Trapped in a lackluster town with her verbally abusive mother, seventeen-year-old Lacey Robinson knows one thing for certain: The only antidote to all the problems she and her brother face is to leave their inapt home life behind. When the admissions project Lacey's been hungering after finally arrives from her out-of-state dream college, she knows it's her ticket to freedom. All that's left to do now is create a masterpiece, get accepted, and voila!—a new life awaits. But Lacey didn't count on things at home growing increasingly difficult, and she certainly didn't expect parts of her life to start revealing that running might not be the answer after all—including a budding relationship with fellow co-worker Noah Kennedy. It's not long until Lacey is faced with an ultimatum: keep failing to outrun her scars and end up just like her mother, or finally deal with the trauma she's ignored her whole life.

For as long as Lacey Robinson can remember, she's been hell-bent on getting herself and her younger brother as far away as possible from their verbally abusive mother.

When an admissions project from Lacey's out-of-state dream college comes along, she knows it's the ticket out she's been hungering after. After all, there's nothing that can't be fixed with a new environment and miles between Lacey and a less-than-ideal home life.

As Lacey sets out to create a masterpiece, life interrupts, and hurdles suddenly begin sprouting up in her path. At every turn, Lacey is suddenly hit with the terrifying reality that running might not be the answer after all, and a budding relationship with fellow town-goer Noah Kennedy begins to unravel her once simple plan for escape.

It isn't long before a jarring life event forces Lacey to come face-to-face with an ultimatum: finally confront her inner demons head-on, or risk becoming like her mother-- the very person Lacey's spent her entire life wanting to flee from

Danielle Roberts is a YA writer and author of the self-published novel, "Awoken." Her poems have appeared in the "Acclaimed 2011 Poetry Collection," and she has always been intrigued (maybe even a little obsessed) with words. Danielle has spent years reading, crafting stories, and transferring her imagination onto pages. When she is not reading or typing away, she is a typical city-dweller—snapping photos of skyscrapers and neon lights or eating too much sushi.