Leni sat on the couch, leaving Lola to control the TV. It was some reality show about little girls being in pageants. While Lola was the unquestioned "princess", these girls took their craft to the extreme. Their moms would often help them pick out clothes, train them, and coach them in the right for some reason, these moms got mad at their daughters for messing up a curtsie or fought with judges when they gave a less than perfect score to their "little angel".

Regardless of this, Lola seemed pretty engaged with the product. And seeing any one of her sisters happy was enough for Leni.

As she reclined into the back cushion, Mom came through the front door, sorting through a stack of mail. Through the corner of her eye, Leni saw her wander into the dining room while she attended to that task. For Mom, there was no sitting down for this. It was like she forgot there was a comfy couch in the living room (or a wooden chair right next to her).

"Leni, can you come in here?" she heard her announce.

Of course she could. She got up and made the short walk from the living room to the kitchen. Even before she got in the room, she could already see Mom's eager face as she gripped the pile of envelopes. Once she was close, Mom pulled out one from the stack and handed it to her.

"It's for you," Mom explained.

"Thanks!"

Leni examined the front of the white envelope. Her name and address were typed in black ink while there was a special insignia on the top right corner. Her eyes widened as she recognized that familiar logo. Not willing to waste either her's or Mom's time, she ripped open the top and pulled out both a folded sheet of paper and a smaller slip attached to it. Reconfigurating the letter, she read.

"Dear Leni,

On behalf of all the students and faculty at Bartholomew's Helpers, I would like to thank you for your years of charity and service. Through your heavy involvement in fundraising efforts, you have given our school over $25,000 to improve the classroom experience. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to enriching the lives of our students and helping our school promote its mission of expanding opportunities and services for all.

We are aware that you will be embarking on your own journey this fall. To show our appreciation for all you have done, Bartholomew's Helpers would like to help your education as you have to that of our students. Attached to this letter is a scholarship for $2,000. We hope that this push will aid in your future aspirations and discoveries.

Thank you and may you have the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Richard Phillips"

Peeking under the paper, Leni noticed a check stapled to it. Immediately, Mom's eyes lit up.

"Is that for you?" She asked.

"Yeah," Leni said, "it's from Bartholomew's Helpers."

As she admired her ability to say that complicated name, Leni felt an itch in the back of her brain. But why? Everything was spelt out in the letter. And she was holding it in her hands, so she could go back and re-read.

"That's great," Mom said, grinning, "let's keep it in a nice place, so we don't lose it."

"Uh, yeah."

Leni slid it everything in the envelope, making sure it was precisely how it was folded when she took it out, before handing it to her Mom. Thinking she has completed the interaction, Leni shifted her body towards the living room. The couch was a nice place to think, she thought. It was the best location for the moment.

"You want me to hold onto it?" Mom asked.

She silently nodded, hoping to make her intention clear. Leni didn't trust herself with the money, fearing it would inevitably vanish. As she headed back to the couch, her mind was bent on validating that assertion. Yes, she thought, it would have happened. Even if she was super careful and picked out a special corner just for the envelope, it was gonna get lost. The cause didn't matter (or even need to make sense). It would have just been gone.

But as she sank back into the upholstery, Leni tried to refocus. That wasn't what was itching her brain.

Those kids were better off because of her. Something good for a change. Not even the voice could bring itself to deny that fact. Though it did take a lot of time and energy to get around to that breakthrough. It was easy to forget when much of life was chaos, filled with preparation for the show, applying to college, and not-so-productive efforts (self-pity being the least among them).

But how exactly were those students now? How exactly did they benefit from her own "charity"? Maybe the teachers got more help so that they could become super-teachers. Or maybe they have more books to read or computers to use. Perhaps a few kids here or there got those special thingies that make them "talk". Those things were pretty cool, Leni thought, even if they weren't an ideal solution.

The ideal solution. Wasn't that the true end goal of all this? If Leni couldn't replace one of the tablets with a human voice, then what was the point? Being able to talk on your own was a power all on its own, one that Leni foolishly takes for granted. But it was special. And even though she knew not every kid in need went to Bartholomew's Helpers...

Leni stood up. She briefly gazed at the TV, show an intense shouting match between two moms. She froze, realizing how abruptly she sprung to her feet. This wasn't gonna be like that other time. Leni took a deep breath, recognizing the purpose she intended to deliver. This was planned. Yes it was. And she was gonna walk out the door to go somewhere.

