A week later nothing special had happened. Denise and Odessa ignored each other, even during soccer practice. Denise had gotten over the shock of all that had happened in the first few days of her stay with the Mirandas. She had rebuild the wall around her mind, and no one could get in. She played with Sebastian, but to Lin and Vanessa, she acted as if they were complete strangers, who happened to live in the same apartment as her. And let's be honest, isn't that exactly what they were?

Denise came home from soccer practice. She threw her bag on the ground and collapsed on the couch.

'My whole body hurts!' she exclaimed.

Vanessa came in with two cups of tea.

'I thought you might like some tea.'

Denise nodded, and picked up one of the cups.

Vanessa picked up Denise's backpack. 'You really shouldn't just drop this on the ground, sweetheart. Put it where it belongs,' Vanessa said.

'You're not my mom,' Denise said bitterly.

Vanessa acted like she didn't hear Denise, and said: 'Sebastian is at Lin's parents' house. Lin's picking him up: they'll be here in about thirty minutes. What do you want to eat?'

'Hm,' Denise said, 'Pasta?'

Vanessa walked to the kitchen: 'I could make lasagne?'

'That's fine!' Denise shouted back.

A half hour later, Lin and Sebastian came home.

Denise picked up Sebastian: 'Hey little one, how was Abuelos'?'

'Good,' Sebastian said, trying to get away, 'Twains!'

Denise laughed, and put him on the ground. Sebastian immediately ran to his trains.

'I thought we could watch a movie tonight,' Vanessa said, putting the hot lasagne on the table.

'Good idea!' Lin said. Denise agreed.

'Maybe we could watch the Sound of Music?' Lin suggested.

'No!' Denise jumped up, 'Not the Sound of Music!' She ran upstairs, and collapsed on her bed, sobbing.

'Hey!' Lin called after her, 'What's wrong?!'

Lin and Vanessa looked at each other. Vanessa sighed, 'I'll go talk to her.'

'No,' Lin said. Vanessa gave him a questioning look.

'I'll do it,' Lin said, 'She trusts you, but not me. I want to get to know her too.'

Vanessa nodded: 'Okay.'

'Denise?' Lin walked into Denise's sleeping room, 'What's wrong, sweetheart?'

Denise was lying on her bed, facing the wall. Without looking up, she said: 'Well, first of all, I'd like you two to stop with calling me sweetheart.'

'And second?'

'I am nót going to watch the Sound of Music!' Denise said.

'Well, you don't have to,' Lin said, 'We can also watch another movie. What about Lilo and Stitch?'

'Hm,' Denise said, 'Just go watch a movie without me.'

'But it's much nicer when you're with us!' Lin said.

'No it's not!' Denise said. Then she turned around: 'Just go! Please?' She was almost begging.

Lin sighed, and nodded. 'Just know you can come join us anytime, okay?'

Denise nodded, and Lin left the room.

Denise lied down in bed again. She knew she wouldn't go downstairs to watch the movie. I'd better go to sleep, she thought. But she couldn't sleep, there was too much on her mind. Downstairs, she heard the familiar opening tunes of the Sound of Music playing.

A car is driving down the highway. In the car are three people. A man, a woman, and a little girl of about nine years old. The man is driving. The woman turns around. 'Are you nervous for tonight?' she asks the little girl.

The girl nods.

'You'll do great!' the woman, probably her mother, reassures her.

All of the sudden, another car appears in the night. The second car crashed into the first car. A bit later, sirens are heard, and soon, the first police car reaches the place of the accident. One cop talks to the man who drove the second car. Another one helps the little girl out of her seat. A cut on her family is bleeding, but besides that, she seems unharmed. 'Are you okay?' he asks her.

She nods: 'Are my parents okay?'

The police officer looks at her with pain in his eyes. 'No,' he says, 'I'm afraid they're not, sweetheart.'

'Denise?' Vanessa walked into Denise's room. 'I brought your lasagne. I warmed it up, because it was getting cold down there.'

Denise sat up, and nodded.

Vanessa handed the plate to Denise, and left the room.

Denise listened. Downstairs, she heard Climb Every Mountain playing. Has she been lying there for so long? Her hand softly touched the scar on her face as she listened to the song.

'Climb every mountain,' she softly sang along with Peggy Wood, 'Cross every stream / Follow every rainbow / 'Till you find your dream!' What do I dream? she thought, I honestly do not know. I always knew what I wanted, but now? I'm just living my life, one day going into another, without really caring about my future. What is the point of caring? You can die any minute. But still. Everything I wanted I've lost. What do I want? I don't know. I don't know. If I want happiness, why do I keep shutting it out? Do I want happiness? I don't know. I only know that I do not want to be reminded of my past. Denise sighed, and lied down again. She had become nothing wiser, and a lot sadder.