When she woke up, she felt groggy. She looked around the room. She was alone. There was no one there.

She sat up in bed. Her head was throbbing. Her stomach was hurting. She felt like vomiting. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

She vomited.

She wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet. Then she washed her face. Then she stared at herself in the mirror.

"God," she whispered. "How did I get here?"

Her reflection stared back at her. She was so thin. So frail. So small. She looked awful. She was a mess. She couldn't stand it.

"This isn't who I am," she said. "I'm not like this. I'm not weak. I'm strong. I'm confident. I'm beautiful. I'm smart. I'm worthy of love."

She stepped into the shower. She turned the water on full blast and soaked herself. She scrubbed her skin with soap. She used shampoo and conditioner. She shaved her legs and underarms. She brushed her teeth. She took off all her clothes. She let the hot water beat down upon her body. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She imagined herself as clean and pure. She was whole again. She was perfect.

"I deserve to live," she repeated.

After a while, she felt refreshed. She dressed in her favorite outfit—a pink shirt and black pants. She put on makeup. She curled her hair.

"Okay. Let's go to work! I'm going to be great today!" she cheered.

"No, you're not," her reflection said. "You're pathetic. You're worthless. You're disgusting."

"No," she argued. "I'm not. I'm wonderful. I'm amazing. I'm incredible."

"You're not," the reflection said. "You're not worth it."

She opened the door to the hallway. She walked outside. She climbed into the car. She drove to work. She parked her car in front of the building.

"Good morning, ladies," she greeted her coworkers. "Hi, guys. Hello."

"Hey," they replied.

They stared at her. They were surprised by her appearance. They were shocked to see her standing there.

"What happened?" Stephanie asked. "Anne called a few days ago and said you would be on leave for a while. Are you okay now?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm fine. Really. I was just a little tired. That's all."

"I'm glad you're okay," she said. "I was worried."

"Me too," Lizzie said. "You look so alive today."

"Is it because of your boyfriend?" Tina asked. "You always talk about him."

"Boyfriend? No," she shook her head. "That's not it. I was just feeling sick lately. That's all. I'm fine now. I feel so alive."

"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked. "I mean, I hope everything is okay. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

"Thanks," she said. "That's very nice of you."

Elijah hugged both of her co-workers and smiled. She loved them so much. She knew she could count on them. She was grateful to have such wonderful coworkers.

She walked through the hall. She saw her boss. She was excited to be back. She felt like she was finally home. She was ready to begin her day.

"Good morning," Mr. Gold said. "Welcome back."

"Hello," she said. "Thank you."

"Are you okay now? Did you get well?" he asked. "Did you go to the doctor?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm good now. Thanks for asking."

"I'm happy to hear that," he said. "You're working again today?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm so excited."

"Great," he said. "We'll catch up later. I want to make sure you're doing okay."

"Sure," she agreed. "Thank you."

Mr. Gold waved goodbye and headed toward his office.

Eliah stared at her boss. Then she walked to the changing room and changed to her work uniform.

"I'm back," she shouted to the other girls.

"Yay!" they cheered.

Eliah smiled at them. She took a deep breath. She was determined to be a star employee today. She was going to impress everyone and show them how valuable she was. She was going to prove to them that they should never doubt her.

"I can do this," she promised herself. "I will succeed."

***