"Hello Mama!" I screamed, when I saw her after her trip to the store.

"Hey Zoe," she responded, without any enthusiasm. I sat back in my chair and waited for her to keep talking, as she normally did.

Finally becoming impatient, I asked her how her trip to the store was. She nodded at me, and continued putting the groceries away. This was unusual for her. Normally she talked about anything and everything she could think of, but the last couple of weeks, she has become more reserved and quiet. My dad has recently become out of character, too. All my life, he would come home, pick me up, and spin me around, but he would barely look at me.

"How come you have been so quiet?" I asked. She glanced at me, then turned away, refusing to answer my question. As if answering my question will give me answers that I don't want to hear. I remained quiet, and hoped that she would come up with an answer.

I waited a couple of minutes, and finally worked up the courage to ask, "Why haven't you been answering any of my questions, you've been treating me differently the past couple of weeks. What's wrong?" I realized that I have become slightly hysterical, but I needed answers, and she still refused to look at me.

Suddenly, she left the room, and I watched her go, not knowing what else to say. When she came back, she started to mix the gross salad together. My dad ran in yelling that he finally got two tickets to America, and they were set to sail tomorrow. I felt my jaw drop. I might not have had any kind of math lesson yet, but I knew that there were three of us, but he said that there were two tickets.

"Mama? Papa?" I asked. "Aren't I going to be able to come to America with you?" They glanced at each other and wouldn't make eye contact with me.

"Of course not. We can barely afford to pay the two of us, and you are a growing kid. We can't afford to feed you. You are too much of a burden for us to take care of anymore. We don't want you." Mama said, and Papa seemed to be agreeing with her. I felt tears start running down my face, but I couldn't make them stop. "Why d-don't you love me anymore? What d-did I d-do wrong?" I scream. They turned around and ignore me. I jump from my chair and run into my room, as fast as my four-year-old legs will carry me.

I collapse on my bed and start sobbing into my pillow. I knew my parents were going to be gone tomorrow, and that, as a good daughter, I should be spending every minute with them, even if they couldn't find it in their hearts to love me back, but I couldn't find the strength to get up. My heart felt as if it had been shattered into a million pieces. All that I could do was clutch my pillow and let my tears fall. Once they leave tomorrow, I won't have a family. I'm not sure I have a family now, considering they don't love me, and that is the one thing a family is supposed to do.

I wake up the next morning, telling myself that I must've dreamt what happened last night, and that my parents still loved me, but I knew I was giving myself false hope. I ran around the house looking for them, but I only found empty rooms that used to hold their stuff. As soon as understood that they were gone, I felt all the strength in my legs disappear. Scratch that, I had no energy left in my body at all. I fell on the ground, and stayed there. I knew that I needed to eat. I haven't eaten since lunch the day before, and, even though I could hear my stomach growling, all I could feel was numbness. I stayed on the floor for hours, waiting for a sound I know that I will never hear again. The sound of my parents around the house, doing the chores, or just laughing together. I couldn't stop wondering what I did to make them hate me.

Suddenly the door opened, and I tried to stand up, but still didn't have enough energy to do so. "Hello," My neighbor's beautiful voice rang throughout my house. "Zoe, I know that you are in here. I saw your parents leave this morning, but you weren't with them." I want to tell her to please leave me alone, but my voice isn't working at all. I can't say anything. The sound of her footsteps echo through this house, and I can hear them coming closer. Suddenly, Mrs. Daisy gasps from behind me. She picks me up and hugs me. I'm unable to do anything, except let new tears fall onto her back. "Where are your parents?" She asked. I try to talk again, but I still couldn't. Finally, I gave up and shook my head, trying to tell her what happened. She seemed to understand, and continued to hold me, and started to walk. .

She carried me outside, and despite the winter wonderland, I couldn't feel the cold on my skin. When we got into her house, I could see the fire, but the numbness has still prevented me from feeling anything. 'No wonder my parents didn't love me,' I think. 'I am a freak.'

She set me on her couch, and I tried to fall asleep. My stomach rumbles, even though I was unable to feel the pain. "I think you need some food," She said, unsure of what to do, but I shook my head in protest. Money is scarce, and people have to work really hard to earn anything. All the prices are high, because it is the winter, and food is extremely limited. I didn't want to get up, anyways. I didn't have any energy, and I think I am going to be sick if I try and eat anything.

"Tomorrow, we will take her to the orphanage," I heard her husband say. "There will be plenty of kids her age, and they will be able to take care of her properly." I don't know what to say, so I simply nod my head. I think that they realize that I don't want to eat, so Mrs. Daisy grabbed a blanket and gave it to me. I am too numb to say anything, or acknowledge what she is doing for me.

After they go to bed, I stared up at the ceiling for hours, thinking. How my parents left me, because they didn't love me, and I was going to have to live in an orphanage from now on. I decided that there was something wrong with me, that I was defective in some way. I wish they would have told me what was wrong with me, so I could've fixed it. Then they would've loved me again. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks, and before I could stop myself, I started sobbing. I felt my body shaking, and I was using too much energy that I didn't have. I passed out after a short time, because my body couldn't take any more.