Chapter 2

"Mom, you can't be serious," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "You want me to trade... my gratitude for you... for a gaming console?"

The question hung in the air, ridiculous and painful.

Maria just shrugged, pulling her old, thin jacket tighter around herself. She wouldn't even look at me. "It's practical, Gabrielle. Caleb would be happy. Isn't that what you want? For the family to be happy?"

The knot of hope in my chest dissolved into a familiar, aching emptiness. This was it. The final proof. All my efforts, all the sacrifices, the extra shifts, the money I'd given them for rent, the times I'd covered for Caleb's mistakes-it all meant nothing. Less than nothing. It was just a commodity to be traded for his momentary pleasure.

"Fine," I said. The word came out quiet, but it felt heavy, final. "I'll do it. This is the last time."

Maria didn't seem to notice the edge in my voice. She just nodded, relieved. "Good. Now let's go before they run out of prizes."

We walked towards the tent, Caleb practically skipping ahead of us. A cheerful woman in a bright yellow blazer with a TV show logo greeted us.

"Welcome to the Gratitude Exchange! Are you here to make a trade?" she chirped, holding out a tablet with a digital form.

"My daughter is," Maria said, pushing me forward. "She wants to trade her gratitude for her mother for that gaming machine."

The host's smile didn't falter, but her eyes widened slightly. "Her gratitude for... her mother? That's a very significant emotional asset. I have to inform you, as per the rules of the show and the contract, this is an irreversible exchange. The process involves a full memory scan and a public vote. If the trade is successful, it results in the legal and emotional dissolution of the specified familial bond. Are you sure you want to proceed?"

Maria frowned, not at the mention of severing our bond, but at the complexity. "What does all that mean? Is it going to take a long time? We have Thanksgiving leftovers to get to."

The host looked taken aback. "Ma'am, this is a legally binding process. It means you would no longer be her mother in the eyes of the law."

Before Maria could respond, Caleb started to whine.

"Mom, come on! It's just stupid TV stuff! They're not really going to do that! I want the PSX-Pro! Please!" He started to stomp his feet, his face turning red. It was a tantrum he'd perfected over eighteen years.

"I could just buy you a used one, Caleb," I tried again, a last, desperate attempt at reason. "We don't have to do this."

"No!" he shrieked, his voice cracking. "I don't want a used one! I want that one! I want to see you give up your stupid feelings for it! It would be funny!"

There it was. The petty cruelty that always lay just beneath his entitlement. He didn't just want the console; he wanted to see me hurt.

Maria immediately caved, as she always did. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Caleb, stop making a scene." She turned to me, her face hard. "Gabrielle, just do it. Sign the form."

Caleb smirked at me over our mother's shoulder. "See? Your gratitude is worthless."

My hand clenched into a fist inside my pocket. I thought of all the times he'd done this. The time he broke our grandmother's vase and I took the blame. The time he stole money from my wallet and I pretended I'd lost it. Always, Maria chose him. Always, I was the one who had to give something up.

"Gabrielle, we're waiting," Maria snapped, her voice sharp with impatience.

I looked at the tablet. The words "legal dissolution of familial bond" stared back at me. It's just a TV gimmick, I told myself. It can't be real. They're just saying that for drama. But even as I thought it, a deeper part of me knew this was my only way out.

"Fine," I said again, taking the stylus. I signed my name, Gabrielle Jones, on the glowing line.

For the last time.