"Well, all I have to compare to is the middle of nowhere, so it's good to know that the same is true even when you've seen the rest of the world," Karen says, her smile wide. In some ways, it's hard to imagine, if only because of the way she grew up. As a child and a teenager, she used to dream about all the different places she could go, the countries she could travel to, the distance she could put between herself and home. Having set out for New York, though — obviously being here has changed that, since she had no say in it, but she can't see herself choosing to be anywhere else, even after all the shit she went through there.

Then again, it's not like it would have taken much to beat being at home.

"But there is, it's... It's hard to say just what it is, but there's something. I'm not sure anywhere else could come close."