"I'm heading out, Mom," Leni announced as she paced to the foyer.

"Where are you off to?"

Once again, she froze. She knew, but she didn't know everything. Leni was ashamed that she was just gonna wander off only to realize that it was aimless. Realizing her need, she turned to her mother, who was sitting at the table.

"I want to ask you for a street number," Leni said, inching her way into the kitchen.

"Okay, honey. Who do you wanna see?"

The neighborhood wasn't that hard to navigate. Now that she knew exactly where she was going, it was easy to look at a house number and know it's not the right one. Leni wasn't in the mood to have to deal with the awkward encounter with some stranger whom she had no business with.

True, she should have known the neighborhood by this point, to have a good sense of who lives at each abode (aside from Helen's) but that was what today was for. Leni was finally gonna go around and learn about her surroundings.

"550," Leni read on a small slip of paper. Looking up, she stumbled upon a yellow house with those numbers beside the front door. This had to be it, she thought.

She stood before the walkway. Now she wished she had brought someone along, to give her that final push to go up and ring the bell. On her own, Leni sensed an invisible wall preventing her from proceeding. Just the thought of ringing the bell and having to start a conversation made her nervous. And yet, the image lingered in her mind.

No, she had to do this. For herself. For him.

After several moments of clearing her mind, Leni made that brave first step. The subsequent paces came easier for her, eventually resulting in a steady walk to the door. Now that she was in motion, she couldn't stop. If she hesitated for even a moment, the wall would have re-emerged and made for an ugly collision. It wasn't until the bell rang through the house that she finally stopped.

Unfortunately, this meant she had to pause. Leni planted her feet into the welcome mat and clasped her hands together. Whatever happened next, it was gonna be something. As much as she wanted to think they would be alright, Leni could only hope. Despite this, she was unprepared when the door opened.

"Leni?" Eileen said excitedly, "Hello! It's very nice to see you."

"Hi," she responded, meekly throwing up a hand. Leni knew she was better than this. This was a terrible start, "um, is Derek home?"

The older woman nodded intensively.

"Oh yes. I'll take you right in," she then took several steps down a corridor beyond the foyer. Leni took this as her cue to step inside, although she halted when Eileen paused and turned around. Rather than get mad at her, she enthusiastically gestures towards end of the hall, "come along!"

She couldn't say no to that. For all the funny vibes she gave off, Leni always concedes that Eileen was nice and a good parent. As her own Mom told her, Eileen loved her Derek deeply and gave whatever she was able to provide to him. That was worthy of something.

A door stood on the left hand side at the end of the hall. Eileen led the way, showing Leni into the living room. Thanks to the door and ways, it was more secluded than what she was used to at her own House. But it had everything a living room was supposed to have: a couch, action figures spread out across the floor, and a TV in the center.

Derek sat on the edge of the couch further from the door. He held a small plastic figure in his hand, struggling to use his fingers to turn it around. His intense gaze was focused purely on that small toy, seeking to learn something new. Leni didn't know much about toys, but she wasn't one to judge. Derek liked them.

But what she also noticed was a tablet on his lap. Leni didn't need an explanation. It was clear right from here that he still used it. That had to be the reason it was just sitting there with the screen off. Deep down, she was forced to admit to herself that this was gonna happen regardless of her efforts. Leni should have known better than to let herself slip into egotism. She wasn't a savior, no matter what some letter said. She was just another person doing her thing. Humbled, Leni kept her eyes on Derek, wondering what exactly he thought of the action figure.

"Derek," Eileen said softly. Her pitch careened up, as if she were talking to Lily. The man dropped the action figure and turned to the two of them, "this is Leni. She went to preschool with you and she's here to see you."

"Hi," Leni said.

After a second to process, Derek picked up the tablet and tapped a solitary finger on it. Leni was patient as he picked out each individual letter.

"Hi Leni," the tablet produced.

She turned to Eileen, Derek's Mom. Wasting no time in what it suggested, Eileen nodded and gestured towards the couch.

"Feel free to sit down," she said.

Accepting the invitation, Leni took a seat on the opposite edge of the couch. She watched as Derek reached to pick up the action figure, which had fallen into his lap. Was now the best time for her to have come? He seemed pretty invested in that piece of plastic, determined to get some fulfillment out of it. Unsure of what to do next, she turned to Eileen, who was observing from the doorway.

