Candice J. Templeton

Generations after a global environmental collapse, a young boy raised at sea discovers a map and begins a voyage to a place once known as "land".

A closeted high school senior is torn between attending homecoming with her crush and a mandatory family reunion where she must hide who she is. Overwhelmed by conflicting expectations, she discovers a mysterious portal beneath the school bleachers that lets her exist in both places at once. As she shifts between realities, her dual lives begin to unravel. Guided by her best friend and a perceptive queer classmate, she confronts her fear of coming out and the pressure to conform. Through magical realism and emotional insight, the story explores queer identity, the burden of secrecy, and the liberating power of self-acceptance.