Speakers behind me shake the stage as a voice echoes from them, across the crowd. I can see the cameras for live TV spread across the stands. I lick my lips.


    "At just sixteen, this angel of a girl saved a two-year-old boy who was kidnapped ten days ago and returned him to his loving family. She has achieved more already than most do in a lifetime. Where does she get her motivation? How does she continue achieving the impossible? Come tell us, Rayde! How are you so unstoppable?"


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    The cloak that covers me swings its comforting weight as I step forward to the mic. The crowd sounds like rolling thunder. I suddenly realize how many people there are. A lot more than I can count. The clapping fades. "I am here," I say, my voice booming across the crowd, "because I . . . I . . . I". WHY AM I HERE? My mind screams for release, but I force it to keep looking for the answer. Why? The people, the mic, and the light fade, but the question beats the walls I have built in my mind. What do I fight for? I used to know. This is the worst torture.