"Derek," Eileen said, breaking the silence, "Leni is going to be heading off to college next month. Is there something you wanna say to her?"

Once again, he dropped the action figure, this time landing on the arm of the couch. He slowly picked up the tablet and proceeded to pick out letters. Leni couldn't keep her eyes off him. She wanted to learn something from him, how he handled things. The action figure was pretty nice, she thought, but so did his means of communication.

"That is nice. I am happy at you."

"Thanks," Leni said, playing along. Of course, neither of them knew the half of how she got there. But that was under the bridge and she saw no reason to cause a flood, "What about you? How are you doing?"

Derek didn't use his finger. He just stared at Leni, though the latter didn't know what compelled him. There wasn't much to see, aside from a smile (or she thought she was smiling). But second after second passed without any change; he was intent on observing her like the action figure.

"Derek," she heard Eileen say, "do you want to tell Leni about your time at the library?"

It was something, at least. Leni instinctively nodded.

"That sounds like fun," she said, "tell me about it."

Leni leaned in and planted her hands on the couch. She was willing to give him whatever encouragement he needed to speak up. Whether it was action figures or going to the library, he had a story to tell and she wanted to learn it from him.

Luckily, he got the message. He nudged back and pulled out the tablet. Again, he stuck out one finger and used it to type out the letters on the screen.

"It was good."

He continued typing. Leni was willing to wait of course for more information. What type of books is he into? Is he friends with the librarian or someone he sees there often?

"I got a book."

A book. Those were a step up from those magazines she read. It made sense why he would get them. He liked them and he had a mom willing to let him access them. He stil might not talk, but he can at least read (and write).

"Here, let me go upstairs and see if I can find it," Eileen said cheerfully.

Before either of them could say anything, she had left, leaving the two of them alone. Eileen was rather abrupt in making that request. Sure she loved him, but even Leni thought it was odd that she was doing the work for him. Was this how Derek lived his life? People doing stuff for him without asking first. How did he feel about it?

"So..." Leni said, trying to find something else to say. It might have been rude to bring that up right now. Besides, they were talking about the library, "do you like reading?"

"Yes," Derek typed out.

"Do you have a favorite?"

He stared blankly at the screen. Both his hands were gripped to the side, intent on remaining there. Leni was quick to pick up the hint.

"Is there a book that you like more than any other book you have read?" She asked.

Derek tilted his head, his eyes falling onto the screen. She thought that was an encouraging sign. Or at first. His hands didn't move at all, preferring the comfort of stillness.

Leni was hopeful, though. Maybe he was just thinking about it, trying to sort through the countless books he's encountered, parsing the good from the bad, the mundane from the exhilarating. She knew that talking about favorites was a tough question. Leni often to put a lot of time into thinking about what fabric she liked or what shade of blue matched that shade of yellow. Decisions and opinions were hard.

"Here it is!"

Leni jerked her head back, seeing Eileen return. In her hands was a thin book with a colorful color. Luckily, she lowered it onto the middle cushion, allowing both peers to see it. More specifically, the cover was yellow with a blue elephant balancing on a red ball.

"This," Leni said, her voice struggling to find enthusiasm, "looks pretty good," she then looked up at Derek, "Do you like this book?"

At long last, he lifted his finger and tapped on the screen.

"Yes."

Well, it was something. Leni did think the elephant looked cute and the colors were really bright (it was kinda like Princess Pony). Maybe it was like her beloved show, where the story and characters had more than meets the eye. But how was she ever gonna know if she wasn't allowed to touch it.

Or was she?

"Um..." she said, hovering a hand over the cover, "may I?"

"Derek," Eileen said, "can Leni look at your book?"

This whole time, he had been looking at his tablet, unable to even shift his head. He nudged around in his seat before typing once more.

"Yes."

Relieved at his acceptance, Leni grabbed the book and flipped through it. The first page had a drawing of the elephant with words below.

"Ed is happy. He wants to be in the circus."

Turning to the next page, there was an adorable tent with red and yellow stripes.

"Ed wants to do tricks at the circus. Tricks make people happy."

"Since you're here, I'd thought I make you something to eat," Eileen said. Leni paused and looked up at her hostess, "It's almost time for Derek to eat lunch and we would really like you to stay."

"Okay," Leni said.

