Evelyn Ramirez, known to her friends as “Eva”, was the neglected 15-year old child of her small family. She had three older brothers, all of whom had moved out by the time she was seven. Her parents were frustrated with being saddled with a pretty girl who would draw the attention of the neighborhood boys. They cut off her long hair and began dressing her in older-style clothes. Isolated by her parents and their actions, she drifted into melancholy. Nevertheless, she remained optimistic and refused to be bitter about her life. One of the few joys she had was journeying through the abandoned subways. Her sojourns there helped to distract her from her problems by engaging her imaginative side.