New York A Novel Novels & Stories

EZRA I stepped out onto the deserted street, looking both ways. Plowed snow had been pushed aside into small mountains on the edge of the sidewalks. Steam rose from manhole covers, a car rolled past at the end of the street. I'd never been to New York City before, and even with all my traveling between the worlds, I'd never seen a city like this. Vasco shifted his weight on my shoulder, and let out a soft caw.

Julienne I alighted the cab when we got to a densely populated area in New York. To be fair, nearly every place was densely populated in New York. Over eight million people were living in New York and it was by far the most populous state in the country. The city was noisy, a stark contrast to the quietness of Daemon’s house which had nearly made me mad. I slid my hands into the pockets of the hoodie as I walked along the streets, doing a little bit of window shopping and stopping by street performers to enjoy their music before moving on to the next interesting thing that caught my eye.

Forty-Eight Chloe Nights in New York City were either really pretty or just really bad. It simply depended on where you were at the time. If you were in a club or an observatory in the empire state building. I was in the observatory. I had always wanted to come here ever since I stepped foot in New York. It was marveling how huge the damn building was. Thousands of offices littered the 102 floors of the skyscraper. It was so high up that I had to cover Adele's face so she wouldn't get sick and puke her guts. She was terribly afraid of heights.

waited. There was some slight irritation where the laser was hitting him but other than that, nothing. Suddenly, a strange feeling appeared. He felt like there was something new inside his head. The robotic voice came again and gave further instructions. "Please close your eyes and concentrate. Imagine a safe place, any place, you are standing inside it. No one else can get in here, this is your personal palace..." Somehow Sheng Chen could feel himself falling asleep. The robotic voice sounded a bit hypnotic and Sheng Chen couldn't help but follow its directions. He did as told but after several minutes nothing happened. He kept trying over and over again and finally after a full hour h

Damian turned to her, the cold certainty in his gaze making the air feel thinner. "Everyone believes in the people they love-until the wire snaps." Somewhere on the Outskirts – 4:10 A.M. The farmhouse was silent now, except for the sound of a distant storm rolling in across the hills. Alina sat on the floor, staring at the unopened decoy folder Jesse had carried in from his car without thinking. It bore the Reyes Foundation logo-her family's legacy-and her blood ran cold just looking at it. Jesse paced nearby, rubbing his temples.

Nando is waiting outside for me with the door open. "Miss prime," he says, and I smile, getting into the car. "Hi Nando, how are you?" I ask as he takes his place in the front of the car to drive us. "I'm good, thank you," he tells me as he focuses on the street in front of us. New York is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Well, I never really traveled anywhere big, but New York has something about it. The city that never sleeps.

Then more honestly, “I just… know him.” James nodded slowly. “Right.” They moved on, conversation resuming, but something had shifted. Not broken just acknowledged. And later, when James excused himself to take a call, Lily sat alone for a moment, staring into her coffee, the echo of Alex’s voice still tucked somewhere deep in her chest. New York wore power differently. Where Chicago felt ambitious, New York felt absolute. The boardroom at Cromwell & Partners reflected that, floor-to-ceiling windows, a table polished to a mirror sheen, city skyline looming like a promise and a threat all at once.

She fanned her burning mouth. "Slow down will you?" His face cringed. "But I'm so hungry!" She tried to speak with the noodles in her mouth. "Tch, hot! Water!" She took the glass beside her. He shook his head as he clicked his tongue finding her hopeless. "I was so shocked by the fact that I'm inside my own novel, I forgot that I haven't had anything since the day I came into this world." She wiped the bowl clean and rubbed her tummy satisfied. "I was so hungry that I didn't even have a chance to complain about this food-" She smiled nodding.

I clutched my backpack like it was the only solid thing left in my life. The plane was cold. Too cold. I pressed my forehead to the window as the city lights shrank beneath me. New York, the place that was to be my new beginning, had swallowed me whole instead. Hours had passed, yet I barely felt them. I dozed off and on, awakening with a jerk each time flashes of the last forty-eight hours attacked my mind: Aaron's confession, the panic in his voice, the truth that nobody could have ever imagined. Every time I shut my eyes, it replayed in pieces I didn't want.

JERRY New York hits me the second I step out of the cab. First with the noise of busy people going about their business, then the smell of cold breeze, dust, and luxury, then cold air cutting through my jacket. Horns scream, and people move like they have somewhere to be even if most of them don’t. The city doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve survived. It just keeps going. I respect that.