Novels by Shael Starr

“We have enough materials to keep us warm without depending entirely on the generators,” Clara said as she pulled away from Benjamin. “Since the ceiling is half gone, it'll get really cold in here.”“Wouldn't it just be better to repair it?” Benjamin suggested.“We don't have construction materials,” Clara deadpanned.Benjamin laughed, a loud, genuine one. “I know that. I meant we should go out and scavenge for materials.”Kyler walked in on him saying that and immediately disapproved. “You're not taking my sister out in the cold.”Clara watched the two as they argued on why and why not they should go out in search of repair materials. Eventually, she intervened.“Benjamin and I will go. Ky, stay with Emma.”“But—” Clara shot him a death glare.In a hushed tone, she spoke. “I still don't trust that woman, so I want you to keep an eye on her.”Kyler shrugged in acceptance, making his way to the spare room as Clara and Benjamin prepared to leave.Clara put on her coat. While she wait

Clara woke up shivering to the bone.She hadn't been able to sleep well after Emma's confession. It only created more questions than answers in her head. What powers could Emma have been talking about?She would've asked, but the girl fell asleep shortly after.Clara sluggishly rose out of bed and made her way to the living room.Her teeth clattered against one another as she unintentionally began to rub her arms to warm herself up.For a moment, she thought someone had turned off the heating. She picked up her phone and looked at the time. 6:17 A.M.“What's going on?”She moved towards the window, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the frost that covered the glass.She turned on the security lights, exposing a snow-covered front yard. Clara rubbed her eyes and proceeded to pinch herself. Dread seeped further into her bones at the realization that she wasn't dreaming this. It was real. The ice wave had hit, and that meant only one thing… The apocalypse had begun.Now co

Clara stared at the security monitor, unable to tear her eyes away from the image.The person was standing unnervingly still. It scarily reminded her of the strange person she saw when she was out with Benjamin.She swallowed the bitterness already rising in her throat.“Can you zoom in?” she asked quietly, not wanting to draw Benjamin's attention to them.Kyler nodded, clicking the mouse to enlarge the footage.The person's features came into a clearer view.“She's a woman,” Clara revealed breathily. Kyler nodded, his mouth slightly agape in disbelief.Both still wondered how someone who looked as fragile as the person they're looking at made it through their fortified entrance.Suddenly, she crashed to the floor, a loud thud following.Kyler immediately rose to his feet, already turning towards the door. “We should help her.”Clara shot him a baffled look. “What are you even saying? It's 2am in the morning.”“She might be injured,” Kyler insisted.“Or she could be pretending. Ky, d

Clara stared at the system notification.[Anomalous Presence Detected.]The words flickered once before disappearing, leaving her staring, face flushed, at an ordinary-looking living room.Emma was still trembling in Benjamin's arms as he desperately tried to console her. Nothing worked, however. Clara approached them slowly, lowering herself until she was at Emma's eye level."Emma, can you tell me what you feel?"She hesitated, as if trying to search for the right words. "It's like… someone is staring at me, but I can't even see them."Clara's expression tightened. "Does it feel close?"Emma nodded before her face grimaced. “The back of my neck hurts too,” she added, reaching for her neck with her small hand. Benjamin exchanged a worried glance with Clara."Perhaps she's having another reaction from what happened during the storm," he suggested quietly. "Maybe she's still sensitive to things around her."Clara didn't answer immediately.She withdrew into her mind, trying to cook u

Clara couldn't sit still.The news broadcast had ended hours ago, but the image of the man snapping at the medical workers still remained burned into her mind. She paced around the house, arranging things that weren't out of place, constantly looking outside for signs.Nothing seemed to calm her. Not even the handsome man currently sitting opposite her with his hair slightly tussled from just waking up."I'm going out," she announced out of the blue.Kyler, who had been working on his laptop, paused. "What? I don't think that's a good idea, Clara—"Clara took the remaining words out of his mouth."I want to see what's happening in the city."Benjamin attempted to intervene. "Clara—" "I'm not going to the hospital,” she continued. “I'll just observe what's happening from a distance and come back."The two men didn't seem comfortable by the idea, but knowing Clara, she wouldn't let them have a say. “That's fine…” Benjamin said.Kyler threw him a dirty look. “No, it's not!”“I'll come

Benjamin stood near the living room window, studying the thick security film being fitted over the glass.At first, he assumed Clara was simply being cautious. After all, the weather forecast had been warning about an approaching ice wave, and her house was already stocked with enough supplies to last a small family for weeks.But the more he looked around, the more questions he had.There were reinforced locks on the doors, new metal bars being fitted to the lower windows, and several workers moving between the house and the yard with tools and construction materials. Even the perimeter wall was being reinforced.This wasn't ordinary preparation for bad weather."Clara," he called when she entered the room, "do you genuinely believe this ice wave will be that bad?"She glanced at him, looking through some documents. "Why do you ask?"Benjamin hesitated before speaking. “This seems a little too much for a bad weather, don't you think?”Clara paused, looking up from the documents in h

