The story of a ninth grader named Kemper Komm starts with a family.

Once upon a time, a child was brought by storks to a family’s open arms, and for that one moment, everything was perfect. And then, that moment ended.

Komm realized she was an only child and knew there were benefits and disadvantages.

“It’s really fun being an only child, like not having to share things with other people and you’re not after hand-me-downs,”she said. “We also get kind of lonely, like not having someone closer to your age to talk to and play with since everyone has different interests.”

Family sounded sweet until she started feeling “a tad left out of big family gatherings” and the activities included in them.

Regardless of the loneliness, a flower needs to gleam and glow, so she found some guidance and support.

“There are upperclassmen I know that are like siblings to me, and I can always talk to them,” Komm said. “It makes up for siblings — you can’t control if you’re an only child or not.”

Free to dream, Komm had one about a life with siblings.

“I’ve always wanted one or two older brothers,” she said.

However, life without siblings comes with perks. Komm feels she has become more independent, taking on the workload and unburdening those who don’t want to work during group projects.

Although she can’t plan what the storks bring to her family, she can plan for her future.

“I want to take care of my parents when they get older,” Komm said. “I know there’s not really anyone else that will.”

Like a solitary tower fixed alone in the woods, carrying the heft of every stone, Komm lugs the weight of a great expectation.

“I’m carrying on my bloodline,” she said.