Lowering her head, she quietly read the book to herself. The story was very straightforward: Ed wants to be in the circus, he does tricks, and everyone is happy. While the pictures were pretty cute, Leni couldn't find anything challenging about it. All the sentences were simple enough for her to read, the only thing Ed wants is to be in the circus, and the story was basic enough for her to follow. This was pretty much something Mom would read to Lily.

She then turned to Derek, who was still looking at his tablet. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Eileen had left (presumably to make that lunch she was talking about).

"This book..." Leni said slowly, "can you, like, tell me what parts in it make you happy?"

Nothing. Whatever he had to say, she wasn't gonna hear it. But now wasn't the time to give up; she had only scratched the surface.

"Derek," she said. At first, her eyes fell to the upholstery. How could she say something out of the blue? She was forcing her problems onto others again.

No, she told herself. This was exactly what brought her here to begin with. Leni may have to deal with a lot of invisible walls, but she knew she had already gone through a couple of them. She couldn't give up now. Leni had to get something out of this.

"Your Mom is pretty great," she said reluctantly, lifting her head as she spoke, "she loves you. She's there for you, helps you out, and, like, gets you things you want."

She then paused. Leni knew that once these following words left her mouth, she would have to finish them. There was no backing out. This had to be a complete thought, a complete statement that Derek could digest without having to force it out of her. Taking a heavy breath, she continued.

"But..." she said, "do you ever get the feeling that you can't do anything? I mean, I don't want to hurt your feelings," she felt her face burning up, "I think you're wonderful in every way and I'm happy to be seeing you."

That was awkward. Now she had to go super slow just to keep her speech in tact. Now wasn't the time to be stammering or sounding insincere.

"But when you look around or type something on that thingy of your's," she said, pointing to the tablet. Derek was still looking at it, "do you ever get sad?"

She stopped. Leni desperately wanted to see how he would react to all this information. The tablet was already in his hands. All he had to do was put his finger on it and all would become known to her.

That moment, however, didn't come. Derek remained frozen, seemingly unmoved by Leni's pathetic plea. Maybe he just needed some more information, Leni thought. She shuddered at the prospect of opening up further. If he wasn't already sad by this conversation, then some of these revelations might. But she straightened her back and shifted her body on the couch to awaken any sleeping parts. Her whole body needed to be prepared for whatever outflow came next.

"I get sad sometimes," Leni admitted, her eye contact faltering. She forced herself to keep looking at Derek as she spoke, "I think about you and others like us. You have people that love you, but they can't give you everything you need. And I feel bad because, like, I got all those things. And I was able to get things I feel like I should have."

She paused. Leni regretted that wording. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but feel like she came across as entitled, flaunting her gifts in front of the destitute. What kind of friend was she? But she had to keep going. If she left it there, that's exactly what Derek would think.

"I wanted to help out people like you, to make it easy for you to learn how to talk by yourself," she said, "I wanted to help you learn to make friends, so you can be happy when you made one. I didn't think it was right that people like me can get so many things but you don't. That's makes me sad! I thought I did enough to change that. I..."

Her voice dropped out. Derek shifted around several times, eventually causing his head to lift up. Even though it was pointed at the wall, it was a striking contrast to what had preceded it. Did she get through to him? Did he compel him to act?

"Derek," she said, softly, "Are you happy living like this?"

He continued staring at the wall. His eyes had widened, though she didn't keep track at when they did. The man appeared unfazed at the question, as if whatever drive to type had died just because she raised her obnoxious voice. Leni suddenly felt awkward to be in his company. She assumed the worst. He was mad at her. Her reckless, selfish behavior had upset him, as if his own way of living was coldly slapped in the face.

Leni tensely nudged herself closer to him. Her face was wracked with terror, worry, and sorrow.

"Derek..." she said, her voice struggling to stay above a whisper, "say something to me."

At this point, it could have been anything. If he was mad, then she deserved to be reprimanded. If he felt anything and got a response, that was all she needed.

She waited with baited breath. Slowly, his head lowered and his eyelids emerged. He fiddled with the tablet and she pulled out his singular finger and tapped some buttons on it. Leni was patient. She was gonna listen to whatever he had for her.

"Yes," the tablet said.

One word. No need to explain himself or anything that was a part of him. A simple affirmation that Helen or even Leni herself would use if they so chose. Derek was a person with his own mind, judgement, and opinion. And she was relieved. He spoke his mind.

