Phoenix Ashes — Aimee Carter

Zachary Lucas is orphaned shortly after his first birthday, and during the first six years of his life he knows nothing but loss and disappointment. He is forced to live with his rich uncle's family, who treat him like an intruder. His only friend is a man who comes to him in his dreams. That all changes on Zac's first day of school, when he meets Elizabeth McCain, a small girl who will eventually become his best friend and confidante. During the next eight years Zac and Elizabeth enjoy and endure the pleasures and pains of growing up, until on one fateful afternoon, a single misguided choice changes Zac's life forever.