Lucy didn't realize she was on a psych ward until that afternoon, when Dr. Manwaring escorted her to a group therapy session. The meeting was held in a tranquil dayroom with gray industrial carpeting, low lighting, and smooth wood paneled walls. Nine other kids ranging in age from eight to fifteen, all dressed in hospital garments, sat in a circle around a fat woman with frizzy red hair and glasses. Her perky attitude irritated Lucy.

"Hi!" she said when she saw Lucy. "I'm Linda, it's so nice to meet you."

I wish I could say the same, Lucy thought, but under the circumstances...

Instead, she took the woman's proffered hand and muttered a half-hearted greeting. Linda directed her to a chair in-between a tall, skinny boy with a rat face and a girl with pale blonde hair and dark circles around her eyes.

"Since we have a new member," Linda said, "why don't we all introduce ourselves?"

Each of the kids spoke in turn, their names sailing in one ear and out the other. Tommy something, Katie this, Lamont that. When it was her turn, she said, "Lucy."

"We'll all very glad you could join us today, Lucy," Linda said. "Would you like to tell the group why you're here?"

"Not particularly."

Linda cocked her head. "Oh, but sharing is so good for you, Lucy. Keeping things bottled up inside is what hurts the most. Right, guys?"

A couple of the other kids nodded or murmured their agreement.

Whatever. "I tried to kill myself."

Linda made a pitiful face. "And why did you do that?"

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know."

"Don't be shy, Lucy. Open up. Let us in."

Oh, God. "I don't remember exactly what I was feeling when I did it," Lucy said honestly, "but it's all so pointless, and I was sick of having the same thoughts."

"Why do you say it's all pointless?"

"Because what's life? It's killing time. You pick up hobbies, and jobs, and houses, and drug addictions, and husbands, and kids, and God knows what else, and you put them in your life just to fill the time." Lucy stopped for a moment and tried to collect her thoughts. Her mind was racing again, as it often did. "That's all we're doing. Killing time. Waiting to die. And we go through life so puffed up look at me, I'm smart, or look at me, I'm a writer or look at me, I'm right about X like we're not just people waiting to die like twenty billion other people before us."

Linda nodded. "That's true, Lucy. In a sense we are killing time, but do you want to know something?"

Lucy shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"Just because we're killing time doesn't mean we can't be happy and fulfilled. Do things you like, surround yourself with people you love, do good, because doing good makes us feel good. Let me put it this way: You're waiting at the doctor's office. You're sitting there grumpy with your arms crossed. Of course you're going to be bored and restless and want to leave. But if you're doing something you love, like reading a good book or playing a fun game, that time goes by quickly, and it's not so bad."

Lucy shrugged. She had a point.

"What is your family like, Lucy?"

"Big."

"Oh, do you have many brothers and sisters."

"Yes. Nine sisters and a brother."

"Wow," Linda said, "that is a big family. Are you close?"

"Yes," Lucy said, "very."

"You have people who love and care about you. That's good. How do you think what you did made them feel?"

Lucy hadn't thought about that yet. Now that she was, she felt a rush of guilt. "Bad, I guess."

"If your life was meaningless and pointless, do you think they would care if went away?"

Lucy shrugged. Suddenly she didn't feel very much like talking.

"You have meaning to them."

"Yeah," Lucy muttered.

"And that's a pretty good start."

Later, alone in her room, Lucy thought of her family. She vaguely remembered them gathering around her in the bathroom (Leni was crying), or was that a dream?

"Hey, baby."

Lucy turned. Her mother was standing in the doorway. "Can we come in?"

Suddenly, everyone crammed in behind her. All her siblings. There was Lori, and Luna, and Lynn.

When Lucy caught sight of Leni, her breath caught in her throat. A strange feeling, an emotion that Lucy had never had before and couldn't explain, went through her. She groped for a word to describe her sister, and could only pull up one: Radiant. Leni absolutely shone with brilliance. Her golden hair was like fire, and her big, doe-like eyes shimmered with...with...Lucy didn't know. Love? Gentleness? Something.

Lucy shook her head and was aware that her brother and sisters were surrounding her bed, all of them talking at once, asking her how she felt, if she was okay. "Here," Lynn said, handing her her prized bust of Edwin the vampire. "I brought you something to keep you company."

"I brought you a video of Lincoln doing stupid things," Luan said, "after all, laughter is the best medicine."

"I brought you this," Lincoln said, handing her her poetry notebook. "In case inspiration strikes."

A small smile touched Lucy's face. "Thanks, guys."

"How are you feeling?"

Leni was standing next to her, looking uncertain. Lucy surprised herself by reaching out and taking her sister's hand. "Good," she said, and that wasn't entirely a lie.

Lucy was struck by the sudden memory of Leni's cying face, and she suddenly felt tears welling in her own eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, gripping Leni's hand more tightly. "I'm so sorry."