The Cocooned Soul
Arc 1 of A SERIES OF SOULS
Voices have followed me all my life… and now I know they’re real.
All I want is for tonight’s birthday celebration to go smoothly for my best friend Chloe. Horror movies, popcorn, laughs—everything she loves. I’ve even agreed to a midnight seance with a spirit board, just to keep things peaceful. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know any of the other guests or that socializing makes me want to disappear. As long as Chloe’s happy, I can make it through the night.
But just as the party starts, I hear it—an icy voice whispering threats into my mind. The others don’t notice anything, and I can’t risk drawing attention to myself. I try to pretend it’s nothing, just like I always do. It’s always been easier to avoid confrontation and keep the peace. Just pop a pill and hide my crazy behind a smile. These voices have haunted me for years. I can handle it.
Then the pizza delivery guy hears it, too.
Maybe I’m not as crazy as I’ve always thought.
Now, with a dangerous spirit closing in and Chloe’s life on the line, I have to make a choice. Stay in the background where it’s safe, or step into a world where ghosts are real and I’m not sure if I can keep anyone safe.
Before the phantom takes what he wants:
Y-O-U
Author Note: Posting October 2025
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 01: We’re So Cold
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY July 2008 ONE. Concealed under layers of heavy blankets, I count in my head, breaths shallow. The cozy world of dreams faded hours ago—just like the sun. Casting shadows across my room, inviting all...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 02: Hearing Voices Again?
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY "Was it so much to want the world in my hand? Not to control, but to mold, fix, protect. And let it run around on its young, knobby legs. Let it fail, yes, but help it grow from those failures. There've...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 03: I’m Not Like Them, Am I?
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY A DOORBELL CHIME POPS our sweet, bubbled moment. Chloe's attention snaps to the door, her raspberry scent fading into the stale musk of a too-warm bedroom. My heart squeezes. People. People are here. I...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 04: Play the Hero
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementKANE FINDING SOMEONE WITH THE same curse as him should bring clarity. Connection. Maybe even hope. But if the last year has taught Kane anything, it's that Golden don't last. Death circles this girl like...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 05: Lady of Winter
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY THE COSTUMED CROWD MERGES into our personal space on the porch. Feathers and leotards and wigs spill through the front door as Chloe's friends laud the decorations, completely at ease—as if no fight had...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 06: Join the Flock of Failures
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY WE STEP INTO THE kitchen’s chaos. Chloe soaks in the praise, arms wide, born for the spotlight. I stick to the corner by the sink, smiling at all the strangers I'll probably never remember. Chloe...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 07: It’s Just a Game
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY I FOLLOW THE SOUNDTRACK of teenage jokes and pop music out the back door. The porch tilts under my feet, fairy lights casting a soft glow over the lawn. The grass offers a soft perch, and I dig my toes...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 08: Are You Scared of the Dark?
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY THE DOTS CONNECT SOMEWHERE beneath the sea of vodka in my system. The voice, the lights, the not-pizza-guy—all force me to confront the terrible truth digging out of the grave at the bottom of my mind....
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 09: We’re Called the Golden
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY MY HEART GALLOPS, BREATHS shorten, lungs ache—the familiar drop of a panic attack. Maybe I'll pass out before he has a chance to hurt me. A small hope. "Whoa, whoa," Kane coaxes. He kneels beside the bed...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 10: Say Goodbye
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY "When there was time, a silent moment, deep where thoughts collected like a puddle in the bottom of my mind, I could see how my errors and wrongs muddied the waters. But siphoning them away proved nothing...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 11: Thanks for the Party
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY ICE SPLINTERS AND CRACKS through where skull meets spine. White light blinds me, pain burning so cold I can't feel it at first. Then my senses melt. My fingers and legs jerk and contort around each...
The Cocooned Soul – Episode 12: Sun [FINALE]
Copyright © 2025 by Brittany Noelle Copyright StatementCASSIDY TWO MEN HURRY INSIDE, too late to save the wounded girl. My thoughts glitch, stutter on words. Wounded… no. She's… I can't even think the word. Another silvery ribbon rises from Chloe's body. The...