The day was dark and cold. The rain had not stopped for a long time. Michelle tried to find shelter under a broken roof. She was a pitiful sight. Her thin jacket could not keep her warm in the cold air. But she was shivering only on the outside. Inside she was hot with anger and hatred towards her parents. She hated both of them.

"I am glad I left," Michelle thought bitterly. "If I spent a minute longer in that house, I would go mad."

She looked down at the tattered picture of her family in her hand. Michelle sighed, "But why did it have to end up this way?"

It was not always like this. They were once a happy family: Papa, Ma, Adam and her. That was until Adam fell very sick one day.