Chapter 1
ᴍᴇʟᴜᴛɪᴀ’ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ
“ᴍᴇʟᴜᴛɪᴀ, ᴡᴀᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ. ɪᴛ’ꜱ 7:45. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ 8:00.” ꜱʜᴏᴜᴛᴇᴅ ᴠᴀɴᴇꜱꜱᴀ, ꜱʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ.
ᴠᴀɴᴇꜱꜱᴀ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ᴇʟᴅᴇʀ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ. ꜱʜᴇ ɪꜱ 12 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴏʟᴅ, ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ɪ ᴀᴍ 10. ᴡᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛ. ᴜʟʀɪᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴜɢꜱʙᴜʀɢ.
“ʏᴇᴀʜ... ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ,” ɪ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴘᴜʟʟɪɴɢ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴀɴᴋᴇᴛ.
ɪ ᴘᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴜɴɪꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪɴɪɴɢ ʜᴀʟʟ.
“ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴅᴀᴅ?” ɪ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ.
“ʜᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ.” ᴍᴏᴍ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴘᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ʙᴀɢ.
ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴍ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴇʟᴘꜱ ᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍʏ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ꜱᴛᴜꜰꜰ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴠᴀɴᴇꜱꜱᴀ ɪꜱ ꜱᴏ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴋɪɴᴅꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ. ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ.
ᴠᴀɴᴇꜱꜱᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴏᴜᴛꜱɪᴅᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ʙᴜꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ.
ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪᴠᴇ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜꜱ ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ.
*ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ - ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ.*
ᴠᴀɴᴇꜱꜱᴀ’ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ
ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ 6:30 ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ. ᴍᴇʟᴜᴛɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴍᴇᴡᴏʀᴋ.
“ᴍᴇʟᴜᴛɪᴀ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ?” ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ᴅᴀᴅᴅʏ, ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴡᴏʀᴋ.
“ᴅᴀᴅᴅʏ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ɪᴛ?” ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇʟᴜᴛɪᴀ ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ.
“ʜᴇʀᴇ.” ᴅᴀᴅᴅʏ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ.
“ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴅʀᴀᴡɪɴɢ ʙᴏᴏᴋ? ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ, ᴅᴀᴅᴅʏ.” ᴍᴇʟᴜᴛɪᴀ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ʀᴏᴏᴍ.
“ᴠᴀɴᴇꜱꜱᴀ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪᴛ?” ᴅᴀᴅ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ.
“ʀᴇʙᴇᴄᴄᴀ ʙʏ ᴅᴀᴘʜɴᴇ ᴅᴜ ᴍᴀᴜʀɪᴇʀ,” ɪ ꜱᴀɪᴅ.
“ʏᴇꜱ, ɪ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ɪᴛ ɪɴ ᴍᴀɴʏ ꜱᴛᴏʀᴇꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ᴜɴᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ,” ᴅᴀᴅ ꜱᴀɪᴅ.
“ɪᴛ’ꜱ ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴅᴀᴅ. ɪ’ʟʟ ʙᴏʀʀᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪʙʀᴀʀʏ, ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ.” ɪ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇᴅ.
