“I better go.”
“Good luck, Starlee.”
“Bye, Leelee.”
I get in the car and wave one last time to my grandmother, to the little town of Lee Vines and the life I’ve built here.
“I need to stop fo
r gas before we head into the desert. Probably buy a few bottles of water too, just in case.”
It’s the first time she’s spoken since we left Lee Vines. Each mile we get closer to June Lake makes me feel sick to my stomach, and when she pulls into the gas station I almost tell her to keep driving. Just knowing the boys are so nearby and that Dexter needs my help makes me nauseous. The fact that my mother is willing to violate a subpoena to keep me away from them is telling.
She’s terrified.
I know fear. I lived in it and with it for so long, and my mother reeks of it. For a long time, I thought fear kept you safe, but really it makes you vulnerable. My mother’s eyes meet mine and that’s when it hits me.
She has none of the power here.
None.
She’s too scared. She’s weak, and for once in my life I hold the upper hand. I’m not afraid and I sure as hell have nothing to lose.
I wait until she’s hooked the nozzle back in the tank and walks across the parking lot. The instant she steps into the store, I open the car door and run.
I run down the sidewalk and across the street. I dart through the grocery store parking lot, dodging cars and carts. I slip down the side road and I head to the office I know is next to the Methodist church. I know because Dexter pointed it out to me on the way back from the cabin when we made the plan for me to speak at the hearing—when we thought maybe we could stay together.
My sandals slap against the sidewalk and I don’t dare look behind me the whole two blocks. My heart pounds in my chest, my knees hurt from the cement and bad shoes. I don’t stop when I reach the building, instead running up to the door and quickly stepping inside. The woman at the desk looks up at me, eyes wide, watching me struggle for breath. “Can I help you?”
“I’m here for a hearing.” I dig through my bag, still slung around my back. I find the paper sent to Leelee’s house and give it to her with a shaky hand. “Sorry I’m late.”
She points to a door down the hall and I try to steady my breathing before I go in.
I have no doubt my mother will take me out of this place. I’m seventeen and I’ll leave the minute my birthday hits. When that day comes I’ll fight hell or highwater to get back out there. Back to my Wayward Sons.
I may not be able to stay in Lee Vines, but I can do the right thing before leaving.
I open the door and step inside, heads turning in my direction. I smile, knowing this is right. I can’t fix everything—not yet—but before I go I’ll do everything in my power to save one of the boys I love, because if there’s one thing they’ve taught me it’s that family don’t end in blood.
And I’m here to fight for my family.