3 – Persecuted
The first mission of the day was a success. Or almost. I met up with the guy from the beach bar. He was decent, but my mind was elsewhere, stuck on the man from my dreams.
Second mission: get more of my special relaxation pills. Mom is probably freaking out by now, but what’s she gonna do? I’m legally an adult now. I can go wherever I want. These are harder to get, but the deal goes through fine.
Third mission starts now. Of all the things I could’ve done today, this is my least rebellious act. I walk into the dance conservatory. I’m not going to be a lawyer, or a judge, or anything in the legal field. I’m not stepping into some pretentious college full of nerds rambling about laws. I’m a ballerina. I’m an artist. I need my spirit to be free.
The enrollment process is easy. I’d already prepared all the documents for the university my mom wanted me to apply to, the same one she went to.
I fill out everything and swipe my credit card. That card is mine. In my name. I pay the bills with my allowance, completely separate from anything tied to her. She probably knows it exists, but not in time to stop me.
Tuition and registration, done. I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out. I’ll be the one to tell her myself. The age of control is over. I’m an adult now. Time to act like it.
I walk calmly down the street, texting my friends to plan something for later. Today is my day, and nobody’s going to ruin it.
I step into an ice cream shop to celebrate my win. I take my time savoring the taste of victory, the first of many, I hope. I finally step out after half an hour, ignoring all of Mom’s desperate calls.
Across the street, a man stares straight at me. He doesn’t look away. No shame. Tall, dressed in all black, threatening vibe.
I keep walking, checking my surroundings.
A friend replies, saying she’s thinking of heading to the beach bar. She says something about that guy I was interested in, not knowing he was my first mission of the day.
I’m about to reply when I glance back across the street. The strange man is gone. Maybe it was just paranoia. Leonora always says I need to be careful, that the world’s dangerous, and all her other dramatic warnings I’m tired of hearing.
Back to my phone. Just as I’m about to text about the beach guy, I bump into another man, dressed just like the first.
“Watch where you’re going, jerk,” I snap.
He doesn’t even flinch. Just keeps walking.
Suddenly, it feels like these men in black are everywhere. They were in my dream last night, and now they’re on the streets. Yesterday I wanted one around. Not like this.
Another one appears ahead of me.
Unlike the dream guy, these ones are sketchy. I want to stay far away. I pick up the pace, slipping my phone into my bag.
The man ahead starts walking faster toward me. I change direction, cross the street. That same guy I bumped into is now standing outside a store — staring at me. He moves.
They can’t just grab me in the middle of the street, right? I’m in public. There are people everywhere. This is a busy road. Two-way traffic.
I sprint across the street, dodging cars. I know there’s a taxi stand nearby. Horns blare. Drivers curse at me. I barely avoid getting hit.
I spot the taxis. Only three. One is available, a woman with a baby’s just about to get in.
“Excuse me, ma’am. It’s my birthday today, and I’m late for a surprise party my mom swears I don’t know about. Could I take your cab?”
She hesitates. The men are crossing the street now, heading my way.
“Please, it’s my 18th birthday. My mom’s all emotional. She’s already mourning me going to college.”
She hugs her bundled-up baby tighter. Steps back. Lets me in. Wishes me a happy birthday.
I thank her, jump in fast, and give the driver my address. I beg him to hurry.
When we reach my building, I ask him to drive into the underground parking. I pay and rush straight for the elevator.
My heartbeat slows with each floor. Almost home. I’m safe. I was never really in danger… right? Just paranoia. Just Mom’s crazy warnings echoing in my head.
“That’s all it was. No one was chasing me. No one was chasing me,” I repeat, whispering like a mantra.
Down my hallway, my steps are calm again. I’m about to give Mom the news, and she’s going to lose it.
I walk in and there she is. The beast. Frozen. Her stillness tells me everything I need to know about how mad she is.
“Are you okay?” she asks, standing from the couch. She types something on her phone and stares at me.
“Never better, Leonora. Never better.”
Barely finish my sentence before she explodes.
“You are so irresponsible, Leonor. So irresponsible. How could you disappear like that? Especially today? I asked you to behave. You promised. After this, you’re grounded. I’ve completely lost my trust in you, do you understand? It’s over!”
“I’m 18 now, Leonora. Time to take your leash off my neck. Of course I wasn’t going to spend my birthday locked in this apartment. I pretended to behave so I could escape your obsession with keeping me chained up.”
“That’s what you think of me? That I’m chaining you? I’m protecting you, you ungrateful little!”
She points a shaking finger at me. I’ve never seen her this unhinged.
“Protecting me from what? How do you expect me to trust you if you don’t trust me? You know what, Mom? I’m done being locked up and in the dark. Today, I took the first step toward my freedom. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
I pull the enrollment papers from my bag and throw them onto the coffee table.
Mom goes pale the moment she sees the name of the school.
“What did you do, Leonor?” she says, stunned. She drops into the couch, hands trembling as she picks up the papers, like she doesn’t believe what she’s seeing.
I savor the moment. I won. For the first time in my life, I beat my mom.
“That’s right. I enrolled in the dance conservatory you spent my entire life trying to keep me away from. And guess what? I’m not going into law. I’m going to be a professional ballerina, and that place is where I’m starting my career. You can’t do anything about it. It’s already done.”
The desperation in her eyes dulls the sweetness of my victory. She’s so dramatic.
“You just doomed us both, Leonor. That conservatory belongs to him. It’s only a matter of time before he finds us. And then you’ll know what it truly means to be chained.”
“Who are you talking about? Why do you always talk in riddles?”
Now I’m getting nervous. I expected lectures, guilt trips, not despair.
“The man I ran away from fourteen years ago. Your father. He’s found us. And we’ll never escape him again.”
It’s the first time she’s ever mentioned my father.
Before I can even process it, the doorbell rings.
We don’t have friends in this building. For security.
No one ever rings our bell without calling first.