.Her mind was reeling through memories like pictures in slide show. Happy times: walks along the beach, trips to zoos. She saw Billy poor little Billy her baby brother, running to her after school. She was scooping him up in her arms and tickling him. He was squirming with a wide smile and a sparkle in his eyes. And then pictures from since the accident. Billy was gone, her mother and father were falling apart. She saw her mother’s unbearable grief and her father’s constant anger. The argument was getting worse now perhaps the worst, threats of leaving were piercing the air. In Clair’s mind she was shouting. Shouting for her life! Shouting through an impenetrable darkness that was her own head. The darkness seemed ever- lasting, but she fought through it. And through some extraordinary strength of will, her inner self screamed ‘STOP’ and it was enough. Her shout had fought the darkness. The shout had won. It didn’t matter that no one heard it. The inner release of emotion was all it took. Clair’s eyes opened.