lived.
Brenna had an after-school job that brought in a few hundred dollars every month. Their eccentric mother had always kept a large stash of money—almost seven thousand dollars—in a safe place in her closet. They lived frugally, only spending money for food and the barest essentials, and managed to stay under the radar for almost four years, until Ellie’s junior year in high school. That’s when a school counselor grew suspicious of her living situation and contacted the authorities.
Terrified of what might happen next, the girls packed their mother’s car with whatever they could grab and in the middle of the night and drove out of town. They headed south and stopped when they reached the outskirts of Atlanta.
For the next eight months, they lived off the grid, sleeping in their car when they couldn’t find an available shelter. Brenna took day jobs cleaning houses and Ellie spent hours in the local library studying for her GED.
They’d survived, Ellie thought as she swam through the balmy water. More than that, they’d thrived, depending on each other and building a bond stronger than most sisters could claim.
A few hundred yards from shore, she stopped, treaded water and stared up at the vivid streaks of orange, pink and purple that filled the sky as the sun sank into the sea.
Looking back at the resort, she still couldn’t quite believe that this was her life. She’d come a long way from those days of living in a car. Life hadn’t exactly been easy-breezy back then, but she and her sister had stayed together and they had endured.
Soon after Ellie obtained her GED, she turned eighteen and they didn’t have to worry about the authorities anymore. They’d rented a small apartment, Ellie had enrolled at the local college and Brenna had started her own housecleaning service.
As she turned and paddled back to shore, Ellie continued to dwell on the strange path her life had taken. She had missed out on so much during those years. Childhood friendships, boys, shopping, cute clothes, the prom, sporting events—all the fun things that normal teenage girls did. But it couldn’t be helped. She and Brenna had realized early on that they couldn’t afford to stand out, couldn’t afford to have anyone examine their lives too closely.
So there would be no boyfriends, no close girlfriends, no activities that might draw attention. Instead, Ellie had escaped into books, newspapers, magazines, blotting out the hard times while soaking up every morsel of information she could get. And once she got into college, it was as if she was making up for all the time she’d lost in her last year of high school. She’d made some nice girlfriends and even dated once in a while. But more than anything else, she studied constantly, couldn’t learn fast enough. Her so-called photographic memory, along with a near fanatical need to succeed, helped her graduate in three years. She had been so captivated by the inner workings of corporations that she had already obtained her MBA when most of her peers were wondering what to wear to the homecoming game.
Now she was happily employed by the Sutherland Corporation, where she was considered brilliant, independent and overachieving—in a good way. She had great friends and she’d dated a few men. She had the means and opportunity to have a child and give that child everything she hadn’t had while growing up.
She reached the beach, grabbed her towel and patted it against her wet skin. The sand was still warm on her feet although the sun had set long minutes ago.
“That’s enough reminiscing,” she muttered aloud as she brushed the water off her arms and legs.
Why had she dredged up all those ancient memories? She rarely thought of the old days anymore. Did they have something to do with Brenna’s ultrasound picture? Or were they somehow connected to Aidan’s proposition? Were the memories a reminder of how tired she was of always missing out on all the fun?
Because it
Brenna had an after-school job that brought in a few hundred dollars every month. Their eccentric mother had always kept a large stash of money—almost seven thousand dollars—in a safe place in her closet. They lived frugally, only spending money for food and the barest essentials, and managed to stay under the radar for almost four years, until Ellie’s junior year in high school. That’s when a school counselor grew suspicious of her living situation and contacted the authorities.
Terrified of what might happen next, the girls packed their mother’s car with whatever they could grab and in the middle of the night and drove out of town. They headed south and stopped when they reached the outskirts of Atlanta.
For the next eight months, they lived off the grid, sleeping in their car when they couldn’t find an available shelter. Brenna took day jobs cleaning houses and Ellie spent hours in the local library studying for her GED.
They’d survived, Ellie thought as she swam through the balmy water. More than that, they’d thrived, depending on each other and building a bond stronger than most sisters could claim.
A few hundred yards from shore, she stopped, treaded water and stared up at the vivid streaks of orange, pink and purple that filled the sky as the sun sank into the sea.
Looking back at the resort, she still couldn’t quite believe that this was her life. She’d come a long way from those days of living in a car. Life hadn’t exactly been easy-breezy back then, but she and her sister had stayed together and they had endured.
Soon after Ellie obtained her GED, she turned eighteen and they didn’t have to worry about the authorities anymore. They’d rented a small apartment, Ellie had enrolled at the local college and Brenna had started her own housecleaning service.
As she turned and paddled back to shore, Ellie continued to dwell on the strange path her life had taken. She had missed out on so much during those years. Childhood friendships, boys, shopping, cute clothes, the prom, sporting events—all the fun things that normal teenage girls did. But it couldn’t be helped. She and Brenna had realized early on that they couldn’t afford to stand out, couldn’t afford to have anyone examine their lives too closely.
So there would be no boyfriends, no close girlfriends, no activities that might draw attention. Instead, Ellie had escaped into books, newspapers, magazines, blotting out the hard times while soaking up every morsel of information she could get. And once she got into college, it was as if she was making up for all the time she’d lost in her last year of high school. She’d made some nice girlfriends and even dated once in a while. But more than anything else, she studied constantly, couldn’t learn fast enough. Her so-called photographic memory, along with a near fanatical need to succeed, helped her graduate in three years. She had been so captivated by the inner workings of corporations that she had already obtained her MBA when most of her peers were wondering what to wear to the homecoming game.
Now she was happily employed by the Sutherland Corporation, where she was considered brilliant, independent and overachieving—in a good way. She had great friends and she’d dated a few men. She had the means and opportunity to have a child and give that child everything she hadn’t had while growing up.
She reached the beach, grabbed her towel and patted it against her wet skin. The sand was still warm on her feet although the sun had set long minutes ago.
“That’s enough reminiscing,” she muttered aloud as she brushed the water off her arms and legs.
Why had she dredged up all those ancient memories? She rarely thought of the old days anymore. Did they have something to do with Brenna’s ultrasound picture? Or were they somehow connected to Aidan’s proposition? Were the memories a reminder of how tired she was of always missing out on all the fun?
Because it
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