3: 3

That afternoon, Mervyn Pruitt, my childhood sweetheart, came by the house carrying a fancy paper gift bag.

He'd promised to give me a gown as my coming-of-age present.

Warmth spread through me, and I reached out to take it.

"You're here."

Mervyn turned his body aside, out of reach.

"Eve, this isn't for you."

He stepped past me and handed the bag to Lesley.

"Fifi, I tracked down the designer from the photo you sent and bought that couture gown you wanted. Go try it on."

"Mervyn, you're amazing. I'll go try it right now."

Lesley's eyes lit up. She took the bag and hurried into her room.

Only after the door shut did Mervyn's gaze move off Lesley and settle on me.

"The gown Fifi wanted was pretty expensive. I spent everything I had on it. If you want one, wait until my paycheck next month."

But my birthday is tomorrow, same as Lesley's.

Next month wouldn't be a coming-of-age gift anymore.

Zachary, sprawled on the couch playing a game, curled his lip and rolled his eyes at me.

"Ignore her. Day in, day out, all she does is fight Fifi for attention."

Mervyn's face cooled a few degrees too.

"Eve, you took fifteen years of Uncle and Aunt's love that should've been Fifi's. You can never pay back what you owe her. Grow up a little."

But when Lesley first came back, he'd said I was the one he'd grown up with, that I was the only one he'd ever want in this life.

Looking at the coldness in Mervyn's eyes, I swallowed the "What did I do wrong this time?" that had risen in my throat.

There was no point asking. He couldn't give me the answer I wanted.

In the eyes of every one of them, I had a share in all the suffering Lesley had endured over the past fifteen years.

So for Lesley's sake, they could hurt me however they pleased.

Never mind. Tomorrow night I'd be gone anyway.

Lesley pushed her door open and came out, gathering her skirt to twirl in the living room.

"The fit is perfect. Mervyn, I love it so much."

Mervyn watched her, his smile soft and doting.

"As long as you like it."

I pressed my lips together and turned back into my room.

The moment I shut the door, I heard Lesley lower her voice.

"Mervyn, I think Evelyn's upset. Go smooth things over with her…"

Mervyn gave a light scoff.

"Don't bother with her. She's just greedy. She wants to grab everything you have."

I hadn't done a single thing.

Yet they'd slapped the labels on me anyway: fighting for attention, greedy, grabby.

I dragged out my suitcase and started packing.

I was only halfway done when a knock came at my door.

I opened it. Mervyn and Lesley.

Mervyn walked in with paper and pen, his eyes sweeping over my room, barely a hundred square feet.

"The room's a little small, but if I design the closet right, it should fit all your clothes."

Lesley tipped her head up, gazing at him with admiration.

"Mervyn, you're incredible. You can do everything."

I backed against the wall and said nothing.

After Lesley came back, the three-hundred-square-foot room with its own bathroom went to her, and I moved into the storage room.

Now they wanted to take even the storage room.

Mervyn glanced at the luggage I was packing.

"Looks like Uncle and Aunt already told you. Once you leave for college, this room becomes Fifi's closet."

"You won't have time to come back anyway. You'll be working through every break to pay off your debt."

I gave a soft "mm."

I couldn't be bothered to argue anymore.

That night I got an email from the school.

I clicked the link and signed the confidentiality agreement.

Five minutes later, a text popped up.

【Ms. Chilton, welcome to the Kingsport Research Institute Classified Training Program. Your buyout payment will be deposited to the bank card you provided within twenty-four hours.】

【Your enrollment flight will be booked by the institute. Watch for the text and report on time.】

4: 4

The next morning, I didn't get up early to cook.

Zachary kicked my door open, cursing.

"Evelyn, what are you throwing a fit about now? You know today is Fifi's coming-of-age. Are you trying to starve us on purpose?"

I rolled over and turned my back to him.

Out in the living room, my father slammed his hand on the table.

"So we didn't set up a bonfire tower for her. Is that any reason to give us attitude?"

My mother came to the doorway too, her voice full of blame.

"Evelyn, today is a happy day. Don't spoil everyone's mood over one of your little tempers. Get up and make food, now."

"We didn't do the bonfire tower for you, so today we'll pay you triple wages. All right?"

I kept my eyes closed and didn't answer.

The air went stiff.

In the end it was Lesley who called Mervyn to drive over and take them all out to eat, which finally ended the whole scene.

Now there was only me left in the house.

I got up, washed, and changed my clothes.

Everything I could take went into the suitcase. Everything I couldn't, I threw into the trash bin outside.

I opened the fridge and made myself breakfast.

There was a time I could only bring myself to eat a dollar's worth of bread rolls with pickled scraps.

Now I ate a sandwich layered with bacon and cheese slices, air-flown fruit, and short-shelf-life fresh milk.

At noon they didn't come home.

I made myself a lavish lunch anyway.

There was five hundred thousand dollars sitting in my account, more than enough to clear the debt I owed this family.

By seven that evening, it was dark.

The whole village had gathered in the square for Lesley's coming-of-age celebration.

Lesley stood in her gown at the center of it all, my parents, Zachary, and Mervyn circled around her like she was the sun.

At seven thirty, the bonfire tower was lit.

The spark caught, and the stacked wood roared up from inside the tower, shooting into the sky and bursting open like a night full of stars.

The heat rolled out, and the orange firelight lit up everyone's smiling faces.

But twenty minutes in, the fuel ran short, and the fire started to dip toward going out.

My father shouted around in a panic.

"Anyone got spare hay or grain husks? Bring it over, quick, let me borrow it."

The bonfire tower had to burn a full forty minutes, or it was considered bad luck.

In the middle of the chaos, Zachary shoved through the crowd, dragging something behind him.

"Burn this. Throw this in."

When I saw what was being fed into the flames, my eyes went wide.

It was my suitcase, the one I'd left by the front door.

"Don't throw that! That's mine!"

I rushed forward, ignoring the blaze, trying to pull the suitcase back out.

Mervyn grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the fire.

"Evelyn, are you insane?"

Tears fell onto the back of my hand where the fire had scorched it. I broke down.

"That's my suitcase, everything important is inside it. Mervyn, I'm begging you, help me get it out, please?"

Before he could answer, my mother frowned and cut in.

"What do you mean, your suitcase? Is there a single thing on you that wasn't paid for with this family's money?"

My father used a long wooden rake to push the suitcase all the way into the center.

"Nothing matters more than my daughter's coming-of-age."

All I could do was watch the suitcase turn to ash in the firelight, becoming just more flame for Lesley's celebration.

Inside that suitcase were the gifts they'd given me over the past fifteen years.

My good memories of this family.

Just as well it was gone. Call it cutting off the longing for good.

My right hand tightened around my pocket.

At least my important documents were the kind of thing I always kept on me.

I wrenched myself free of Mervyn's grip and walked into the night without looking back.

Something like worry crossed Mervyn's eyes, and he started after me, but Lesley caught his arm.

"Mervyn, come take my picture, quick. I want to post it to my feed."

I took a cab to the airport.

Ten years.

Long enough to start a new life.

……

Lesley was happily striking one pose after another in front of the bonfire tower for photos.

A couple suddenly burst out of the crowd.

"You little wretch, so this is where you've been hiding! Wait till I get you home, I'll beat you to death!"

The woman lunged straight in to grab Lesley's arm.

Mervyn and Zachary reached out at the same time, pulling Lesley behind them.

My mother stepped forward, her eyes wary.

"Who are you people?"

The woman kept her eyes locked on Lesley hiding behind them, hands planted on her hips.

"I'm this girl's real mother!"