Penance (Rising From the Ashes)

I’m an imposter. Proof? No one in the small town of Benton Falls knows me—at least not really. They only see the side that I show them. The polished and professional side. The side that has it all together. And that’s how I wanted it to stay…but unfortunately, all it took was one misplaced cigarette, a mishap with a tree, and the off-limits fire chief saving me from said tree to burn the whole facade to the ground. I’ve experienced a lot of embarrassing things in my life. Growing up with clothes that were rarely washed and never fit. The time my mom puked all over my prom date because she was drunk. But nothing will ever top the way I reacted after that fire. The desperate girl I tried to outrun reared her head, and now I’m paying the consequences, including working closely with the man who makes me face myself—my real self. The problem with being an imposter is that, sooner or later, someone comes around and sees through it all, and you have to make a choice…comfort or authenticity.