Other Words for Smoke

The house at the end of the lane burned down. Rita Frost and her teenage ward, Bevan, were never seen again. The townspeople never learned what happened. Only Mae and her brother Rossa know the truth; they spent two summers with Rita and Bevan, two of the strangest summers of their lives . . . 

Nothing in that house was as it seemed. There was a cat who was more than a cat. Even stranger, there existed a dark power called Sweet James that lurked behind the wallpaper, enthralling Bevan with whispers of neon magic and escape.

And in the summer heat, Mae became equally as enthralled with Bevan. Desperately in the grips of first love, she'd give the other girl anything. A dangerous wish when all that Sweet James desired was a taste of new flesh . . .