Even if that was never on her mind when she went about her fundraisers, that simple fact (something that didn't necessarily require services to possess) was there. It may not have been the absence of a tablet or outside friends she originally sought out, but now she got more than that. Even if Derek didn't see her as a friend, he was happy. And that was all that mattered.

It was times like these where she wished that Derek was more into hugging. But then again, who was she to judge?

As if last year's move out wasn't hectic enough, now it was worse. One could only hope that after one trial, the next would be easier (even if it were by a little). But between all the extra luggage and the fact that they had to bounce flrom one distant campus to another just as far made it twice as crazy. Everyone thought it'd be best to figure out some mindset capable of making the subsequent forty-eight hours bearable.

Whatever dread there was about the road trip, Leni didn't harbor any. She was more than happy to haul her own boxes onto the trailer (which was larger than the one used to send off only Lori). She insisted that Lori needed the most assistance, but that didn't stop a few sisters from bringing her own stuff anyway. Maybe the reason was...practical. That's what Leni preferred to think. After all, one can only have so many hands on one load. Besides, if they finished Lori's first, all the attention was gonna be on her for catchup.

That kinda made sense. Leni was willing to accept it.

"Lana! Get up!" Lola protested. Indeed, her fellow twin was distracted by the running TV. Leni couldn't help but oversee their quarrel as she headed downstairs carrying her own box. Even though she knew her own duties, she decided to investigate.

No wonder Lana's eyes were glued to the screen. It was Rabbit Hole (again). Leni still couldn't figure out what her little sister liked about this show, but yet she was curious to look into it whenever she got the chance.

And this was one of them. That same cute bunny with the orange hat was sitting in a larger bedroom with a crib in the background. A phone shaped like a carrot was propped up against his ear.

"Well, it isn't perfect," Harrison said, "but I'll be fine. I'm used to taking one for the team, so this won't be any different."

In the background, the door creaked open, allowing light to deep into the dark room. He didn't notice, however.

"Well, good night friend. It's always nice talking to you."

Eerily at peace, Harrison hung up and went to his bed. The crib next to it had a cute baby bunny. He went up to the railing and placed his paws on it. Immediately, the baby started bawling her eyes out.

"Lana!"

"Ugh, Fine," Lana said begrudgingly. She picked up her box and hauled it outside. Leni, however, decided to keep watching. Silently sitting, she watched as Harrison comforted his baby sister, cooing her until she fell back asleep. Her heart fluttered with joy. That was really nice of Harrison to do.

After letting the baby ease to sleep, Harrison slipped into a bed that was much smaller than his own. It was weird being in this different arrangement. But in his own words, he would just man up. After all, he was the boy of this family. Sighing, he closed his eyes as the camera faded to black.

When it faded back in, Harrison was still asleep, but the bed was clearly larger now. So did the carpet. And there wasn't a crib there. In fact, there were a bunch of eager bunnies surrounding him, waiting for him to rise. When he opened his eyes, he made several groggy sounds, confused by his surroundings.

"Huh...what?...how did I get here?" Harrison asked.

"You're in your own room, little dude," one of the bunnies said. Leni took note of her purple T-shirt and raspy voice.

"But why?"

The camera zoomed in on Barbara, the tallest of the bunch.

"We saw how unhappy you were sleeping with Blossom. And then we heard how you were gonna take one for the team," she said.

"And we felt bad," Brenda jumped in, "because all of us were doing great with our new roommates. What good is it when you have to suffer more just so none of us have to at all?"

"It isn't right," Brianna said, concern dampening her voice, "We may not to treat you right, but you're our brother. You shouldn't have to go through that when we have each other!"

The camera then turned back to Barbara.

"So we decided to move back to our old rooms," she declared, "family is about sticking with each other no matter what. And even if we disagree with our roommates, we're gonna work harder to get along."

"I love Harry!" Betty shouted, throwing up her arms.

Rather than get annoyed by her sister's outburst, everyone smiled. Even Harrison smiled for once. This had to be the first time Leni has ever seen that little bunny be loved and feel vindicated. And to tie it up in a bow, they all gathered for a group hug.

Leni found herself smiling at that ending. If only Lana got to see it. What would she think? After some thought, she figured Lana would assume that was the show's strength: it reminded her of all of the Louds, of her family. They may not always get along (and those bunnies were a rambunctious bunch), but they loved each other. No one was left out, no matter who they were, what quirks they had, or what challenges they faced. And Leni felt a part of a pretty great one.

