Beyond the Shadows

...No. She stopped herself; Tashy was wrong. Why do I even feel bad about this? She took a deep breath and looked back out across the dusty paddock from where she had just trudged home. Tashy just wasn't the friend for her, and that's what it was-her high and hopeful expectations had been crushed again. Oh, she had wanted to make them work so badly, and now...It's not my parents' fault, she told herself in an attempt to cool the heartsick feeling that surged through her veins. . .It was hard to accept that this was it; another dream was shattered, another chance for a friendship lost. But maybe it wasn't so bad this time; maybe Tashy was never meant to be her friend. Maybe it was all for the better... Fifteen-year-old Irene Anderson just wants to fit in, but somehow, something always seems to get in the way. Her best friend, Gloria, lives miles away across the ocean. When Irene's neighbour, Sharon, moves to the city for Uni, it's like she suddenly becomes a different person. Will their friendship ever be the same again? Then there's Tristan Witmer, her little preschool-age chum. But as they had both grown towards adulthood, sadly, their relationship had changed too. He just wasn't the same anymore, and Irene had to admit her feelings had changed towards him lately; nervous butterflies always found her stomach whenever they were together. Just maybe he feels the same way about me...But when tragedy strikes the Witmers, fate threatens to separate them forever. Maybe I will never know; the dreaded thought haunts her mind daily. Can she banish all the shadows that life has thrown at her, and discover her true self despite her challenges?