When Lainey left the little farming town in Iowa on her eighteenth birthday, she thought she was finally free. She didn’t have to live in fear anymore wondering which day was going to be her last. For those two years, she was able to live in peace. She’d made a new friend, was going to a school she loved, and was setting the path for her future career.
That all changed with one phone call from her mother.
With the push of her best friend, Randi, Lainey goes back into the town she once promised was forever in her rear-view mirror. The dark memories of her past loom around every corner, and Lainey can’t seem to conquer the demons inside of her in order to fully move on.
Bryce, on the other hand, had moved on. During middle school and high school, Lainey was his best friend, and it tore him apart when she left with only a note. A simple note saying good-bye and have a great life.
Without his best friend around, Bryce’s life quickly spiraled out of control. He got into drugs, had some trouble with the law, and found himself partying a little too hard. Sweet Annabeth brought him out of that stage in his life, and ultimately saved his life.
With Lainey back in town, Bryce is at a loss at what do. She wants nothing to do with him or the town, but he is the only person who knows her full history and may be able to help her. Knowing that Lainey’s a flight risk, and with one wrong move, she’d pack everything up and leave again, Bryce steps out to help her find the one thing she doesn’t know she needs.
Redemption.
I can’t believe I’m back here. I can still turn around and leave. There’s still time.
Despite all these thoughts running through my mind, I don’t turn around. I keep moving forward. I keep walking toward my mom’s house. That building is no longer my home. In fact, I don’t think it ever was my home. A home is a place where you’re supposed to feel comfortable. You’re supposed to want to go back there at the end of the day. That house was not my home. It was a place I had to go to after school because I was under eighteen and by state laws, I was a minor.
I couldn’t think, feel, act, or speak on my own. I wasn’t in control of my life. Now I am. Now I’m free. I’m a free person returning to purgatory. Any sane person would turn around and walk away. They’d never look back. They would put the past behind them and move on. The only positive thing about this situation is that Lucifer no longer reigns. All that is left in the house is an angel with broken wings.
About the Author:
Currently a student at Ball State University, Kaitlyn Hoyt is pursuing her passion for writing while working towards a Wildlife Biology and Conservation degree. Vegetarian. Proud tree-hugger. Lover of comic book movies. Avid Reader. She has an unhealthy obsession for the soothing music of Josh Groban. She discovered her love for writing during the summer of 2012 and hasn’t stopped writing since!
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