Shattered Reflections depicts Maya, a nine-year-old girl, as she navigates a fractured world defined by her dysfunctional family. Maya becomes acutely aware of the emotional atmosphere within their home quickly developing survival instincts needed to avoid being overwhelmed by mother's unpredictable mood swings or father's frequent absences; and simultaneously longing for warmth, stability, and connection which she frequently is denied from them both. Maya finds comfort with both of her parents, Grace and David; yet their emotionally distant behavior leaves Maya feeling vulnerable even amongst family. David once provided joyous storytelling but often reappears drunk and disengaged causing tension-filled arguments amongst themselves leaving Maya and Jack left to negotiate it on their own. Maya bears much of the burden for this unstable family structure on her young shoulders. She takes on responsibility beyond her years, protecting her brother from harsh realities of their parents' volatile relationship, and finding solace through small acts of care. Although Maya excels at school, even there she often feels disconnected, being unable to share true feelings with peers or teachers alike about struggles she is going through; Emily becomes her one-and-only friendship but this bond becomes limited due to Maya's deep need to hide family realities from them both. As Maya continues with her story, she becomes aware of the cycle of dysfunction within her home, particularly Grace and David's relationship. Grace feels trapped by David and Maya becomes burdened with his fears and regrets for Grace; becoming emotional caretaker becomes all-consuming as more confided-in by Grace to Maya further increases Maya's burdensome responsibilities. While much of this story may be heavy-going, there are fleeting moments of hopefulness throughout Maya and Jack's relationship that provide much-needed comfort and lighten the atmosphere a bit - such as their time spent together at the park or an occasional laugh from Maya which offer brief glimpses into what could have been, keeping Maya hopeful about a brighter future despite knowing full well that cracks in their family run too deep to hold true for any lasting solutions.