The Final Scene

by Steph Nelson

Brooke doesn’t remember her first day at the cabin, but she’ll never forget the day he grabbed her.

She blended in with a crowd, and over the years she’s wondered if that’s part of why he targeted her. Assumed nobody would miss her.

Ten. Jessi’s age. The same number of years the girl has lived without her mommy.

But staying alive feels like an act of defiance against being ripped away from her life. It’s not hope. Brooke knows exactly what hope feels like, and that part of her is dead. There is no hope.

You never know when little details will become life-or-death details.

“People come and go here. I don’t like to get attached.” “Getting attached is the only reason for living. Especially here. Otherwise, why bother?”

Favorite stories are full of friends to visit when you have nobody else.

ugh so true

I’m telling you it’s better to go all in and try. Even if it means you might fail. I’d rather go out like that than live a nothing existence.”