Waking up in a bed felt good. Feels better to sleep in a soft warm mattress again. The sun was shining on me from the window seal. Birds chirping from outside, this was so peaceful. I got up from bed to brush my teeth and my hair. Wrapping my hair in a side braid, showing the red auburn color. Achilles was in the other room where he was sleeping peacefully. Kalani was sleeping in the living room, on the couch with a blanket and a pillow. I got into the fridge to grab a bottle of orange juice and used a glass cup to drink it from. Having the same thought about Mr. Freeman, it's best to go for it and call him. I went to check on my phone's percentage. It was around one hundred percent, meaning I have time to call him. Got the piece of paper with the number on and dialed the number as it's written.

At Mr. Freeman's house, he was getting his daughter, Joanna who was there at that time before I was taken to the hospital when the attacker attacked me. He tells her to help her mother cook some breakfast for her little brothers and her little sister. Being the oldest sister is hard.

"Dad, we need to get more bread." Joanna searches the cabinets.

Mr. Freeman heads in the kitchen, checking on the countertops to see if the bread is there. Must be his two sons, Benjamin and Jackson. Both of them are two years apart. They have so much in common as they love to watch sports and hang out with their friends together. What's different about them is that they have different hobbies. Benjamin loves to help out with the faculty while setting up some decorations for events. Jackson is into playing basketball while participating in the church choir. Everyone he knows, including his parents told him that his tenor voice sings out more. As for Sofia, the littlest sister and youngest daughter loves to

"I'll buy more bread when we come back from church." Mr. Freeman suggested.

Jackson runs into the kitchen, acting more like a wild child. " Dad, I'm nervous about the game coming up in two weeks. "

"Try your best, focus on what you've learned from the times you've played. "

"Thanks, Dad. " Jackson hugs Mr. Freeman.

The kids sat at the dining table, playing with their food. Joanna and Mr. Freeman started to talk about me on being missing. Mrs. Freeman serves some more pancakes for Jackson and Benjamin. Sofia was eating the bacon in tiny pieces. The whole family wasn't just worried about their own problems, but the other one that involved me in their life. At times when school would be on a holiday or a break, the family would invite me to their church and spend time with other people there. I was an introvert, so I didn't hang out with a lot of kids my age.

Clyde was definitely different though. He was always my childhood friend. The one who sticks by me. Some kids there look at me funny like there's something wrong with me. Personally, there was. My entire childhood was like a huge regression. Violence, abuse, and neglect was all I've known. Love was all I ever wanted. And Uncle Atticus and Aunt Paige showed it. Mr. Freeman and his family did too.

Joanna drinks her coffee, setting it down to look back at her father.

"Those people Elora lived with are sociopaths."

Mr. Freeman had had enough of hearing about Patrick and Hope's stunts. "I understand, but we can't let it change the way we live."

"What can we do?"

"All we can do, Jo, is hope for Elora's safety."

"Honey, your father is right. Josh has understood his misjudgment toward Elora for the terrible things he did, so she is likely safe wherever she is." Mrs. Freeman told Joanna.

"You know, Mom, I always think of her as my little sister." "She's still a lost and lonely minor out there."

"Joanna," Mr. Freeman says. She comes to a halt to observe her father's reaction.

"Sorry."

"I understand you're concerned about her; there's nothing wrong with that." Mr. Freeman approaches his daughter and embraces her. "However, we must stay strong in order for her to fully heal."

Jackson is only ten years old, but he knows a little bit about me. "If we have to, we'll find her."

"We can do it." Benjamin swiftly followed.

"I really appreciate this, boys." Mrs. Freeman proclaims. "But the pressure would be too great for me or your father to change."

"Mom, come on." "I should be old enough to know what I want to do since I'm only eleven years old."

"Ben, let the police handle their business."

The time had come for them to go to church, following the reasoning of the entire family. On the table in the living room, they can hear their home phone ringing. Mrs. Freeman picks up the phone and presses it to her ear.

Phone:

"Hello, this is Esther Freeman."

"Hi, is Lincoln Freeman there?"

Mrs. Freeman was suspicious about who would want to talk to her husband. " Who's this?"

"This is an old friend. "

Mrs. Freeman passes the phone to Mr. Freeman walks off to give him privacy.

"Hello?" He wonders who would want to speak to him.

"Hi, Mr. Freeman...... It's Elora. "

"Elora? " His voice sounded surprised. "Are you hurt? "

"No, I'm alright."

"Where are you?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you, you wouldn't understand."

Mr. Freeman lets out a sigh.

"Everyone in this room is worried about you. Your adoptive parents have been arrested. They were taken into custody and charged with child abuse and neglect."

It's good to know they were arrested. I'm unsure of how to describe Josh. "I'm glad they're in jail."

"You wouldn't believe this, but Josh said he hoped he could express his apologies to you."At first, it was his parents that mistreated him, but after that, everything was different."

"That's hard for me to believe. Every day he's been bullying me."

"Now that Patrick and Hope are no longer a part of your lives, there is no need for you to worry about any of this."

"I miss being with you and your family, as well as Uncle Atticus and Aunt Paige and their children. "However, until I find my parents, I'm staying with people who are watching out for me."

Mr. Freeman, who was on the other end of the line, wished I were closer. Well, I'm not going to tell you what to do; only you can decide that.

"I know." I softly sighed while fighting back tears.

"Joanna misses you so much, and so do Sofia, Jackson, and Benjamin."

"Tell them that I miss them every day."

"I will, but be careful."

"I will. " I was about to hang up when Mr. Freeman told me to hold.

