I'm so proud of the quality of work from this month's runners-up! @ImagineBailey, @BettinaMelher, and @DarylMSmith brought some tremendous storytelling to the competition. Their stories are below. Remember to let these authors know how much you enjoyed their work! Vote, comment, follow, etc., if you are so inclined.

This chapter is dedicated to November's guest judge, the wonderfully talented @AutumnJewel.

Thank you Mary Ann for being a fabulous judge, Wattpad friend, and writer. Wattpad wouldn't be the same without you.

AGAINST THE PULL by @ImagineBailey

"Clara," Nolan mouths. I stare at him, entranced. Slowly, I pull a finger up and gently trace the outline of his bottom lip. The soft, tender flesh stretches as he smiles half-heartedly, his eyes glowing. His emollient fingers slowly trace my jawline, to my own lips. I close my eyes, a content grin spreading across my face.

I open my eyes, grabbing his hand from my face and winding it into my own. "Come on," I mouth, tugging him away from the edge of the hotel property. For a second, he stares out past the invisible line, and I can tell in his eyes that he's thinking of his other copy.

"I want to show you something," I mouth, gliding toward the hotel, my sundress shimmering in the exploding sunset. "You'll love it."

He nods and we both ghost into the hotel, hand in hand. A fluttery warmth pools into my stomach and I suppress a smile as I glance back at his tranquil face. He catches my glance and stares, his eyes roaming over me in a loving way. I bite my lip as a pale blush stains my cheeks, looking away.

"Here," I say.

A look of befuddlement crosses his features. "The pool area?" He mouths, raising an eyebrow.

I just give him a wistful smile. For a second, he looks away again, a glance behind his shoulder. I bite my lip, wondering what's pulling my Nolan away from the hotel.

"Come on," I mouth, before letting go of his hand and leaping into the still blue water.

I immediately sink to the bottom, settling on the pool floor. I stare around me in content wonder. I feel the water shift and look up to see Nolan slowly sinking down beside me.

He doesn't say anything, but I watch as his eyes light up in incredible wonder and awe. I smile, imagining my face when I discovered the beauty of underwater for the first time. I reached out for his hand, lacing my fingers through his.

He turns and looks at me. "You're amazing," he breathes, then closes his eyes, leaning in.

I follow his lead.

REUNITED by @BettinaMelher

Nolan stood beside his car and looked up at the hotel in front of him. He was surprised to see nothing had changed and somehow this also gave him hope. Hope to find Clara again and apologize for making the wrong decision. He regretted leaving her and feared it was too late to return now. After all, two years had passed since the night he left.

His quest of finding his mother was successful at last, but after almost two years of searching, his reward was nothing more than her final resting place. It was cancer that had killed her, and although her widowed husband would have been able to answer some of the questions Nolan had, he couldn't bring himself to contact the man. His mother had left this world and even though he was heartbroken, the thought of Marcus waiting for her made him happy. At last they were reunited and now it was Nolan's turn to reunite with the only girl he had ever loved. The window of the room he stayed in was empty. He headed for the entry and once inside, he searched the foyer for a familiar face, but couldn't find one. Not even his old manager was to be seen. A young woman checked him in. He requested the same room he stayed in when he was last here, and although the woman frowned at the odd request, the room was unoccupied so she fulfilled his wish.

A few moments later, Nolan stood in front of the door, pausing before he could bring himself to insert the key and unlock it. Eventually he built up the courage to open the door. He was terrified of what he may find, but even more so, of what he wouldn't find. Two questions plagued him since the day he left. What if Clara found a way to leave? What if he she was here, but he could no longer see her?

The sight before Nolan was beyond logic or reason. Not only was Clara in the room, but she was heavily pregnant, and beside her was a man who looked identical to him.

Nolan remembered trying to take a big breath, but darkness engulfed him and then there was nothing...

UNTITLED by @DarylMSmith

He stops at the first fuel station and fills up. Then he keeps driving, blinking away the tears. He's missing Clara; he's feeling real pain, in his throat, in his heart. He's made the wrong decision. It gets too much and he pulls over. He pulls his hoody closed over his face and cries. Sobbing at first, then howling into the fabric. He is aching, the pain is visceral, he wants to turn back.

He mustn't turn back. He fingers the passport. The tears stop flowing, and he decides to keep going. The border goes without a hitch. He keeps driving, on the main road, passing towns, passing exits.

Then he takes one, on a whim. No reason; it just feels right. The road is narrow and ascending, his ears pop. He sees a field; a field of flowers, and a homely-looking guest house. He's tired and he pulls in. There's a sign in the window; 'Staff Wanted'.

He chats with the owner and he's offered the job. He knows the ropes. He goes about his business and the other staff are impressed with his work. The staff are friendly here. They are nice to him. He swaps his hoody for a sweatshirt. He says 'Good morning' to them and they smile and say 'Good morning' back. They like him.

As time goes on he chats to them about his mother. They are sympathetic. But they point out the obvious; he doesn't know her full name, it's a big place, he doesn't know for sure she's anywhere close to here. He doesn't even know she's alive. He knows they are right.

He misses Clara so much. He decides he must go back to her as soon as he can. It was futile looking for his mother; a dream couched in reality. But reality, it turns out, is mundane. Clara was not mundane.

He's in his room. The sunlight is reflecting off the mountain; a white light piercing the window. He has a lot to do, but he sits on the bed and holds his breath as the sunlight plays against the wall.

He sees an aging woman in a floral dress. She looks at him with tears in her eyes and mouths the words; no sound. 'You can see me!'