Book 1 of the Adalyne series. The story revolves around a high school teacher Jazmin Valencia and is told in her point of view. She is confident, devoid of emotion and detached from the world, but she prefers to be this way; it's how she survives after having her heart broken. She takes notice of a particular student one day and begins to pour her energy into trying to help the young girl, but in doing so, Jazmin risks the very heart that she has spent so long protecting. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any names, businesses, places and events are either used in a fictitious manner or created by me for the sole purpose of entertainment. Any resemblance to actual businesses or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Opal Indick lives in the smallest and quietest town in the world, and she is fed up with the silence. Her only hope is Mrs. Wilkes, her professor whose stare lingers a little longer than it should. Having to choose between the relationship she already has with a girl her own age or the forbidden fruit propelling her desires, Opal finds her life and mental state falling apart. But when a string of violent murders begin occurring in the town where nothing ever happens, Opal begins to fear not only those around her, but herself. [tw: sex, violence, non-descriptive mentions of rape and suicide]

Riley Brenan should've had the life she dreamed of when she was young. A good job, a lovely house and a beautiful wife. But life had other plans. When faced with making a life changing decision to protect someone she loves, Riley is forced to abandon everything she has ever known and cherished. Four years later, Riley returns to her hometown carrying deep wounds that refuse to heal, only to find that nothing is the way she left it. Her little brother won't speak to her, her parents are on the edge of divorce, her friends are married and pursuing careers, and her old girlfriend has moved on with her life. Riley tries to make a life for herself in a town she doesn't recognize anymore. Now, every day has become a fight to get everything she has lost back, while stopping the memories of her horrible past from haunting her and taking away what little she has left.