Since I found out our parents were taken, I’ve been so focused on comforting Sophie that I’ve completely forgotten that I also need some comfort. I need someone to tell me that everything is going to be okay. I need Ma to remind me that I feel too much, and that I shouldn’t be carrying all these horrible feelings when there’s nothing I can do about them. I need to see Pa’s smile, always so calm, so I can believe that we are going to make it through this.

Sophie stirs beside me, and my eyes snap open. I remember that I can’t afford to withdraw into my own grief. My sister needs me, and now I’m the only person she has.

And so, when the sun rises, bathing my room in soft light, I manage to find enough strength to lift my head from the pillow. I plant my feet on the floor and get up from bed, because Sophie needs to get ready for school. She needs to eat breakfast, and pack up her books, and get to class on time, and she can’t do these things without me.

Breakfast is a messy event. I try to do all the things Ma would usually do—pour a glass of milk for Sophie, cut up a piece of fruit, put a bowl of cereal in front of her—but my brain is so foggy with exhaustion that I can barely function.

“Will you pick me up right at three?” she asks me when we finally make it to her school.

I texted Maria earlier to ask if she could pick up my sister today, and she agreed right away. I promise Sophie that I’ll head down to Maria’s right after I finish class, and as soon as she disappears through the school doors, I start running toward the subway. I already know I’m gonna be late, but if I hurry, I might still be able to sneak into first period.

I walk into school just as the bell rings. I swipe my student card in front of the security guard, and then I sprint up the stairs to the fourth floor. I’m breathless by the time I reach my classroom, and the door is already closed. I’m officially late.

I push the door open slowly, peering in just to be able to make eye contact with Mrs. Jenkins. She presses her lips into a straight line for a second, but then she gives a small nod. I close the door behind me quickly and rush toward a desk in the back of the room.