Sprite — Peter Meredith

Twelve-year-old Audrey Wyatt bears the unfortunate nickname "Odd." A name, even her bar hopping, alcoholic mother uses-when she's sober enough even to recognize the girl. Odd doesn't protest. This is her life and it can be no other way, not when she's deformed as she is. Born with a combination of rare birth defects, Odd's eyes are a startling and dreadful red. Demon eyes is the first thought that springs to mind and the little girl takes care to hide them behind dark sunglasses. This is something her mother insists on, except when she's trading freak show peeks for dollars or drinks. A practice that is a nightly torture for the girl. Yet when her mom abandons her, Odd discovers that loneliness and fear of the unknown are far worse than being a freak. Desperate for the least love, the girl with red eyes begins a quest through the American underclass that takes her halfway across the country. She thinks her adventure is a search for her mother, but in truth she's after so much more.