She’s pushing the food around with her fork. It gets smaller and it looks like she ate it all when the only one who got any of the food was her dog sitting by her side.

She’s making another slice in her arm. Her blade is fresh, the blood crimson and thick. She feels no pain. She feels nothing. For once she’s not sad.

She flips pages in her old bible. The one her pastor gave to her at her baptism. It’s worn and faded from being read some many times, but now it’s just another dusty book on the shelf. It seems to have lost its magic.

Her best friend is out with her boyfriend. They’re sharing another romantic moment while she is home alone. She’s almost graduating high school and she’s never had a boyfriend, never been kissed.

She’s not needed in anything she does. Someone is always better than her. So why does she even try?

She hears a cry from the other room. She pulls down her sleeves and walks towards the bedroom. She cradles the infant in her arms. This is why she stays, for darling little baby niece..