"I'm thankful you contacted me to let me know you're okay."

"thank you."

Phone Ends....

Mr. Freeman was optimistic, smiling and crying a bit. Mrs. Freeman rushed over to see if he was okay and asked who was on the phone. He acknowledges it was me on the other end of the line. She was taken aback. She sobbed as she hugged him. The kids dashed in to greet their ecstatic parents. They exchanged hugs.

"What's going on?" Joanna questioned.

"Elora called." Mr. Freeman feels absolutely thrilled.

"Is she okay?"

He smiled and nodded. "She is safe."

Knowing the news about me was a happy moment for the family. If I reveal too much information, the authorities will seek me out regardless of where I am. I'm perfectly fine. I wish I could say goodbye to everyone in Michigan, but it's not worth it. Mr. Freeman is the most educated about the issue.

Back at the condo, Kalani and I were washing the dishes and the entire kitchen. Achilles was listening to podcasts while he had the radio in front of him. When the frequency is reached, I can hear Camper Brown's voice in the speakers. I paused to listen as I grinned to hear what he had to say. He was announcing the accounts of the missing children that he will be sharing with others on his podcast. My grin shifted. I must be involved in this somehow. People are concerned about me over the phone. It was the most extreme knowledge that Mr. Freeman's statements had been altered. And thank God, neither my physical nor emotional well-being would be harmed by the awful parents who are now behind bars. If Patrick becomes angry, he won't be able to hit me. Hope won't hold me responsible for things or make me do things I don't naturally want to do.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Achilles inquired as he turned the radio's handle.

"Mr. Freeman, my history teacher."

"Was he worried about you?"

I nodded and sat beside Achilles, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad he still cares about you; I hope everyone does."

"My foster parents are locked up."

Kalani turns around and expresses how relieved she is. It's nice that they won't trouble you anymore because of it.

"Even so, it is right." Nothing will change if you just think about it. "I'm still looking for my biological parents; I know they're out there."

"Elora, we'll try our best to help you." Kalani remarks as she dries the plates. You can relax in the meantime while we work things out.

"They are going to believe that you guys snatched me, so."

The eyes of Kalani expanded. "They will never consider such a thing, I assure you. If they do arrive, I'll be honest with them and state that you needed a place to stay."

Achilles mutes the radio to express himself.

"All that is left to say is that there is nothing preventing you from remaining here. Yet, in this city, going out alone is dangerous."

Kalani sits in the living room to kick back after a long day of work. "Even I know that by sticking around in New York and going places. Being robbed is worse if you're alone and have no one to turn to for help."

Being twelve years old isn't so much fun for me. Before I mature and learn about my other opportunities, I should be content with where I am and take advantage of everything life has to offer. Hopefully, I can go back to school and learn new things. The discussion of events that occurred before my birth is very fascinating. Every day, I listen to music. When I was about seven years old, I realized what genre of music truly reflected who I was on the inside. More often than not, Camper Brown sings to his audience of children and adults. a great source of motivation for being the best speaker. Patrick once gave me a black eye and a busted lip because he was upset with me for not sweeping up the dust. I was placed on house arrest and prohibited from leaving my room for dinner. I turned the knob on my Walkman and started listening to the podcast. Camper Brown began singing. He was playing his guitar and singing "Have a Little Faith in Me." As I listened to the soothing melody, I couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over me. The lyrics reminded me that even in difficult times, it's important to trust in something greater than myself.

"I'm going to call my husband to make sure he and the kids are all right," Kalani said as she stood up to pick up the phone and call her family.

Achilles starts up the radio and tunes in to the jazzy beat. "Blues music ought to be brilliant."

"Yes, it does have a groove to it." Achilles taps his foot on the ground.

I stood up to grab my phone and undertake a little research on some different topics I had learned in school. The best discovery I've ever made was seeing pictures of people who studied music.

"What are you researching?"

"Doing some research on musical history."

Achilles enjoyed listening to the music and felt a free spirit come forth.

I overheard Kalani talking to her husband about visiting her and her grandfather in Minneapolis. I was ecstatic to learn that the entire family would travel all the way from New York.

I entered my bedroom and changed into my square-necked, mint-green floral dress. putting my tangled red hair into a ponytail after brushing it. I started to think about my old pink Crocs as a result of this. Even though they are just shoes, they are unique.

Hearing the door knock, Kalani began to speak. "Knock, knock."

"Hey."

"What's up?"

I shrugged. "Nothing."

"I understand that the conflict between you and the family has been quite difficult over the past two weeks. But there are some people in this world you can depend on."

"The pink shoes I owned were like a memory to me, and I never took them off."

"Again, Hope decided to throw them away."

I try to stop crying even though I keep telling myself that it's okay to cry when you need to.

"She doesn't realize how much those shoes mean to me." Tears were streaming down my nose, stinging my eyes, and settling on my cheeks. "I felt as if I had been living in the pits of hell my entire life, but it didn't matter to her or Patrick."

Kalani pulls me in for a hug. "Don't say things like that."

"Then why would they adopt me?"

"I don't know."

"You and Achilles have been really helpful to me,"

Kalani accepted my praise with joy. She constantly tries to defend me in her capacity as a mother to her children. She gets up and leaves the room while I'm still in bed. To be clear, I see myself as around twenty years old. In my dream, in which my angel told me what my destiny held, I imagined myself being on the radio and hosting my own radio program. Then she shows me Achilles, who may be seen bouncing with joy now that he has his sight back. It sounds really strange and fake, but that's how it was. I'll never share such topics with anyone. I'm more afraid of what people will think if others tell me that I'm losing my mind completely.