Sixteen-year-old Emma Mercer stood barefoot in the hallway while her grandfather Richard pointed toward the front door.
“Get out. Your room belongs to your cousin now.”
Emma stared at him.
“But Grandpa, Dad said I could stay here until he and Mom came back from Chicago.”
Richard’s face hardened.
“Your father doesn’t run my house.”
Behind him stood Emma’s aunt Denise.
Her son Cody leaned against the staircase wearing Emma’s gaming headset.
Three days earlier, Daniel and Rachel Mercer had rushed to Chicago after Rachel’s mother suffered a stroke.
Daniel trusted his father to keep Emma safe.
Instead, someone had already packed half of Emma’s belongings into a trash bag.
Her winter coat was missing.
Her charger was gone.
The silver necklace Rachel had given her was tangled among clothes Cody had thrown aside.
Denise crossed her arms.
“Cody needs the room more than you do.”
Emma looked at her.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
“Call your father.”
“My phone is dead.”
Richard opened the front door.
“Then find somewhere to charge it.”
Emma looked at the clock.
12:43 a.m.
She waited for someone to change their mind.
Nobody did.
Emma picked up her backpack and the bag containing her clothes.
Then she stepped outside.
The door closed behind her.
Click.
For twenty minutes, she walked beneath the streetlights until she reached a closed pharmacy.
Near the entrance was an outdoor electrical outlet.
Emma pulled the emergency charging cable from her backpack.
When her phone finally turned on, she called Daniel.
He answered almost immediately.
“Em? What’s wrong?”
Emma tried to speak calmly.
Instead, she started crying.
“Dad… Grandpa kicked me out.”
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