Chapter 7: Tickets to Nowhere

The next day, I was ordered to get their passports and buy tickets. I took a day off work—didn’t even care if I got fired. I was determined to dig their graves myself.

Soon, all three passports were ready. The tickets were so expensive I’d be eating ramen for six months. Worth it.

When I got home and was about to go upstairs, I saw my stepmother bragging to our neighbor.

“Old Mrs. Carter got taken to New York by her kids? Big deal. I’ve already been. My daughter’s taking me to Dubai soon.”

“Do you know where Dubai is? It’s the richest country in the world.”

Mrs. Carter frowned. “I just heard yesterday that people disappear in Dubai—scammed and robbed.”

My stepmother’s face soured. “Mrs. Carter, I thought you were decent, but you’re just jealous. You can’t stand to see others happy, so you spread rumors. Vicious.”

“And you were a teacher? No wonder your husband died young—you’re a jinx!”

Mrs. Carter looked like she might faint.

Seeing things about to explode, I rushed over and shoved the passports into my stepmother’s hand, making up an excuse to drag her inside.

As soon as we got in, she rounded on me: “Madison, what’s your problem? I saw the stories—Dubai is crawling with scams! Women go there and get sold off!”

“You told me before it was all safe!”

She yelled so loud my stepsister and dad came running.

“Doug, look at your daughter! She’s trying to kill us, sending us into a scam!”

My dad curled his lip, tried to hit me—looking for any excuse to smash their dreams and keep them here.

My stepsister cut in, yelling at him to stop. “What are you doing? I already checked—Emir really is a Dubai prince. Why are you freaking out?”

My stepmother quickly tried to change her mind, showing her news articles about scams. Suddenly, I realized: last time I’d stopped my stepsister, but now her mom was the one hesitating. Wouldn’t it be even easier for her to back out?

I stared at the dusty family photos in the hallway—me, younger, in a lumpy Easter dress; them, arms around each other at Disney, ignoring me. This house was never a home, just a stage for their drama. I realized the story could go anywhere now—and I’d have to push hard to keep it from ending like before.