Our Daughter- A DEMPEO Story.

Flaws of Life

2020

Distant noises.

Distant screams.

Silence.

Tucked away in the corner of the closet, Emma finishes doing her homework with a flashlight and her computer.

Almost 5pm. Emma closed her laptop, grabbed her backpack and headed downstairs.

"No, no wait, where are you going? Asked Bill as he licked his lips and grabbed her arm.

" My social worker is coming over...... silence.... she, she is coming to see me outside."

"Okay, go, but you better not tell her anything that goes on, or I be sure you never see the another daylight, you hear?" He clenched his fists and let go of Emma's arm.

Outside, Grace was seating on the steps staring out in to the street.

"Hey" Emma joined her on the steps and she knelt down while setting her backpack to the side.

"Hey sweety, guess what I brought you? Fresh donuts from Earl's place! Come on, grab one!" She handed the bag to Emma as she proceeded to eat a powder donut.

"How's it going over here, they treating you nice?" She grabbed the napkin and wiped her fingers as she turned around to see Emma's face.

"Yeah..... they are okay" Emma replied while looking down at the ground with a one sided shoulder shrug.

"If they are....."

"No, no they are good!" Emma interrupted as her eyes widened.

"Okay, you tell me okay?" Grace tries to look into Emma's eyes for confirmation but Emma quickly looked away.

At 13, Emma was very aware of how the world worked. Since being placed in the foster care system at age 5, she knew very well that there were some good people, some bad people and some very bad people in the world. The trick to getting through life, or rather from through each home was to stay quiet, be unseen and ask for very little or nothing at all. In 8 years, she lived with some really great families but also very dangerous ones too. By 13, she had already been hospitalized 4 times from physical abuse and gone to 12 different schools. But even tough she had a very traumatizing childhood, she still had hope for a brighter tomorrow. One which included being emancipated from the state at 14, attending Harvard University and maybe meeting her birth parents again.

Emma always knew that the people who once came to see her at the park were important. She felt like she had a special connection with them. Sadly, after many years of not seeing them, their faces had blurred. She cried for a week when that happened. It started gradually and eventually one day, she could no longer picture them. But, she still remembered vividly how safe she felt with them.

The next day after seeing Grace, she walked early for school. She loved doing that because she could ensure that she could grab two portions of the breakfast without anyone noticing. However, on that day, by the time she made it to the school cafeteria, she was exhausted. Suddenly her hunger had gone away and she felt ill. By 4th period she was even worse.

"Emma, are you okay" Her science teacher stopped her as she was heading out.

"Yeah, yeah, I, I, I am okay, thanks" She was dismissive, she stuttered and hurried out the classroom.

"Was it something I ate?" Emma asked her self in the bathroom after 5th period.

"No, no, that cant be it. I only had school lunch and that donut yesterday" She reaffirmed herself while look straight into the mirror.

"Why are you sweating" Her classmate asked as he turned around to pass the quiz.

Something was definitely wrong. By 6th period, she was cold, shivering and she felt she could not think straight. She couldn't be sick. She couldn't. Who would take care of her?

As her heart and mind were racing with uncertainty, she suddenly felt her eyes daze off and everything went black.