Nina no longer lives in Cementvile. Her sister and her moved with their grandparents the day their mother died. So many things have happened since her death. Nina was kidnapped by her sister’s father. He slapped her and then punched her in the face. I can picture the results of those hits and the cold stare that he gave Nina while hitting her. The same cold stare he’d given her mother when he beat her. I can picture how her face looked afterwords, blood sliding from the corners of her mouth and her cheeks swolen, as well as her eye. “Wei dabbed at the blood from around my lips.” I can visualize the dapping and the face of pain that Nina must have been making.