Chapter 4

I went back to the Peterson house, but it didn't feel like home, it never really had. I packed my few belongings into two duffel bags.

Mostly old gear, clothes Chloe had discarded because they weren't fashionable enough, a few worn paperbacks.

My childhood things, the few I'd had before the abduction, were long gone, probably tossed out to make more space for Chloe.

The guest room looked even barer now.

My phone buzzed. A text from Mom: "Family debrief dinner tonight, 7 pm. Be there. We need to present a united front."

United front. For Chloe's sake, no doubt, to praise her "bravery" for enduring the stress of a wildfire from miles away. I didn't reply.

Instead, I drove to a small, slightly run-down apartment complex on the other side of town and signed a lease for a tiny one-bedroom unit.

The rent was steep for a rookie firefighter's salary, but the thought of one more night in that house was unbearable.

That evening, instead of the "family debrief," I was unpacking my meager possessions into the new, empty space. It wasn't much, but it was mine.

Around eight, there was a loud banging on my door. I knew who it was before I even looked through the peephole. My father, mother, and Eric. Chloe, predictably, was waiting in the car, probably too delicate for this confrontation.

I opened the door.

"Alyssa, what is the meaning of this?" my father demanded, his face flushed with anger. "Missing the family dinner? Moving out without a word? What kind of melodrama are you trying to pull?"

"This isn't melodrama, Dad," I said, my voice calm. "This is me leaving."

"Leaving?" My mother stepped forward, her expression a mixture of annoyance and feigned concern. "Don't be ridiculous, Aly. You're upset about the fire, we understand. But running away won't solve anything. Chloe is very worried about you."

Chloe. Always Chloe.

"I'm not running away, Mom. I'm cutting ties," I stated, looking each of them in the eye. "I've also filed formal complaints with Internal Affairs and OSHA regarding the wildfire incident and the deliberate endangerment of my crew."

Silence. Their faces went from annoyed to stunned, then to furious.

"You what?" Eric hissed, stepping closer. "Are you trying to destroy this family? To ruin Dad's career?"

"You did that yourselves," I said, my voice unwavering. "When you decided my life, and the lives of my crew, were less important than Chloe's comfort."

My father's face was purple. "You will withdraw those complaints, Alyssa. Immediately. Or you'll regret it."

I just looked at him. The man who was supposed to protect me.

"No," I said. "I won't." I started to close the door. "I'm done."