Chapter 4

Mr. Harrison was true to his word. He helped me with the piles of paperwork. He found a lawyer who worked pro bono. He started looking into subsidized housing for students. For the first time, I felt like I had an ally.

But my parents found out. I still don't know how. Maybe they saw a letter from the lawyer. Maybe they just sensed they were losing control.

They stormed into Mr. Harrison's office one afternoon while I was there. My mother' s face was a mask of fury. My father stood behind her, his big frame filling the doorway.

"What is this?" my mother shrieked, waving a piece of paper. "You're trying to steal our daughter?"

"She's ungrateful!" my father boomed. "After everything we've done for her!"

They turned on me. "You're coming home, Elara," my mother hissed, grabbing my arm. Her nails dug into my skin. "You're going to work at that plant and you're going to help your brother."

I tried to pull away, but her grip was like iron.

Then Mr. Harrison stood up. He wasn't a big man, but in that moment, he seemed to grow. He stepped between me and my parents.

"Let her go, Mrs. Vance," he said, his voice calm but firm.

"You stay out of this!" my father snarled.

"No, I don't think I will," Mr. Harrison said. He looked them both in the eye. "I've been documenting Eli's case. The educational neglect. The financial pressure. The fact that you want to pull a gifted student out of school to fund her brother's hobby. If you do not walk out of this office right now, my next call is to Child Protective Services. And I will testify."

Silence. My parents stared at him, their faces a mixture of shock and hate. They had never been challenged before. They weren't used to people seeing them for what they were.

My mother let go of my arm. She gave me one last look, full of venom. Then she turned and walked out. My father followed her.

I stood there, shaking. Mr. Harrison put a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Eli," he said. "You're safe now."

A few weeks later, it was official. I was legally emancipated. I had my own small apartment, my own life. I walked out of the courthouse and felt the sun on my face. It was a clean break. A painful one, but clean.

That night, in my empty apartment, I made a vow. I would not waste this chance. I would make Mr. Harrison's belief in me worthwhile. I owed him that. I owed him everything.