CHAPTER 2: Defeat

Scarlett's POV

I carried my mask well. My mum didn't notice a thing when I finally walked through the front door.

I got to my room, shut the door quietly, and collapsed onto my mattress. But I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing too fast.

I needed to come up with something. I can't let them take Evan. My mum was already overworking herself; I have seen her sway on her feet several times, only to hastily grip the counter and pretend it was nothing. She looks older than most people her age now cause of the exhaustion and overworking. And I can't let her find out about Mr. Daniel's threat. If she does, she would push herself even harder, and I can't afford to lose both my parents.

I need to do something, and the only thing that keeps coming to my mind is to take on more jobs.

I have four exhausting ones already. But I am ready to give it all I've got, even if it means taking on fifty more jobs.

I was already out the door by 4 AM the next morning. I left a small note on the kitchen table: "Ronny asked me to resume early." I lied.

I was walking to the grandma's shop I do walk past whenever I trek down home from work every night. It's a small Chinese restaurant and she runs it twenty hours a day. I had seen a cardboard placard in front of the shop last week that said she needed extra hands. If I can do this till 7 AM, then I would resume at Ronny's diner and continue my day, and see if I can find something else again.

I got there and I met the grandma. She was already wiping down tables, preparing to start welcoming the early morning guests.

"Good morning, grandma," I greeted.

"Good morning," she replied with a strong accent that shows she has stayed in the US long enough for her Chinese accent to be masked, but it still slipped a little.

"I came for the job," I said immediately, gesturing back at the placard on the entrance.

"Oh. Okay," she said, pausing her cleaning. "I have someone that picks up the shift by 7 AM. I need someone to work before 7 AM and—"

"Perfect," I interrupted, and she smiled.

"Ten dollars per hour, biweekly," she said.

She showed me around the small kitchen and I got straight to work. I washed prep bowls and swept the floors. I left there exactly at 7:00 AM and walked as fast as my legs could carry me down the block. Ronny would deduct my pay if I am more than ten minutes late to the diner.

I ran at some point and sipped on the cheap coffee I picked up on the way. I need caffeine in my blood to keep me going. It was just day one of five jobs a day, and I can't afford to be tired.

But by the time I got to the middle of my fourth job that afternoon, the exhaustion finally caught up to me. I was standing over the deep industrial sink, hot water burning my hands. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Daddy, why? What did you even do with this money?" I sobbed quietly as I scrubbed the plates like my life depended on it, cause it actually does.

"I can't take this anymore. I can't," I whispered to the soapy water. "I'm getting tired."

I quickly wiped my wet face with the back of my arm when I heard footsteps approach me. If Rolena sees me crying, she would offer me a break at the expense of my hourly pay, and not one penny can slip from me now.

I continued like that for days. Waking up in the dark, working until my bones ached, and coming home just to sleep for a few hours.

The month ended on a Friday. I was happy that I would be receiving most of my pay today,not because I would spend a single penny from it on myself, but cause I'll add it to what I have saved for the month. We would add it to what my mum has left after paying the expenses for the month, and we will pay a some of our debt.

One month at a time. We are close to being debt-free.

But nothing prepared me for what was already happening when I turned the corner onto my street.

I heard noises from our house. Loud, angry shouts. I walked hastily, my heart leaping into my throat to see what it was.

There was a black van parked aggressively on our lawn, the back doors already opened.

My mom was on the floor in the dirt. Evan was held with his arms twisted to his back like they do to criminals, pinned down by two massive men. My mom was begging, tears streaming down her face. Evan was yelling,more from the sharp pain of the pinning than from begging.

Mr. Daniel just stood to the side, watching.

And then I was there, begging too. I can't explain how I got there. Maybe I dropped my bag and ran, or maybe I developed superpowers and flew down the street. I don't know.

"Please don't take him! We would pay in full, I have some of your money here today!" I screamed, digging my hands into my pockets.

"If it's not in full, we are going with him," a tall man responded to me. He gestured to my brother with the same hand he used to hold his tobacco.

"It's not in full, but it's something, please!" I cried.

"Well guys, let's go," he said coldly. The two guys dragged Evan toward the open doors of the black van.

My mind raced. They can't take Evan. No, I can't let that happen.

Mr. Daniel walked forward to go with the men. My mum rolled on the ground in pleas, but they didn't listen to her. I lunged forward and pulled Daniel's jacket when he walked in front of me.

