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You think they can’t tell that your attitude towards life stinks to high Heaven when they hear you shuffling across the floor instead of walking like you have a purpose?”
    Serena wished she could deny it, but there was too much truth in what Rose said.   “I…I never thought about it before.”
    “Damn right you haven’t, but your sweet Aunt Rose is going to make sure you think about it a lot from now on.   The first thing we have to do is move you out of that daycare center you live in so you can take care of yourself and start acting like a responsible adult.”
    “Rose…”
    “I have a rental house that would be perfect for you.   I would have to make a few modifications , but the floor plan is simple and you would have it aced in no time.”
    “Rose, I really…”
    “Think about it, Serena.   You would have room to breathe, to do as you pleased without Leslie hovering over you all the time.   I know how much you love to cook; wouldn’t it be nice to make your own meals without someone charging in and taking over because it’s unsafe for you to do it?   You would learn how to rely on yourself, and I’m not talking about cooking or doing laundry. I’m talking about taking control of your own life, about climbing out of that grave you’ve dug for yourself before it’s too late.   I want to hear you laugh again, Serena, to see you smile, really smile, with your whole heart in it.”
    “How do I do that?   I’m scared,” Serena admitted through a mist of tears.
    “I know you are, honey, but you have to fight it with everything you’ve got.   Happiness isn’t something anyone can give you; it’s something you have to find for yourself.   It’s inside of you, in your heart and your mind, and if you don’t let it out of that cold, dark place you’ve banished it to…” Rose’s voice hitched.   She stopped for a moment, drawing in a deep breath to steady herself before continuing.   “I love you, kiddo, but I can’t just stand by and watch the life being drained out of you by an overindulgent family who thinks the only way to keep you safe is to shelter you from your own feelings.”
    In her heart, Serena knew her aunt was right , but that did very little too alleviate the mounting anxiety when she considered what living on her own entail ed .   Was she ready to let go of the security her family offered?   Her stomach churned and her throat was suddenly so constricted she had trouble swallowing the piece of bread she’d been chewing on.   The inane thought flitted through her head that this must be what a baby bird feels like right before its mother pushes it out of the nest and sends it plunging over the side.   Except Leslie Cross wasn’t pushing her daughter out of the nest and she never would, and neither would her father or siblings.
    “I want to fly,” she whispered.
    “You want to…did you say you want to fly ?”
    “Yes,"   she said with a determined lift of her chin.   "I want to spread my wings and fly.”
    “Well it’s about damn time,” Rose said, her own laugh t er sobering a few short seconds later.   “ Ooooh , your mother is going to kill me when she finds out I’ve convinced you to move out.”
    Serena finished getting dressed, the memory of Rose’s defiant confession to her parents a few days later vividly imprinted in her mind.   Her mother had been furious, her father more worried than angry, but Rose stood her ground.   It was Rose’s dogged determination to save her niece from being smothered by her parents’ love that gave Serena the strength to stick to her decision, and a few weeks later she moved out.
    Now she was in danger of letting herself slip back into the role of a timid little mouse by confiding in Will about her nightmares and dredging up memories that were best forgotten.   She had come too far to let that happen and it was up to her to safeguard the confidence she’d spent the past six months building up.   Opening up old