mess in the first place.
That nagging voice of doubt returns, holding me still. What if using my power here results in the one outcome I’ve sacrificed so much to avoid? What if it endangers the very lives I allowed myself to become a weapon to protect?
My eyes dart between Ezra and Jenner as they’re both forced down onto their knees beside me. I could do it. I could save them. I could get us all out of here alive. But I also know that my plan could go horribly wrong. One wrong move, that’s all it would take. One split second of hesitation or miscalculation and they would be dead because of me.
Then again, if I do nothing at all, we all die now, on our knees in this field. When I look at it that way, the decision is easy.
I only have one option.
Footsteps plod along the overgrown earth, pacing back and forth behind me. Three sets of tramping boots reverberate in my ears.
One armed guard per hostage, I note.
There were more than that when Nolan left us, but Quinn ordered the others to go on patrol. It shouldn’t surprise me that Nolan left the ex-Enforcer in charge of overseeing our executions. Quinn has hated me from the first moment we met. Of course, he would want the honor of slaying the monster himself.
Considering his motivation for joining PHOENIX, I wonder if his conscience is at all conflicted about gunning down unarmed hostages, or if he sees our deaths as just punishment for the crimes I committed on behalf of the State. He wouldn’t be wrong. I’ve done horrible things to protect the people I love and even worse things out of fear of what might happen if I didn’t. Every step I’ve taken, every move I’ve made, was selfish. I can own up to that.
But Ezra and Jenner… They shouldn’t die, not like this. They’ve done absolutely nothing wrong except love a broken girl who doesn’t deserve to be loved.
They shouldn’t have to pay the price for my sins.
I swallow the rising lump in my throat, asking myself the one looming question I’ve considered at least a thousand times before.
Can the future be changed?
If I had believed that it couldn’t, I wouldn’t have handed myself over to Richter two years ago. If I had thought the future was set in stone, I would’ve spent what little remaining time I had left with the two people in this world who mean everything to me. I wouldn’t have forced myself to forget them. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to inflict so many untold horrors on so many innocent people.
Even now, after everything I’ve been through, I have to believe I can still make things better.
M. A. PHIPPS is an American author who resides near the ocean in picturesque Cornwall with her husband, daughter, and their Jack Russell, Milo. A lover of the written word, it has always been her dream to become a published author, and it is her hope to expand into multiple genres of fiction.
When a girl disappears, long-buried secrets resurface…
Coco is missing. Her room’s a mess, and her phone is left behind in her dorm at Lainsbury Hall School
Ella, Coco’s childhood best friend, is desperate for her to return, although she knows that if she ever sees Coco again, there’ll be a lot of explaining to do.
Bea knows that her new group of friends attracts drama, and she thinks she has the last shred of common sense between them all. Only, if that was true, she would leave Genevieve, her toxic ex, well alone.
Conrad is confident that Coco will return safe and well. Only, the way his secrets are unravelling, he’s worried he won’t be when this is all over.
Harrison and Coco are the perfect couple. Everyone knows that. But looks can be misleading. Even the smartest boy in school can make a terrible mistake.
In order to navigate the web of secrets and lies that Coco leaves behind, her circle of friends needs to unravel a few of their own.
In the misty darkness lit only by a blue streetlamp, Ella knew that she was not alone. She turned and saw the faceless figure far down the drizzly street. It came towards her at speed. It didn’t seem to be moving, but she knew that it was gaining on her. She started to run, but her legs would not move. She was stuck, as though in quicksand.
When she dared check over her shoulder once again, the figure was only about five steps away, and she could see raspy breaths escape the black silhouette in a wispy white cloud. The scene whirred in front of Ella as she pulled on her legs, sobbing, begging them to move. But they would not. All she could hear was the breathing, slow and rattling, as though it was the figure’s very last. Four. Three. Two.
It was the skeletal hand on her shoulder that woke her. In the darkness of her room, she was alone. She turned her alarm off and felt uneasy in the silence. She was soaking wet, her back from sweat, her face from tears.
She washed her face, hardly daring to open her eyes and look into the mirror above the sink. She felt watched, hunted. As she brushed her teeth, she turned on all her lights and opened the dreary brown curtains that Lainsbury Hall School had placed in all the dorms. But even in her bright vanity lamps that took over her dressing table, drowning her in bright white light as she did her make up, her eyes darted around the corners of her mirrors, checking all angles of the room in the reflection for the faceless spectre. She was not herself today. Then again, she hadn’t been herself yesterday, either.
VB Furlong is a trainee lawyer and writer of young adult novels living in Berkshire, UK. She wrote her first “novel” at aged ten and has not stopped since then. Through her writing she aims to explore many of the issues she faced herself growing up, in the hopes that others facing the same issues feel some solidarity. Her friendships are a huge part of her life and consequently is a major theme in her writing, exploring the way in which we interact with each other, especially in difficult times.
