Wilted (A Witching Pen Novellas Prequel)
by Dianna Hardy
Fifteen-year-old Elena hides her magical abilities from everyone, except her best friend, Karl. Inseparable since very young, they've always shared everything, including the darkest parts of their lives. Elena's beginning to realise her feelings for Karl are growing into something more. But her mother's about to drop a bombshell – one that will change the course of her life, and heart, forever.A short story prequel to The Witching Pen Novellas. (This story takes place ten years before the events of The Witching Pen Novellas.) Fifteen-year-old Elena hides her magical abilities from everyone, except her best friend, Karl. Inseparable since they were very young, they've always shared everything together, including the darkest parts of their lives. Elena's beginning to realise that her feelings for Karl are growing into something more. But her mother's about to drop a bombshell on her – one that will change the course of her life, and heart, forever. PUBLISHER'S NOTES: This UK-based story is suitable for YA readers, but it should be noted that The Witching Pen Novellas series is aimed at adult readers. For fans of the series, this story includes two parts of Elena's past that were made reference to in The Witching Pen: 1) The moment that Karl turns up on Elena's doorstep having been beaten and 'jumped on' by his father and 2) "The Sex Talk" between Elena and her mother.Book length: short story (over 5500 words)