Act I “Nia’s a troubled girl. Stealing, lying… we try our best.” The words drifted through the warm kitchen as relatives gathered around the counter, balancing plates of food and glasses of wine….
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Act I “My essay… I worked on it for three weeks…” Nia knelt on her bedroom floor, surrounded by torn scraps of paper. The light from her desk lamp fell across the mess,…
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Act I “I’m dying. Nia, stay home and take care of me.” Nia stood beside the living room sofa, already dressed for school, her backpack strapped over both shoulders. Morning sunlight spilled through…
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Act I “It’s trash day. Whatever’s in there stays in there.” Nia barely heard the words at first. She was kneeling on the kitchen floor, both hands trembling as she searched through the…
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Act I “Bills. Adult things.” Nia had barely stepped into the living room when she saw her stepmother shove an envelope into the wooden drawer beside the entrance. The drawer slid shut with…
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Act I “Then skip lunch again.” Nia stood in the kitchen before school, holding open a lunch bag that contained nothing but a bottle of water. Her cream school polo was neatly tucked…
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Act I “Aren’t I in the family photo?” Nia stood behind a camera mounted on a tripod, holding the remote while warm lights illuminated the living room backdrop. Her stepmother had carefully arranged…
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Act I “My dorm room is gone.” Nia sat frozen in the living room study corner, staring at the laptop screen. The housing portal displayed two devastating words: Housing canceled. Beside the computer…
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Act I “Your test is canceled. Babysit Emma.” Nia stood in the kitchen holding her learner’s permit and car keys when her stepmother pulled the DMV appointment notice off the refrigerator. For a…
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Act I Nia stared into the empty glass jar in her hands while Christmas morning unfolded around her. Across the living room, her thirteen-year-old stepsister, Ava, lifted a brand-new laptop from its box….
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