From the internationally bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter comes an explosive story about seeking justice for a past that won't let you go.

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Smith is on the run. Years of hell as an Ojibwe child in foster care have taught her to be smart and cautious. But when the kind-eyed Mr. Jameson tracks her down and shows interest in her case, Lucy begins to wonder if things could be different. Still, you can’t escape the past, no matter how fast you are. Soon Lucy is under investigation with the police. She knows she can clear her name from the chaos that has followed her everywhere, but saving the people she loves could cost Lucy her life.

Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend,” a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.

They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved.

But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.

What would you do to survive if your very existence were illegal?

Rowan is a second child in a world where population control measures make her an outlaw, marked for death. She can never go to school, make friends, or get the eye implants that will mark her as a true member of Eden. Her kaleidoscope eyes will give her away to the ruthless Center government.

Outside of Eden, Earth is poisoned and dead. All animals and most plants have been destroyed by a man-made catastrophe. Long ago, the brilliant scientist Aaron Al-Baz saved a pocket of civilization by designing the EcoPanopticon, a massive computer program that hijacked all global technology and put it to use preserving the last vestiges of mankind. Humans will wait for thousands of years in Eden until the EcoPan heals the world.

As an illegal second child, Rowan has been hidden away in her family’s compound for sixteen years. Now, restless and desperate to see the world, she recklessly escapes for what she swears will be only one night of adventure. Though she finds an exotic world, and even a friend, the night leads to tragedy. Soon Rowan becomes a renegade on the run.

Em Watts is on the run! She's escaping from school, work, family, friends, and even herself. With everyone she loves furious at her for reasons she can't explain, and only the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to anticipate, Em feels she's reached the end of her rope... What's the point of going on?

But when she uncovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she realizes there's only one person she can turn to for help. Will Christopher be able to set aside his personal feelings and assist her in exposing her employer to the world? Is it even fair to involve Christopher, knowing that if he agrees, Stark Enterprises might try to have them both eliminated - this time, permanently?

Maybe it would be better to keep on running...

Ben, Penny, and Nick are on an exhilarating adventure, running away from everything they know.
Everywhere in Florida, from Ben's uncle to the Coast Guard, is on their trail, determined to find them.
Will they succeed in their daring escape? And will they discover the mysterious Lion's Paw?

A gripping tale set against the backdrop of South Florida, this story follows three children as they navigate the challenges of sailing and survival. Join them as they embark on an unforgettable journey!