The Girl from Iowa

Two years after losing her father, Eva McBride finds herself in a place that feels more like a life sentence than a fresh start. Maine is cold, grey, and unfamiliar, and so is the white house where she now lives with Lisa and Macy, a foster couple fighting for a happiness Eva can't bring herself to care about. At sixteen, Eva is no longer the reckless girl who wanted freedom. Now, she doesn't know what she wants at all. She walks the beaches alone, her arms wrapped around herself, lost in a fog of memories—her father, her old life, the fire she lit in her past. The only thing she holds onto is the red lighter she stole two years ago, using it to burn away pieces of her existence, one flame at a time. Her past won't let go. She still checks Tyler's MySpace, watching his life move forward while she stays frozen. She still feels the weight of foster care, the cycle of temporary homes and people who never stayed. Lisa and Macy want her to be part of their family, but Eva refuses to let them in. When a school bonfire stirs old memories of Iowa, Eva spirals. Someone starts to suspect the truth about her lighter, about what she does when no one's looking. And suddenly, Eva is faced with a choice—keep burning or find another way to feel alive. But some scars refuse to fade.