Originally from Mumbles, Swansea, VB Furlong enjoys the sun and the sea, and walking her three dogs across the cliffs. These walks have offered her inspiration for many pieces of writing, including What Happened to Coco which she is excited to introduce as a coming of age boarding school thriller.
Half butterfly, half tiger. All deadly weapon. Game on.
In 2160, humanity is divided. The ruling class of prodigies dictates law and order for all, while normals fight to survive. Only the Councils in charge of advanced Core cities can decide the fate of a traitor.
A life of luxury is Willow Kent’s destiny. As long as she plays within the boundaries of the Core’s game, she can have anything she wants. Anything except for her friend Kane to avoid execution. Driven by guilt, she negotiates a secret Meta-X exchange to free him. But when a new threat emerges—one even her rare skill level cannot withstand—the stakes become dangerously high. To save Kane, she must navigate the slippery political terrain that surrounds her House, her mysterious Guardian, and the corrupt, unforgiving Council.
The most lethal terrain, however, lurks inside her own mind. Can she overcome her skillset before its savage intentions spiral out of control?
Gauntlet is the third book in The Prodigy Chronicles, a Hunger Games meets X-Men dystopian romance series about a young girl struggling to control her immense powers and find her place in a city filled with enemies.
Silence hung between us. Inside my belly, the tiger looked back and forth, gauging our unspoken feelings. She knew mine. All she got from Reece was a sense of conflict. The turmoil inside his cage baffled us both. For someone so confident, he seemed at a loss.
Commander and man, she whispered.
Well, he couldn’t be both. Not on this. He could choose duty and back Kristoffe, or he could be the man who stood by me. I would love him either way. But this was my life. I wanted a say in how to live it.
“I agree,” he said at last.
I turned to look at him. “You do?”
“Yes, because you’re right.” He spoke quietly, with a pensive tone I hadn’t heard before. “I knew the moment I saw him in the penthouse that it meant trouble. He is a threat to both of us.”
“Why would Morry hire someone like that?”
He paused before answering. “I’m sure she has her reasons.”
“That’s not good enough,” I said. Her reasons meant nothing to me, especially since I was the one suffering for them. “He’s intolerable, Reece. I can’t take any more.”
“Let me deal with him tonight. I’ll see what I can find out and will have a talk with Fenn. He’s not thrilled with Kris right now and disapproves of his methods.” Reece smiled encouragingly. “Perhaps we can come up with a solution.”
I tried to smile back, but it felt wooden. He didn’t know that I already had a solution. One that, if successful, would be a hundred percent foolproof and keep Kristoffe from making my life miserable.
You’ll be miserable anyway.
No, I won’t.
Leaving Reece will break you.
That’s ridiculous.
He’s your destiny.
I trembled briefly before thrusting her from my thoughts. She was being dramatic. Love didn’t rule my heart, nor did it choose for me. My destiny was of my own making.
“Anything you can do,” I said, “I’d appreciate.”
“Consider it done.” Rising, he tucked Ollie in beside me, and I took advantage of his closeness by wrapping my arms around his neck. I sighed as I drew him close for a hug.
“Willow,” he laughed. “I need to go.”
“A moment longer.” Clinging to him, I soaked in the heat radiating from his body. My lips twitched when he snuggled his face into my neck. His arm snaked around me, holding me tight. “Just what I needed.”
Reece smiled against my skin. “You’re playing with fire.”
I didn’t care. After Kristoffe’s abrupt violent streak, having Reece this close felt like heaven. He was warm and strong and safe. Everything I’d ever wanted. I squeezed him hard before easing back, my hands on his face, my eyes staring into his.
“Kiss me goodnight,” I breathed.
One corner of his mouth quirked. “I already did.”
“Not properly.”
His smile faded, and my heart throbbed when his arm tightened around me. Easing onto the bed, he pulled us up together, bringing me to his chest. His fingers slid gently into my hair. He leaned close, head slanted, lips hovering just over mine.
C.L. Denault is a speculative fiction writer who loves dreaming up tales of adventure and intrigue. A former systems analyst, she gave up her nerdy code-writing skills to care for her family (including a son with special needs) and currently lives among the vast stretches of cornfields in Illinois.
Writing and working out are her biggest passions, along with coffee and sci-fi. When she’s not hanging out with her husband and kids, she can usually be found at a library or tucked away in the shadowy corner of a hip coffeehouse. She’s also been glimpsed sneaking into her garage, late at night, to work on her time machine.
She enjoys connecting with people—especially those from other planets, nearby dimensions, and the future. To find her, just visit her website or social media pages. Or use a Stargate. Whichever is easiest.
