Tessa is a 17 year old high school senior. After her mother's untimely death, Tessa finds herself living in Townsend; her mother's perfect home town. She struggles to adjust to her new surroundings, and to learn who she really is - without her mother's positive influence. To complicate matters, there is something very... off... about Townsend. Ultimately, Tessa finds herself in a position where one decision will determine, not only who she is as a person, but whether she will live or die. TESSA The culmination of my entire life has solidified into this one moment. People say your life flashes before your eyes just before you die...it doesn't. It plays in slow motion; dragging every ounce of anger, every stab of hope, every devotion of love, and every heartbreak to the surface and put on display. My body has frozen in time as my mind catalogs every action, decision, and choice that has led me to this moment. I can even hear the pause between the pounding beats of my heart. I'm going to die today. I take a deep breath, suddenly appreciating the air I can still pull into my lungs. My mind keeps throwing these same two memories at me. Bright blue eyes and a slamming door. Over and over again, like I somehow got stuck on repeat. Wait. I see it. The choice that will set me free. My senses awaken and the details of my surroundings come flooding back to me. There is a screaming in the background. But that doesn't matter now. I've made my choice. I savor the joy that is now coursing through my body.Yes. I will live. I will thrive.