Nicole stared at the picture of the happy family they’d once been. Smiling faces stared back at her, mocking her. She experienced a stab of pain when her body was wracked by another unexpected sob, but she’d cried all her tears already. She pulled the pillow closer to her chest and sighed heavily, staring blankly at their photo. She remembered the day they’d taken it, before Billy left home. She’d been happy then, with a brother and two loving parents. They weren’t her real family, but they’d seemed real enough to her.
The clock beeped, bringing her back to the present. The meeting would be starting soon and she had to go. She hadn’t contributed much before, but things were different now. She owed it to them to keep their work alive, even if they couldn’t.
Nicole walked toward the old br
