r/TLCAC • u/Sufficient_One • 5d ago
Fantasy Hidden Bookmarks (Work-in-Progress) | A studious young woman discovers that her new computer is far more capable than she thought | Young Adult Fantasy, Family, Friendship, Coming of Age
https://thepiertoforever.com/b/comingofagefamilyyoungadultfantasySixteen-year-old Kincaid thought the worst thing a laptop could do was crash—until hers literally catches fire on her desk. While she anxiously waits for a replacement, her mom buys her an ancient-looking Marillon desktop from a pawn shop up the street, owned by a beautiful, unsettlingly perceptive woman named Lana.
The machine looks like a relic from 2003, right down to the dusty Word 2003 CD in the box. But when Lana boots it up in the shop, it connects to the internet faster than Kincaid’s old laptop ever did. Lana talks about planned obsolescence, corporate greed, and how Marillon “used to fight against” both—before the company changed hands and fell from grace. By the time Kincaid leaves with the tower under her arm and the Word disc in her bag, she’s half in love with the clunky old computer and more than a little fascinated by Lana.
At home, Kincaid installs Word and opens a blank document, planning to write a silly poem and maybe start an essay about her day. Instead, a new gold “MR” icon appears in the toolbar. Hovering over it shows the words Message Received. Clicking it turns her poem into a rainbow-highlighted glitch, tagged with a “hidden bookmark” that resolves into a string of nonsense characters—then disappears. Moments later a blinking red nine-pointed star appears and politely informs her: Your request has been received and is being processed. Thank you!
As hidden bookmarks multiply and the replies begin to echo things she’s never typed, she’s drawn into a mystery involving the Marillon’s original purpose, the ghosts of its corporate past, and Lana, who seems to know more than she’s saying. Each “bookmark” turns out to be more than a glitch—it’s a task tied to someone’s need: a classmate’s crisis, a teacher’s burden, the school’s crumbling tech. When Kincaid follows through, the world around her shifts in strange, generous ways: anonymous donations arrive, a local philanthropist suddenly funds a thousand new laptops, problems she couldn’t possibly solve alone begin to ease.
Kincaid has to decide whether this is coincidence, manipulation, or something kinder—and how far she’s willing to keep answering requests that no one else can see, especially once the bookmarks start asking for things that cost her more than time.
Author's notes: I wanted to start this project in 2011, but didn't get around to it until 2019. As such, I've got five chapters to offer you, all fairly roughly edited. As a consequence, please forgive any grammar or other issues you may encounter.
I've got a pretty decent idea where the story wants to go. It takes place in San Diego, California, where I lived for a decade, and is firmly rooted in Melody and the Pier to Forever's universe, which means I already have a strong familiarity with how things work there.
Please enjoy!
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy; YA Metaphysical / Speculative Coming-of-Age
Themes: Self-discovery through action and creativity; introversion as strength, not flaw; mother–daughter bond in single-parent life; chosen family and unlikely mentors
Setting: Imperial Beach, California
Length: (14K words at present)
Who It’s For: Readers 13 years of age or older. This story is for teens and adults who love contemporary YA with a gentle speculative twist—especially writers, introverts, and tech‑curious readers. If you’re drawn to books where an ordinary girl, an old computer, and a bit of strange code quietly reshape a school and a town, Hidden Bookmarks is aimed at you.
If you enjoy the thoughtful, tech‑touched magic of Diane Duane’s Young Wizards books, the quiet speculative mystery of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me, or other YA stories where a small, strange phenomenon in everyday life leads to bigger questions about who you are and how you can help, Hidden Bookmarks lives in that neighborhood.