"I'll do it," I whispered. I kept my voice so low cause I didn't want my mum to hear or notice.

He paused, stared at me with a heavy look, and left my grip. He walked over and whispered something to the man with the tobacco. The man stared at me for a long second, then ordered the guys to leave Evan alone.

They dropped Evan in the grass. He immediately hurried over to help my mum off the floor, and they hugged and held onto each other, both of them shaking.

I just stood there. I couldn't approach them. I looked at them, the two people I cherish most in this world, and my mind was overwhelmingly heavy for what it will ultimately cost me to keep them together.

"Take this," Mr. Daniel said, stepping close and jerking me out of my thoughts and emotion.

I collected the small, cold object and quickly slid it into the pocket of my pants before my mum and Evan, who were heading inside now, could turn around and see.

It was a phone. A burner phone, I guess.

"Await instructions. Good luck," he said. He headed into the passenger side of the van, and I just stood there on the lawn and watched the van reverse and move down the street until it was completely out of sight before walking inside.

My mum had stopped crying now. She just sat on the sofa and stared at the frame in her hands. Her favourite picture of my dad.

I walked towards the stairs quietly and headed up to Evan's room. He was lying flat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it rolled. I looked at him from the small opening of the door.

I miss my brother when his only headache was fixing his bicycle tyres and adjusting the chain.

I know he would have still grown up and get to behave like an adult eventually, but this particular growth was forced on him. It was not at the right pace.

An involuntary sniff made me realize I was already crying. He heard the sound, looked up, and saw me standing there.

"Iron lady, you do cry? It's not in her nature to cry," he said, forcing a weak smile. I don't know how he is still able to make a joke out of all of this. Well, that's a little reminder that his teenage brain is not fully formed yet.

"An idiot, that is what you are," I said, wiping my nose.

I turned and headed to my room. I placed the burner phone down on my mattress, stared at it for a long while, before finally hiding it behind my school books on the shelf. I couldn't trust that Evan wouldn't go through my stuff cause he can be naughty sometimes, but there's one place I am so sure he'll never go through: My books!

It's so easy to know if my brother has been impersonated by an alien. Just place a book before him and see him find a million and one excuses to leave the room.

I made dinner that night because my mom just sat and stared at her husband's picture since the men left. Evan was there in the kitchen to help me. We can be united when necessary. We made dinner together and I had to force my mum to eat. I was literally forcing the food into her mouth with my hand, trying to assure her that we would be fine now.

I woke up the next morning, not by 4 AM, but 8 AM.

I was tired, and I had made peace with the fact that I had lost. There's no need for fighting when you already lost the war. I picked my phone to text Granny that I was not coming without notice, and to let the other bosses know that I am not coming in, at least not today.

Immediately I turned on my phone, a Ravenwood University email greeted me on my lock screen. I didn't even open the mail. I rushed straight to my student portal and there it was: The green "Accepted" tick I have anticipated for two years.

I jumped out of bed. I rushed downstairs to show my mum, though I wasn't expecting to see her. But she was there in the kitchen, cleaning the mess Evan and I made when we made dinner last night. She didn't go to work. Yesterday's effect, I guess.

"I got in, Mom!"

She looked at me, curious.

"I got in on a full scholarship to Ravenwood!"

"Oh my God!" she said, dropping her rag and covering her mouth with her hands.

"Come here," she said, opening her arms to embrace me. I stepped into her warmth, hugging her tight.

"But how come?" she asked, pulling back, a little confused now.

"I guess God finally answered our prayers."

"We've been praying for help, remember? I guess it finally came," I said, looking straight ahead and holding her gaze. I hope God forgives me for using Him to cover this dark deal up.

My mum looked at me. I know she wasn't fully convinced, but she can't deny it either.

"Let me help you with that," I said, quickly taking the cleaning napkin from her so she can stop looking at my face before she sees right through me.

I'll make sure I finish off whatever task comes with this as fast as I can, so I can make the most of this, I thought to myself as I wiped off the tough oil stain on the kitchen table. Ravenwood is my dream school, and I wouldn't want to go through it with the heavy burden of a deadly task hanging over me, or constantly worrying that my family is in danger.

"I'll get this over with quickly," I murmured to myself, scrubbing the wood.

"Yeah, be quick," my mum responded cheerfully, not knowing I wasn't even talking about this table. It was far from it.