"Are you angry?"
[Ads /]
I had to ask the question because Jamoni Merritt was smiling the entire time we were together. And that amazed me because two weeks ago, a 12-year-old poured boiling water on her as she slept in the Bronx.
"I can't be angry," she said. "I have to be happy." (Watch a portion of the interview with her in the player above)
Jamoni was scalded with second-and third-degree burns across her shoulders and 85 percent of her face.
She can't go out in the sunlight for extended periods as her burns heal. And if she's lucky, the burns will fade and her face will return to its natural color.
[Ads /]
Her mom is amazed by Jamoni's resilience, but she's also concerned. One child has been charged but she wants two other girls and the girls' mother to be arrested, as well.
MORE: Girl burned by boiling water at sleepover released from hospital
"I just want justice for Jamoni," she said.