Beautiful Disasters

The sirens were deafening. They echoed off the trees and tore through the inky night sky like a razor sharp blade. It was what had jolted me awake that night. My eyes opened quickly, darting around my room to pinpoint the origin of the sirens. It was growing louder and my limps turned to lead as I darted out of bed, racing down the stairs and towards the door. But something stopped me at the last step. Blood trailed from the kitchen to the entryway, where the door stood wide open. My breath hitched. Bile made its way up my throat as my stomach churned. I gasped for a breath and then made my way slowly down the hall, following that trail of blood. At the front door, my feet stopped moving, my body becoming absolutely frozen.

***

Kristen Lake has been in the foster system for five years, and has grown used to the idea that absolutely no one wanted her. Twenty-two homes had only shown her one thing; that she was a screw up. But house number twenty-three proves her wrong.

And when she meets a boy at school, one who seems to have a perfect life she always wanted, Kristen's views about life and human nature get flipped upside down. Maybe she's not a complete disaster after all? Maybe she is beautiful after all?