Realizing how much time she spent watching the show, she jumped from the couch and rushed her box out to the trailer.

The entire procedure took about an hour, though with a family this large, the task wasn't that bad. Luckily, there was time for the others to collect whatever they wanted to bring for the trip. After all, even nowadays, phones and company could only keep one busy for so long.

Everyone scattered to their bedrooms to do just that. Leni couldn't think of anything she needed. Sure, she could bring along a magazine, but she wasn't picky. Regardless, she went to her room anyway, wadding through the hallway before gently opening the door.

The first thing she saw were the beds. Both retained their vibrant blankets, sheets, and pillows. While Leni was grateful that her parents went out and bought some new bedding, it resulted in a deception. One would think that this room would still be occupied just from looking at the beds, the deep roots established within this space.

But one didn't need to look much further to notice signs of barrenness. Lori claimed the Christmas lights that had once hung proudly along the walls, leaving behind a distracting strip of plaster to every side of the room. And then there was the desk propped up against the window. The sewing machine that had laid undisturbed for eight years was now stuffed in a cardboard box ready for travel.

Leni couldn't help but take a nostalgic tour of the place she had spent countless hours inhabiting. She didn't see anything wrong with taking a trip down memory lane. For example, there was a spot on the wall that that she loved to stare at sometimes. It was mostly undefined, but her eyes crafted it from the subtle bumps the plaster left behind. Leni didn't know what it was supposed to be, but she thought it was pretty cute.

Then, there was the closet. This was the biggest departure from last year (which itself was quite the change). Lining the walls was a long, three sided white rod. It's course ran smoothly around, uninterrupted by anything. The point was, there were no clothes left. Aside from the junk stashed on a shelf above the rod, one would have been forgiven for thinking the House was being sold.

And then, there was her dresser, which sat snuggly between the two beds. That was probably the least obvious indicator. But for memory's sake, Leni decided to give it a visit as well.

Popping it open, she didn't see any surprises. Yup, nothing but wood walls. Most of the stuff was packed in the trailer. It had been in a box for about a day now. It wasn't anything special: just nail clippers, brushes, and cotton swabs. However, it was affirming just how absolved her own dresser was. Something in her was free. And that was alright. Leni felt she was entitled to that luxury.

Feeling like her time was up, Leni sauntered out of the room. She gave one last gaze at the place she called a safe haven. Flipping off the switch, she shut the door.

Leni slowly headed down the steps. Every feature of the House suddenly had a voice and was screaming in her ear, demanding her attention. Tiny cracks in the wall, stains in the carpet, and slightly different shades in the paint jobs. The complicated array of sights was overwhelming, forcing her to slow her step. Why rush past the world when there were so many things to see?

Walking down the stairs was even more of a challenge, given the long line of portraits. Leni was forced to stop when she got to her own. She had seen that picture hundreds of times, whether through quick flashes or long contemplation (such as this). Nothing about it was different. It was still Leni, with the same turquoise dress, white sunglasses, and well nourished blonde hair.

And that smile? It was her own. The teeth, her cheeks, the way her lips stretched out to make that mechanical expression. Yup, that was Leni Loud. And now, she could say she looked pretty alright. She was glad she was up there alongside all her siblings whom she passed by one by one. All of them had their own way of making their enthusiasm known. It made them unique. And her smile was just her way of saying she was a Loud.

At the bottom of the steps was Lori and Mom. The latter stood closer to the door and held her trusty camera.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Lori said, endearingly snarky.

"Calm down, Lori," Mom said as she turned on the device, "I wanna keep this so I don't drive off in the night to take you home."

Leni, though was unfazed. Once at the bottom of the steps, she planted her feet together. She turned to Lori, her one big sister, standing prominently on her right. She was glad to have someone like Lori to help her out. The challenges were far from over. While the details were foggy, she knew it wasn't gonna be the end. There would still be days when she had doubt, where she got scared, or felt alone. But Lori has been through those trials before. Being a phone call away wasn't so bad. Her other siblings were there too. Even though they weren't around at first, they joined her side (and would never leave). Helen was a good companion. Just like Lori, she could check in with her as they went through this fun ride together. And then there were parents. Dad casually slipped into the foyer and stood behind Mom. Both of them. She had the world to thank becaus of them.

"Smile," Mom said as she brought the camera up.

Leni stretched her lips as wide as she could without a care in the world. Nothing held her back anymore.

Snap.

The End