Seventeen-year-old senior Everly Hope Rodgers wants nothing more than a normal year after the traumatic events that took place right before summer vacation. The hope for normal is short lived as her parents have uprooted her and moved a state away and thrust into a big city and enrolled her into a pretentious private school. Unfortunately for her, news of the events that took place had been broadcasted nationwide, and she's left the outsider with a dark past with people hiding from her around every corner. Finally coming to terms with the horrific series of events that nearly left her dead, Everly finds sanctuary in her eccentric art teacher and athlete Garrett Brooks, and enlists the help of her sweet psychiatrist to try and break it down to the root of it all and if it could have been prevented But for a girl who is caught in the grey area between right and wrong and reporters circling like vultures everywhere she turns, can she navigate her way through high school, or more importantly, the rest of her life?

"It's not what we are but what we do that defines us." Aylin Black has come to believe that she deserves all the misfortunes life throws at her. Yet she refuses to back down. At least not without a fight. But as her past comes knocking at her door she's forced to rethink all her beliefs. And she just might have to give up this losing fight much sooner than she expected.

Life doesn't abide by the rules of a child. Sixteen-year-old Ramona knows this. She's seen it throughout her entire life, from the way she was treated by her birth parents to the way she was thrown around the foster system with nothing but her little brother, Mason, to hold onto. Every bruised cheek and broken bone has slowly shattered Ramona's trust in the system and any foster parent she's ever met. In the end, it's only Mason she can trust. Her life is dedicated to making his better, and focused solely on sheltering him from the pain of feeling as lonely as she is. That is, until Ramona gets news one day that may just uproot everything she's ever believed about her and Mason's situation. Everything is about change for Mason, all because of a man named Owen Parker. He wants to take the only thing that Ramona has ever truly loved. He wants to adopt her brother, and there is nothing she can do to stop him. Though after years of running and years of pain, Ramona knows just how badly Mason needs a home. It's a breath of fresh air for him, a family filled with love, and everything that Mason has never had. But then, what about Ramona? She's brotherless, parentless, and alone in a city that has never cared about her. She has to find a way to cope, and she has to find a way to forgive the man who took her little boy from her. But she can't cope, she can't forgive, and she can only bend so many times before she breaks. - - Warning: This story deals with mature content that may be difficult for some to read, such as self-harm, suicide, drug use, abuse, depression, anxiety, and sexual harassment. - - Highest Ranks: |#1| - adopted |#1| - fosterkid |#1| - fostercare |#1| - foster |#1| - suicideawareness |#1| - recovery |#1| - comingofage |#1| - mentalillness |#1| - strength |#2| - adoption