My parents died in a car accident.
It was something I still tried to avoid thinking about, even with the gaping maw of loneliness in my chest threatening to eat me up some days. Even now, years later, thinking of them, thinking of that, made my heart sink. I certainly wanted nothing to do with my childhood home, and with nowhere to go but college, I went to the school’s counseling services. The techniques I’d learned in therapy only helped me control those anxious feelings so much. It was my Aunt Esme who’d really helped me then, teaching me meditation and introducing additional herbal supplements to help maintain a calmer state of mind.
Speaking of which.
I took a deep breath and then another one. I focused on the feeling of air filling up my lungs, counting to four before exhaling slo
