O With Line Through It Novels & Stories

I walked over to the long line of glass mirrors hanging above the perimeter sinks, my hands trembling as I reached down to fix the hem of my twisted skirt and pull my oversized sweater back down over my hips. I looked up at my reflection, my breath catching instantly in my throat. I reached down, my shaking fingers pulling the waistband of my skirt slightly to the side. Right there, forming directly over my pale hip bone, was a dark, deep purple mark. It was shaped perfectly by the heavy print of Leo's fingers, a brutal, undeniable brand burning into my skin where nobody else in this school would ever see it.

"Luca, Your turn" Luca gets up and draws a card. "Ready Tom, this is an easy one". Tom nods and he starts drawing. "Uhm a ring ... circle or something and a ... what's that ? A bump ?" Tom looks utterly confused and Luca shakes his head. Lumi of course is giggling mercilessly, which seems to frustrate Luca even more and he tabs the pen inside the circle. Tom is shaking his head, his tongue poking out wetting his lip repeatedly. "Hmm oval ? The letter O ? Zero ? Planet ? Hula Hoop ?" Every answer makes Luca shakes his head and tab harder. "Fuck Luca, I can't see it".

The bar they entered was nestled among a vibrant street full of other establishments, each showing off its unique ambiance at night. As Ryu and Yuka strolled through the lively crowd, they observed people lingering outside the various bars, engrossed in conversations, puffing on cigarettes, or quietly contemplating whether it was time to call it a night. The bar was just ahead, and Ryu gestured to the left, pointing out the entrance of the bar. With a shy expression, Yuka thanked him as he courteously held the door open for her.

With shaking hands, he held the papers while tears filled his eyes. He looked down and saw the little symbols that indicated what your second gender would be. One would be crossed, and that would mean that you were either an alpha, beta, or... an omega. He scanned the papers, and his eyes landed on the little cross that was scribbled on the paper. He read the word that was written next to it over and over again. Why him! He didn't even look like one. His shoulder shook, and he let the test result process in his mind. He felt so disappointed.

On the front, written in neat handwriting, were four words: FOR DAMIAN LAWSON ONLY And beneath the words was the same symbol they had found in Father Michael's chapel— The circle. The three vertical lines. Samuel Okeke's mark.

He had drawn something. It was a circle with a line through it—the symbol of the High Code of the Silverfangs. But he had drawn it backward.

I crack it open with my nail and slide out a single note, folded once. Nathan’s handwriting is sharp. Precise. Every letter controlled. “Try not to lose this one. It won’t be replaced.” No greeting. No signature. No explanation. Just that. A warning? A challenge? A leash? My stomach twists. Not with fear. With adrenaline. Because I know him now. And this—this is how he shows he’s reeling. Not with softness. Not with sentiment. With cryptic notes and unspoken rules. With black cards and serpent seals and a single line that says everything he won’t say out loud.

"Alright... what am I supposed to get?" Conor’s grin stretched wide. "That's my girl." He flipped open the old, worn-out book in front of us, turning the pages until he stopped at a symbol etched in thick, black ink. It was a large, dark ring with two triangles meeting at the top in a straight line. Inside the circle, two more triangles—sharp, like a wolf's canines—flanked either side of the line. The image stirred something in me. It felt oddly familiar.

“I’ll be here. On the grassy knoll.” Next, on the inclined broken line in the figure, what would be the hypotenuse of the triangle, he draws – with rather impressive skill – a paper plane in profile. Next, he puts a sort of crosshairs around it. All his lines and circles are perfect, as though he was using a ruler and a compass. He labels the four arrows converging on the plane as: L for “lift”, D for “drag”, G for “gravity” and T for “thrust”.

I turn to see Acre, Sky, my mother and father and grandma Beth all standing around us, the latter three had burn marks around their necks from where the silver collars were, "Ocean, hold tight to Desert, only you can channel her powers, the rest hold hands" We all do as Lanna has instructed us and Lanna starts whispering words that sound like a chant as we stood watching the battle before us, the noise starts to dim, a light above the battle starts to decend and eventually we can see or hear anything, until a sweet voice hums a tune, calming us, then it whispers, "You have done so well, the bond of family is strong, remember to be as one",