All she wanted was to be someone's little girl... Fate made her a lonely orphan, yearning for the embrace of a real family and a loving home. But a golden chance at a new life may not be enough to escape the dark secrets of her past...

ALL SHE WANTED WAS A FAMILY SHE COULD CALL HER OWN.... As an orphan girl, Crystal was one of many—and utterly alone. But she still dreamed of a shining life of love and happiness, and freedom from the dark legacy of her past...

Orphaned years ago by a mother she barely knew, Brooke is taken in by a wealthy couple who want to adopt her, but she senses a dark foreboding in the midst of her promising new life

ALL SHE WANTED WAS AN END TO BROKEN PROMISES.... Her Mama made it painfully clear that she wished Raven had never been born. But even after she was sent to live with her kindly aunt and domineering uncle, humiliating secrets lurked—and threatened to dash forever Raven's dream of a true home...

The spellbinding Orphans series concludes in this thrilling new novel from V.C. Andrews(R)... "All for one and one for all" was the girls' motto. In the grim foster home for orphans run by Louise and Gordon Tooey, at least Brooke, Crystal, Raven, and Butterfly had each other. Calling themselves "sisters," together they could forget the past and dream of a new chance...a real home. Then they discovered a secret even more haunting than Gordon's heavy boots pounding on the wooden floors. Their fragile hopes of a better life shattered, they escaped the only way they could. Soon they were runaways in a borrowed car, desperately wishing to wake up one morning in a place of sunshine and love. Raven hoped to be a singer, Butterfly wanted to be a dancer, Crystal planned for college, and Brooke privately hoped to find her mother in California. On the open road the chains of sadness that had bound them seemed to melt away, and the kindness of strangers made a secure future seem almost real. But the highway was a dangerous place, and soon they were penniless and more vulnerable than ever. Alone under the wide western sky, they had only each other to ask if they should give up their dreams...or if they were really halfway to a haven of safety and happiness....

Butterfly...She was a lonely orphan until a wealthy couple gave her a home—and a chance to be a world-class ballerina. But her newfound happiness was as fragile as a spider's web. Crystal...Bright and gifted with a flair for science, she found loving new parents, and a boyfriend in her new school. But a shocking tragedy could shatter her perfect world. Brooke...Whisked away from the orphanage into a glamerous life, she was surrounded by every privilege a girl could want. But all she really wanted was to be loved—just as she is. Raven...She put her painful past behind her when she was taken in by her aunt and uncle. But the torment she was about to endure was far worse than anything she had ever experienced before.