NOTE: This year begins a bit of a horror story for any child. I use Little K and Big E to identify two people here, and that is intentional. Some of the aspects of these two are still problematic, even when this blog is transcribed in 2024, so I give them a bit of privacy. They know who they are and the rest of the people don't need to.

Six years old, heading into seven years old, and the world began to change. The most significant change was the introduction to my aunt Kris, which was to become a serious issue over the next two years, and lead to my eventual exodus. The year was calm, and the bad things had not started too seriously yet, but Little K was a shining light. She visited for the summer, with her sister, Big E, and they were like darkness and light. Kris was fun, playful, and very much like me. We had a lot of fun together. Big E on the other hand, was a handful. She was loud, obnoxious, and irritating. She demanded attention and did not care how she got it. Little K and I spent most of the summer finding ways to avoid her. Little K was 2 years and 2 days older than me, and she made the rising horrors of my life worth living. Little did I know at that time, that she would be either my eventual downfall, or my savior, depending on the perspective of the reader.