The flight booked for me came with extra legroom and all the canapés I could eat. Daiki drove us to the airport, a sad smile on his face.

My mother, of course, surpassed that. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as she stood between the stoic frames of my father and brother, and I almost cancelled my ticket.

Almost.

Instead, I shifted Hisashi into one arm and gave Okasan a hug.

"I'll be back next week. You'd better have the tea waiting."

"And then you'll leave again."

"I doubt that. Chances are, I won't be good enough."

"Of course they'll want you. As soon as they hear you play, they'll offer you a place."

I wished I shared her conviction. Locusts hopped in my stomach, and I wasn't sure whether to be nervous or excited.

"We'll see."

She turned away. "I already know."

My brother tucked an arm around my shoulders. "The thought of losing you again is hard for her."

And him. He'd spent most of yesterday trying to convince me not to go, and every day before that. First, he'd gently explained how much they'd all miss me. When I didn't change my mind, he'd looked up the crime statistics in Boston and attempted to scare me into staying. And yesterday, when I said I still wanted to go, he played dirty and fetched my therapist.

I knew he meant well, but didn't he understand pulling stunts like that only made me want to leave more? I'd always love my brother, but I couldn't live with his nonstop over-protectiveness. Not truly live with the freedom I'd craved for so many years.

And now I tried, and failed, to hold back a sigh as he made his final stand—the guilt trip at the airport.

"She's not losing me. I'll call her every day, I promise."

Hiro turned away from me, unhappy, and I tried to placate him.

"I'll call you too."

Nothing.

My father took my free hand, his face blank. "We're proud of you, Akari, but that doesn't make your departure any easier."

"I know, Otasan. But I need to do this."

He let go of my hand and took a step back. "Ganbatte." Do your best.

I nodded, my own eyes filling with tears. Of course I would.

Hisashi cried as the aeroplane took off, and I had to endure glares from the other passengers in first class. Since I'd only be away for a few days, I'd considered leaving him at home with my parents, but every time I imagined boarding the plane without him, I felt sick. He had to stay by my side.

As the pressure settled, so did he, and he was soon sleeping peacefully in my lap. On the whole, Hisashi was a good child, although now that he'd started walking, I knew it was only a matter of time before he began causing trouble. Even now he was curious about everything, and he'd already managed to grip onto the flight attendant's scarf with surprising strength before I unpeeled his tiny fingers.

The thirteen-hour flight seemed to take twice that, mainly because I spent the duration worrying. Despite practising my audition pieces for the last two weeks solid, I had an irrational fear of forgetting the notes, not to mention my worry about the interview afterwards. English was my third language, and I'd barely needed to speak it for months.

At least Emmy Black had agreed to come to Boston to help me prepare. She was part of our newfound family, a devil with an angel's wings who'd led the operation to rescue us from a living hell a year ago. Even now, she was still taking care of us—when she heard why I was coming to the US, she'd promised to arrange a piano and somewhere for us to stay as well. Although I felt guilty for pulling her away from her life and job, I hadn't protested too hard when she offered to make the trip. It was better than being alone.

Despite several hours' sleep, I was exhausted as I carried Hisashi off the plane. My skin felt dry, my throat parched. I longed to check into whatever hotel we were staying in and get some more rest, even if my son didn't share that sentiment. His eyes darted all over the place, drinking in the hustle and bustle of a land he was too young to remember.

I soon spotted Emmy hanging over the railing in the arrivals area, a large paper cup of coffee in her hands. When I'd stayed with her last year, she'd started every morning with caffeine, and since it was only half past seven in the US, it stood to reason that she needed her fix.

With a baby in one hand and a suitcase in the other, I couldn't wave, but she saw me straight away and raised an arm.

"How was the flight?" she asked in Japanese.

I stifled a yawn. "Long. Do you mind if we talk in English? I need the practice."

"Sure," she replied in her oh-so-British accent. "You can go back to bed when we get to where we're staying. The drive shouldn't take long. Here, give me the suitcase."

She was right about the journey being quick. I'd almost forgotten how fast she drove, but with a child in the car, I was pleased to note she toned it down a bit. Even so, we still pulled into the driveway of a large, detached house before nine o'clock.

"We're staying here? Not in a hotel?"

"We struggled to find a hotel with a private practice room. This place comes with a Schimmel grand and a Jacuzzi."

I had no need for the hot tub, but I couldn't manage without a piano.

"Thank you for arranging it. If you let me know the cost, I'll wire you the money."

"Don't worry about it. You're family."

Before I could insist, a neon-clad figure bounded out the front door and down the steps.

"Bradley's here?"

Emmy rolled her eyes. "I couldn't stop him. He's been up half the night installing a nursery."

"But we're only in Boston for a week."

"You think that matters?"

