THE ATROPHY OF CLEMENTINE DARLINGTON
Standalone Novel
After being told he has only six months left to live, Clementine decides to track down his sister's murderers, leading him to Aldergrove Academy.
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"ᴀʟᴅᴇʀɢʀᴏᴠᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴇxɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴜʀɪᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇʀᴠᴇꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴀɴ ᴏᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴜɴɪᴛʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛᴇɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛꜱ. ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ ɪɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴄʜᴏꜱᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴇᴍᴇꜱᴛᴇʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀᴜᴛɪᴏᴜꜱ. ɪᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀᴇ--ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴅɪᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴛʀᴜᴇ. ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇꜱᴛᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴍᴀʏ ᴘᴀꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʟɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇ ꜱᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴇᴛɪᴛɪᴏɴ...ʙʏ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ɴᴇᴄᴇꜱꜱᴀʀʏ."
Clementine, while withering beneath his terminal sickness, must avoid the desperate, devious students of Aldergrove Academy and find the Ravenblood, the people responsible for his sister's murder. But after a girl is attacked on the first day of the semester, and his life is almost taken from him, he realizes his task might be more tedious than he initially thought.
And the students aren't the only ones stalking the corridors at night in search of lonesome victims.
NOVEL
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Check out the first three chapters for free.
CHAPTER ONE - A MURDER, A MYSTERY
1488 words
They gave Clementine six months. Seven at most. Colligo-interitus became terminal in its later stages. The black bile that had seeped from his mouth could have been caused by several things where he'd grown up—why would anyone think it was a disease that had disappeared over a hundred years ago?
CHAPTER TWO - WELCOME TO ALDERGROVE ACADEMY
1911 words
Clementine claimed the seat farthest from the front in history class. Back here, he could get a good look at everyone he'd be sharing this room with for the rest of the semester. More particularly, he eyed the hands of each student as they made their way in and chose their seats. Not one possessed a Ravenblood ring, and in his disappointment, he sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat.
CHAPTER THREE - OBSERVANT EYES
1988 words
Shimmering, golden eyes. That was all Clementine could remember of his attacker's face—all he could remember of the moment everything he desired to do might have come to an end. He looked around the art studio, hiding behind his blank canvas. He searched for a student with those eyes, white hair, and a navy turtleneck. But no one fit the picture.