Split by Swati Avasthi

Split by Swati Avasthi begins when Jace finally escapes his abusive father and ends up half way across the country, knocking on his brother's apartment door.  Christian had escaped the abuse six years earlier and is shocked to see Jace.  Both are still terrified and angry at their father, but deal with it in different ways.  And, Jace has a secret he's trying to cope with which links him to his father more than he's ready to accept.  This story is about Jace and Christian coming to terms with what happened to them and their own, separate decisions to get out.  It's also about both brothers starting new lives on their own and finding ways to deal with their pasts.

This was a very powerful story.  I really liked the way the author described how difficult it was for their mother to leave and the things the boys did to try to convince her.  I also liked the way Christian became a mentor to Jace, teaching him a new way to deal with his anger and frustration - running.  Even though this story was about something terrible, the ending was positive and happy.