/ complete / Life hasn't always been kind to East Winters, but for the most part, she's finally made peace with the incident three years ago that tore her family apart. The same can't be said for Edgecliff; half the town still won't look East in the eye, and the latest wave of petty crimes isn't helping. Two fires and a dead mom hardly prove her innocence. Even worse, Asher is back in town-but no matter how close they used to be, East can't forget what he did on that fateful night... As small incidents snowball into startling revelations, East begins to realize that there might be more to her family, more to her sleepy little town, more to even herself than she could've ever imagined. / best ranking: #25 in Paranormal / featured story in 2016, 2018 / Wattys 2018 longlist

I sat behind the couch, scrunched in a fetal position, hiding from the sliver of sun which managed to squeeze its way out from behind the drapes. My tormentor. Once a beloved friend, now it holds me captive behind this couch with nothing to keep me company but some cobwebs and fuzzy dust-bunnies. My newly improved eyes spotted a small, dark colored circular disk amongst the shag carpet. Slowly I eased my way over to it. Score! It's a brown M&M. Popping the tiny sweet treat into my mouth, I carefully chewed...trying not to puncture my lips with my freshly acquired fangs. I smiled. Today is looking up.