Deer Falls, Volume 1
Autumn hates her mother and the poverty they live in. She is ashamed of both but her hate defines her. If only her mother would tell her about her father or at least his name! When Autumn’s mother needs surgery, she opts to care for her rather than go to a foster home. It is during this time she finds her mother’s journals and her father. This reversal of mother/daughter roles renders insight to both sides of their relationship. Chris’s twin brother is murdered. He battles grief and doubts of his own sanity due to seeing and hearing his dead brother. He struggles with the transition from ‘Chris n Craig’ to ‘Just Chris’. It is the nightmares that finally reveal the awful truth. Ian is brutally abused by his alcoholic father. He develops empathic tendencies from being constantly alert to his father’s moods. He stays in a cave when things get really bad. Ian’s ability gets him into trouble with the law when he rescues a girl from being raped. It is then that Ian fears he is turning into his father. These three teens each find their way through unavoidable circumstances that life throws their way. Through these difficulties, they learn what is important to them, realize their own potential and who they are in the world.
Autumn hates her mother and the poverty they live in. She is ashamed of both but her hate defines her. If only her mother would tell her about her father or at least his name! When Autumn’s mother needs surgery, she opts to care for her rather than go to a foster home. It is during this time she finds her mother’s journals and her father. This reversal of mother/daughter roles renders insight to both sides of their relationship.
Chris’s twin brother is murdered. He battles grief and doubts of his own sanity due to seeing and hearing his dead brother. He struggles with the transition from ‘Chris n Craig’ to ‘Just Chris’. It is the nightmares that finally reveal the awful truth.
Ian is brutally abused by his alcoholic father. He develops empathic tendencies from being constantly alert to his father’s moods. He stays in a cave when things get really bad. Ian’s ability gets him into trouble with the law when he rescues a girl from being raped. It is then that Ian fears he is turning into his father.
These three teens each find their way through unavoidable circumstances that life throws their way. Through these difficulties, they learn what is important to them, realize their own potential and who they are in the world.
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<strong>Deer</strong> <strong>Falls</strong><br />
notices? It's also Jen who pays my way at the mall when I can't, which<br />
makes me think she really must like me as a friend. I wonder<br />
sometimes what her dad is like. He spoils her rotten with clothes,<br />
electronics, money, and I imagine with hugs. I jog over to them with a<br />
big smile on my face, which is expected of me if I'm going to be one of<br />
them.<br />
Jen doesn't take time to say hi, she just starts jabbering away. "So,<br />
me and Mom went to the Gap last night to get this handbag," she<br />
displays it to all, "for my outfit today, and guess what!" She finally takes<br />
a breath, and an honest smile crosses my face.<br />
"What?" I ask, chuckling while trying for enthusiasm.<br />
"They are having a sale on all accessories!" she squeals. "We have<br />
to go after school!" Her words are a demand, but her eyes question me.<br />
"Um . . . I can't. I'm grounded."<br />
"What! Why?"<br />
"I had a blow-out with Mother this morning. I called her the B-<br />
word."<br />
"You did not!" Jen says shocked.<br />
"No, but I wanted to."<br />
We all laugh at that, and I make ground with the group.<br />
Jen asks, "Well, then we'll hook up this weekend. Will you be off<br />
grounding by then?"<br />
"I don't know, maybe."<br />
The girls are excited about the new school year. They giggle and<br />
chatter like they always do, but today they're all about teachers they<br />
hate, boys they like, and of course, their new outfits they love. I get by<br />
on a smile and a nod of my head. They're so caught up in their<br />
excitement, that they don't really notice that I'm not participating.<br />
I'm actually very good at letting others think I'm part of the game,<br />
even when my mind is a million miles away, contemplating the<br />
questions of life, like, how did such a silly species land on top of the<br />
food chain? Surely it was the long arms that aided in escape from<br />
predators. Giggles break out, and I join in. Yep, I'm a natural at hiding<br />
my thoughts and feelings. It's <strong>Deer</strong> <strong>Falls</strong>' greatest lesson to me.<br />
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