I refused to hide or make myself feel small.“Mom… Dad… give me strength…” I muttered.I took a deep breath in, opened the door wider and stepped in.My head was tilted up slightly. I wanted to show them both that I wasn't scared that I was caught.In fact, I was glad.Blood drained from Bradley's face instantly. I had never seen him that pale.The usual smooth, calm composure he wore like an armor shattered right in front of me.He stumbled forward, towards me, his lips parted, probably to tell me lies again.“Diana, how did you–? This isn't–”“Save it,” I interrupted.I looked in Miranda's direction. There was a smug look on her face.“Is this why you told me to come?” I asked, my voice cutting through the tension in the room. “To listen to you both shamelessly plot to steal what's mine?” Immediately, her face changed. She wore a shocked expression, not expecting me to reveal that part. But I was done doing that. I was done covering everyone's secrets.Bradley jerked his face to

What was the Mayor doing here?!Everyone asked the same question in their mind, but unlike them, I remained calm.The Mayor was a tall man, impeccably dressed in a black tailored suit. He had the aura of a man with power, flawlessly exuding confidence and grit.I rose to my feet, head bent slightly.“Welcome, Mr. Mayor. What an honor for you to grace our hospital,” I said, my voice powerful, yet gentle. “We were just in the middle of a meeting–”“For your suspension,” Harrison cut in. “Don't forget to add that. You're barely a staff here now, so you have no right to talk to the Mayor.”I furrowed my brows and stepped back.Harrison walked forward, extending his arm. “Forgive my colleague’s insolence. She doesn't seem to know her place. I'm Dr. Harrison.”The Mayor stared at Harrison's arm for an awkward second.Harrison let out a nervous chuckle, still keeping his hand open.The Mayor eventually smiled and returned his gesture.“Do you know who Dr. Amsterdam is, by chance?” He asked

My eyes began to sting, but no tear dropped. Leon found a place for me to sit and catch my breath.After a while, I got better.“I know this comes as a shock to you–”“Why are you telling me this?” I raised my head to look at Leon. Leon would never help me.Leon would never care that I was being manipulated by a liar.Why was he doing this?“I just felt you should know. For all I know, these people are probably plotting something against us. We are the victims here!” I rose to my feet.“I'm leaving. I can't take any more of this.”Leon leaped onto me. He looked at me with soft eyes and a gentle smile.“Be safe. Bradley might not be what you think he is.”I pulled away instantly.“What is that supposed to mean?”He rolled his eyes.“Come on, Diana. Stop acting naive. How did a guy like him quickly grow into such a successful man in six years?”“It's possible,” I croaked out, unsure of my own words.“It's not. I've been in this industry for double that time and I'm yet to make such

“What do you want, Dr. Harrison?” My question came out with a snarl.“It's almost midnight. This better be worth it.”“Oh, it's worth it,” he replied with a menacing tone.“The board will definitely be interested in knowing that our newest MD is married to the chairman. No wonder he was more than ready to give up his seat for you.”I stiffened.Of course, he would think that Bradley handed the title to me because we're “married.”“Don't you have anything else to do with your time, Dr. Harrison?” The other end of the phone fell silent.“Since you have nothing to say, I'll end the call no–”“Stop with the tomfoolery and come clean, Diana,” he spat.“Excuse me?”“You stole my spot from me, you greedy wretch! I'm going to make the whole world see just how you play dirty. Who even knows if the surgery was real?” “How dare y–!”The line went dead.I stood in silence, reeling from the shock of what just happened.“Did you hear the way he spoke to me?” I stared at Bradley, dumbfounded. “He

Bradley laughed.I cocked my brow, visibly offended.“Why are you laughing?” I asked.“You seem to forget that we already told your ex that we are married.”Shit. That's true.“We’ll be husband and wife instead then,” I said back, wondering if this was a good idea.Bradley remained quiet.As a businessman that he was, I'm sure he was looking at the pros and con–“Alright.”That was fast.“Alright? You'll act as my husband?”Bradley smiled at me and a warm, fuzzy feeling rose in my chest.I suppressed it almost immediately. I can't have myself developing feelings for Bradley.Even though I just kissed him like I missed him.He walked around me, now facing the door.“Yes. However, with the way things are, you're the only one benefitting from this agreement. You get the revenge you've wanted… and me? What do I get?”He turned back to face me, his eyes expectant.“A good reputation,” I said.A loud laughter rolled out of Bradley's lips.“Reputation? Darling, I have a reputation.”I want

“Her? You know the person?” I ignored Bradley's question and walked out of the room.As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I met her eyes. Her deep blue, menacing eyes.“Miranda,” I gritted out. “What are you doing here?”She cackled, like a witch who had just succeeded in poisoning the princess.“What am I doing here? I'm a major stakeholder here, Diana. Unlike you, I actually deserve to be in this place.” Her words were like a slap.“That doesn't mean you can barge in at any time. This is a hospital.” I tried to make my voice as calm as possible, even though all I wanted to do was to scream and yank off her blonde, lustrous hair.Miranda stepped closer, bridging the space between us.Her heels clanked against the cold tiles of the hallway. It was commanding. Like she owned the place.She really believed she owned the place.“I know you slept your way to the top, because how else can a peasant like you be MD so early in her career?” She whispered in my ears. “You posted the pic