Bradley, Emmy's assistant, enveloped me in a hug then plucked Hisashi from my grasp. My son let out a howl, but when I tried to take him back, Bradley waved me away.

"We're fine." He cooed down at Hisashi. "Do you remember your Auntie Bradley? Do you?"

Hisashi unscrewed his face and made a grab for Bradley's diamond earring. He loved sparkly things.

"See? All good." Bouncing him on his hip, Bradley set off back to the house, muttering something about Noah and cuddly toys.

"He's bought Hisashi a Noah's Ark?"

"You're lucky I talked him out of hiring real animals."

Emmy hauled my suitcase out of the trunk of the Ford Explorer, leaving me with only Hisashi's changing bag to carry. I never bothered with a separate purse—so rare were my trips out that I just shoved my wallet and phone into a pocket. Unsure what to do with myself, I followed her inside.

The wood panelling on the walls made the house look gloomy, but I was pleased to find the music room was at the back with tall windows overlooking the garden. I tapped a few of the piano keys, and the rich sound of the German-made instrument filled the room.

"You want me to stick around?" Emmy asked. "Or can I shoot into the office?"

"You have a Boston branch?"

Dumb question. Blackwood had offices everywhere from London to Tokyo. Of course they'd have several in the US.

"Yeah, a half-hour away. Bradley'll stay and help with Hisashi, and there're a couple of guards around."

"Where? I didn't see them."

"Kitchen and spare bedroom." She looked at her watch then tilted her head to one side expectantly.

"Oh, it's fine. I can manage here. I'll need to practise for most of the day, anyway."

"See you at dinner, then."

It wasn't long before I heard the roar of the SUV heading up the driveway, and I sat down on the plush leather seat in front of the piano. Alone with only my thoughts and music for company, I began to play.

I must have repeated those four pieces a hundred times each over the past four days, but it paid off. Under the hawk-like gaze of five faculty members, I got through them all with only one small mistake in the Chopin étude, and even that I managed to cover up.

While my fingers danced across the keys, they stayed steady, but as the room fell silent and I turned to face my audience, my hands started shaking. The easy part—the music—was over. Now I had to get through the interview. What if they hated me?

"So what made you choose the Holborn Conservatory, Miss Takeda?" the dean asked. "Your application was a little vague on that."

It would have helped if I knew what Sensei wrote, but as he hadn't told me, I had to bluff. Recalling Emmy's advice, I made eye contact and tried to smile.

"Its reputation. Holborn has turned out so many world-class musicians over the last decade, and I'd love to be one of them."

"There are a number of excellent schools in Japan. Why not go to one of those? Moving to Boston would be a big step, especially as I understand you have a young son?"

How could I explain that Boston represented a fresh start away from the thousands of prying eyes that still saw me as a newspaper story? In Tokyo, I'd never be free to live my life without questions, but in Boston maybe, just maybe...

"I need to expand my cultural horizons, and I'd love to gain knowledge I could take back home with me at the end of my degree."

"Have you considered your options for childcare?"

"I would employ a nanny."

I'd thought about it over and over, and although it would be hard to spend time away from my son, in the years to come, the sacrifice could lead to a better life for us both.

The dean nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and one of his colleagues took over, grilling me on music theory and my likes and dislikes for almost an hour. By the time I escaped from the room, weariness had taken the place of the locusts, and I sagged onto a bench outside.

"How'd it go?" Emmy materialised from nowhere and sat beside me. I'd long since given up wondering how she did that.

"Okay, I think. It's hard to tell."

She passed me a sandwich—pastrami on rye. She knew that was my favourite, and it wasn't easy to get hold of in Japan.

"You'll get in. No problem."

It turned out Emmy was right, as usual. I'd barely touched down on Japanese soil when my phone rang.

"Upon careful consideration, we'd like to offer you a full scholarship to join us for the next three years," the dean said.

It was a good thing I was sitting down because I'd surely have ended up on the floor otherwise.

"I-I-I'm not quite sure what to say."

"Do you want us to hold the place for you?"

My future stood on one simple word: Yes, or no. If I said no, life would be easy, but "yes" held such potential, such power. The journey would be fraught with difficulty, but I had to make it anyway, otherwise I'd spend the rest of my life regretting my cowardice.

"Yes, please. And thank you."

His voice took on a warmer tone, making him sound friendlier than before. "I'm delighted to hear that. We'll send out an information pack, and our administrators will be happy to answer any questions you may have. I look forward to seeing you in four weeks."

Four weeks. Four weeks? I really hadn't thought this through properly, had I? How was I supposed to move from one side of the world to the other, find a place to live, and arrange a nanny all within a month?

I clutched the phone, ready to call the dean back and tell him I'd made a mistake. But when I scrolled through my list of numbers, I ended up dialling Emmy instead.