Allie Wadsworth

Ella is the last of a dying breed of humans who live hidden deep in the forests of Washington State. All of her life, she has heard horror stories about the Others, the beasts that live beyond the safety of the mountains. In ancient times, humans and the Others lived together in peace, but a great battle divided them, and the shape-shifting species won the war.

Jo Strauss is committed to two things in her life - her family and her life as an acrobat/high-wire performer; she takes both very seriously. Her life is orderly, in control, and she is finally settling down in one place so she can spend more time with her parents instead of moving all over the world every few weeks. To celebrate her and her younger sister Star's one year anniversary away from the circus they have grown up with, they meet River Knight, their childhood friend and sister of the heart, for a vacation in the mountains of North Carolina.