Pursuit

The only way to get in there, she believed without question, was through
performing good deeds, the living by and through example an upstanding life,
for only exemplary souls would inherit what must be, in her yearning,
some sort of an indescribably eternal bliss surpassing all understanding.

This belief struck her out of nowhere at an early age, this all-consuming desire
to act honorably in every word and deed, and she often wondered whether
she would ultimately achieve insight, an ability to foresee when the final moment
might come, meanwhile doing her utmost to be prepared for the end at any time.

Everyone who met her was struck by what a kind, considerate, compassionate
girl and young woman she was, and this engendered a quiet pride in her parents
that could not be greater, could not be diminished even by her unfortunate knack
for attracting the most questionable acquaintances who might adversely affect her.

Aware that befriending flawed companions could sway her from her mission,
she attempted always to exert the more powerful influence, in order to save them, too.