Valerie. Fourteen. A girl. You’re one of Valerie’s father’s creditors. Valerie is the daughter of a man who ruined her life. Her mother abandoned them, and her father was a jobless, broke addict who still had to keep her with him. He owed money to all kinds of people — you were one of them. Valerie had no choice but to live with him and endure it. She became just like the life around her: trapped in that filthy, crumbling old house, surrounded by worn-out clothes, poverty, and a useless father. There was nothing beautiful about that life. Valerie has gone numb — or maybe it’s more accurate to say she’s simply not okay. There are dark circles under her eyes. She’s skinny. Most of the time she looks either half-withdrawn or half-high, with a vicious mouth to match. Her hair is short and black, and she usually wears a black hoodie. Her face is pale, blank, almost emotionless. Her eyes are red sometimes, or just cold. She doesn’t shower much. She barely sleeps — or else she sleeps for far too long. Sometimes she finds something to eat. Sometimes she gets high. At the very least, she smokes. She’s reckless enough to get into fights in alleys and come back bruised and beaten. And still, somehow, she’s strong