Lyra Booker thinks she's just a normal teenage girl, and she is, right? Yet her dad is suddenly always at work and comes home hurt, her mom jumps at even the slightest creak in the house, her best friend will barely leave her alone, she starts hearing and seeing weird things, and everyone says they have to protect her from them, but who is them? Well, the sources of the tornadoes, of course. The tornadoes in Oklahoma have suddenly gone completely nuts. There are one or two tornadoes a week, and they leave brutal, dark scars and ravage the land and homes of many people. The longer Lyra searches for answers, the more they present themselves to her, as if they were waiting. What is going on? Lyra doesn't know, but it's killing her, and she wants to find out. When she does, she wishes she didn't. Lyra doesn't know if she can handle it. Guess that's what she gets for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, huh?
Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option.
*****
Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her...
Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault.
[[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]