Prologue

After her mother dies in a car accident, newly mute and partially deaf Ru moves to Phoenix to live with her aunt's huge family right smack dab in the middle of where she doesn't belong.

To help deal with the PTSD caused by the accident, Ru gets put into a support group with five other kids from school who just might be as troubled as she is.

Life starts to look a bit different for Ru . Because in that cheesy counselor's circle, she actually found friends.

She actually found a guy that might like her.

But Ru can't afford to pull stupid stunts like letting people in.

Because on 4/01 when Ru plans to join her mother, those five kids from her support group will be nowhere in sight.