" It’s okay. We kind of all ignore each other.” He shrugs. “Taro called and said the same thing as you. Maybe we’re all the same person, split into three pieces.”

I nod quickly to hide the tremble in my jaw. If we are all three broken pieces of the same being, we should have tried to put ourselves back together a long time ago. Maybe we needed each other because being a third of something was never enough.

Maybe we had what the other person needed all along. Taro doesn’t take Mom personally. Shoji knows where he fits into the world. I dream about a new life. Maybe by splitting into three pieces, we robbed each other of what it felt like to be a full person. If I had Taro’s thick skin or Shoji’s confidence, I might’ve fought back a long time ago. I might’ve realized sooner that it’s okay to be different.

And if Shoji had my ability to dream, he might’ve cared more about his future than ending his pain.

We’re no good as broken pieces. We failed as siblings. "

― Akemi Dawn Bowman , Starfish