Chapter 1

The sun was bright at the town fair, too bright.

My daughter, Lily, clutched her small backpack, her eyes wide with excitement for the storytelling booth.

She was ten, sensitive, and loved her old digital voice recorder, a gift from me.

"Mom, can I get a lemonade first?" she asked, her voice small.

"Sure, sweetie," I said, handing her a few dollars.

Then I saw him, Brandon Price, Victoria' s son.

He was twelve, with a mean look I knew too well.

Victoria, my ex-husband Mark' s new girlfriend, stood nearby, perfect as always, talking to Mark.

Mark glanced at me, then quickly looked away.

He always looked away now.

Brandon saw Lily alone by the lemonade stand.

He moved fast, like a little predator.

He snatched Lily' s backpack, "What's this, crybaby?"

Lily reached for it, "Give it back, Brandon!"

He laughed, pulling out her voice recorder, "This piece of junk?"

He dangled it, then pretended to drop it.

Lily' s eyes filled with tears.

Then Brandon took out his phone, snapped a picture of her crying face.

"I'm gonna post this everywhere, freak," he sneered.

Lily lunged for her recorder.

Brandon shoved her hard.

Lily fell, hitting the dusty ground.

Her lemonade spilled, a sticky puddle spreading fast.

Something snapped inside me.

I was there in a second.

"Get away from my daughter," my voice was low, shaking.

Brandon just smirked, "Or what?"

He held up Lily's recorder, ready to smash it.

I slapped him.

Hard.

The sound cut through the fair' s noise.

Brandon' s eyes widened, then he started to wail, a fake, loud cry.

Victoria rushed over, her face a mask of horror.

"Sarah! How could you? He' s just a child!"

Mark followed, his face tight with annoyance, not at Brandon, but at me.

"Sarah, what the hell is wrong with you?" Mark hissed, pulling Brandon behind him.

"He attacked Lily! He shoved her, he was going to break her recorder, he took a photo of her!" I tried to explain, my voice rising.

Lily was on the ground, crying silently, clutching her arm.

Victoria knelt by Brandon, all fake comfort.

"Oh, my poor baby, did that horrible woman hurt you?"

She looked up at Mark, her eyes glistening, "Mark, you see? She' s unhinged. And Lily... she' s becoming so defiant, just like her mother. This isn't normal."

Mark looked at me, then at Lily, then back at Victoria.

His face hardened.

"Sarah, this has to stop," he said, his voice cold. "Your anger is out of control."

"My anger?" I was stunned. "He bullied my child!"

Victoria stood up, one arm around Brandon, who was now peeking out with a sly grin.

"Mark, darling," Victoria said softly, her voice full of fake concern. "I know a place. Tranquil Pathways Youth Academy. It' s for family therapy, behavioral correction. For Sarah' s anger... and for Lily' s... adjustment issues. It could help them both."

Mark looked at Victoria, then at me, his eyes holding no warmth.

"We'll talk about this later, Sarah," he said. "But something needs to be done."

He believed her.

He always believed the pretty, smooth surface.

My heart sank. This was just the beginning of something terrible.