139 SEVENTH BLAST

She has to look beyond her past now. What use would it be to dwell on the unchangeable when she can focus on making others' lives better, on ensuring nobody's life is as miserable as hers has been? Nobody should have to live with ghosts. And yet, Jack faces them every day, and she tries her best to conquer them.

"One step at a time," she murmurs, brushing the last tears from her cheeks. She lowers herself down on a log, pulls out her sketchbook, and begins to draw.

Her dream is to show her art to the world, to see it displayed at the biggest museums. She hopes to protect all her friends and loved ones. But for now, all she can do is try to keep her momentum, keep her feet beneath her, and pray that life doesn't pull the rug from under her as it has so cruelly done before.

...

And I will be loathing, loathing you

My whole life long."

Naya Illumina, 17, District Four Female