A Minute To Midnight Novels & Stories

Like movement hurt too much. "Thirty minutes," Aiden said. Looking at the clock. "I know," Alaric replied. Melina's heart was pounding. "What should I...what do I..." "Nothing yet." Alaric's voice was strained. "Just stay close. When it hits, we'll..." He stopped. Gritted his teeth. "We'll collapse. Don't panic. It's normal. We just need you near us." "All three of you at once?" "Yes. Exactly at midnight. Always at midnight."

But every light inside dimmed sharply for a split second before returning to normal. Several guests glanced upward uneasily. Then the elevator stopped moving. The gaming streamer frowned. “Uh… are we stuck?” Before anyone could answer, the overhead speaker crackled softly. [Midnight check-in begins in ten minutes.] The voice sounded distorted, wrong somehow. A second later, every phone inside the elevator buzzed simultaneously. Winona pulled hers out slowly. A new notification covered the screen. WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT HOTEL. FIRST RULE: DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR AFTER 12 A.M. NO MATTER WHO IS KNOCKING.

"Alright everyone, grab your champagne glass, and for kids, grab your grape juice, we are almost one minute away from midnight Everyone had circled around near the edge where they could visibly see the Eiffel tower. One minute away from midnight, Celine set up a countdown alarm, all of them had their arms stretched out in the air, starting from ten seconds before midnight, they started counting down. "Five... four... three... two... one... Happy New Year!" Everyone spoke in a rhyme. They made a toast and took a sip of their drink.

A plane carrying a woman and the ghost of my child away from me forever. Eleanor watched me like a hawk. Her eyes never left me for long. She was making sure I performed my part. She was making sure the Blackwood heir did not crack. When the clock struck eleven, a strange calm settled over me. It was almost over. In one hour, it would be midnight. Michelle would be gone. The problem would be erased. We returned to the mansion just before midnight. The silence of the grand house was a welcome relief after the noise of the gala.

"Come find me after midnight. We have much to discuss." He walked away before I could respond, leaving dread settling in my stomach like poison. That didn't sound good. That sounded like a threat. The next hour crawled by. The ballroom filled to capacity. The orchestra played. Couples danced. Laughter and conversation filled the air with music and hope. At eleven-thirty, the MC stepped onto the stage and tapped the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are thirty minutes from midnight! All unmated wolves of age, please make your way to the ballroom floor!"

One look at my face and he’d just nodded, jaw tight. Now we moved side by side, steps quiet on cracked concrete. The old pier stretched out ahead—rusted cranes, broken pilings, a single floodlight swinging from a pole, throwing long shadows across the water. O’Malley’s black SUV sat at the very end of the dock, engine idling, headlights off. Luca stopped us behind a stack of shipping containers. He checked his watch. “Two minutes to midnight.” I nodded. He turned to me—eyes searching mine in the dim light.

On the day we agreed to meet, Matthew finally unblocked me. "Don't look for excuses to stall. I can't waste another minute on you!" I was already at the County Clerk's office door. "You're the one stalling. Hurry up. Let's finish this and go our separate ways." Fifteen minutes later, Matthew's BMW pulled up in front of me. He stepped out with a scowl and started mocking me. "Just because I blocked you, you had to leave home and vanish for a whole week?”

“Let him do it. Now.” “Lunessa, there’s no time!” Vanya called out. Seraphira was still thrashing in her arms, screaming her sister’s name, sobbing until her voice cracked. I looked up toward the window. The moon hung full in the night sky. In the distance, I could hear the low howl of wolves and the soft rhythm of drums from the village below. “It’s always the damn full moon,” I whispered to myself. Then I turned to my uncle and nodded. “Do it.”

26 Aurora We stepped up to the limo and Nathan handed me in helping me with my dress. Mia looks completely confused when we all pile in together. Once we are all comfortable and acquainted we use the 30 minute drive to get each other caught up on my break up with Gabriel, how Mia and I met and the plan Mia and I came up with to get her out of getting married.

As always. She's now seventeen and her life seems to run out of light. She prepared herself. Energetic or not, she has to make it to school before it's seven o'clock or else, her teacher will not be happy about it. She eats a simple breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of instant coffee, she even saw a mice dart from behind the peanut butter jar. Not that she minds of course. She did before, but now, these critters were her only companions in her terribly dreary life. At last, after less than fifteen minutes, Kara is ready to get out of that dilapidated house and head out to where activity rules every nook and cranny of the bustling city. ****