Emily’s story consists of four episodes. To watch each episode, please click each thumbnail. Make sure you check out the accompanying discussion guide to continue the conversation beyond the videos!

EPISODE 1: FIRST ESCAPE

A painful secret has been haunting Emily for months. She’s managed to keep it from her mom, but now mom’s going out of town for the weekend, and Emily will be left alone with Brandon, her mom’s fiancé. She can’t talk about what happened with Brandon, but she can’t stay home with him either. Feeling trapped and hopeless, Emily tells her mom she’s going to her friend Shayla’s house and hastily leaves, unsure how she can ever come back.

EPISODE TWO: SAFE PLACE TO LAND

Emily and Shayla hang out in Shayla’s room, and Shayla can tell something is wrong. Carla, Shayla’s mom, offers to let Emily stay the night, and advises Shayla to listen and be supportive. Emily feels isolated by her situation and her negative thoughts, but even though she’s not ready to open up to her friend about what’s going on, Shayla is there for her, and helps Emily remember that she is worthy of love.

EPISODE THREE: AN OPEN DOOR

It was a relief to stay with Shayla for a night, but with a seemingly impossible situation waiting at home, Emily finds herself wandering the streets with nowhere to go. She ignores her mom’s calls, but she can’t ignore her negative thoughts. Waiting for a bus to take her anywhere else, she is surprised to hear her name called–Carla, Shayla’s mom, offers her a ride home. With Carla’s encouragement, Emily lets herself believe she has another option: telling a trusted person about the abuse she’s experienced at home.

EPISODE FOUR: A NEW BEGINNING

Emily and her mom are decorating their new apartment, Emily is doing virtual therapy, and their shared trauma moves further into the past each day. So why does Emily still feel haunted by negative thoughts? She never saw her mom’s fiancé again after disclosing the abuse, but the feelings of guilt and hopelessness stuck around. With the encouragement of her new support group, though, Emily is finding that sharing her feelings through photography is a strong coping skill–one that keeps her self-worth and the love of her mom and her friends in focus.