FLORENCEAfter my dad was carted into a long black van, I stared for the longest time at the door, inwardly praying that this wasn’t real. That I would eventually wake up and all of this would be a distant memory, belonging only in the dream world. But, my stepmother’s voice sliced through my daze like a sharp knife and I turned to face her, my neck suddenly heavy for my head. “Make sure everywhere is sparkling clean,” she barked as if she was talking to a dog and Jenny shot me a mean stare as if daring me to challenge her mother’s authority. I dared not. I simply nodded, dragging my limbs off from the floor to the kitchen. Jenny met me halfway, landing me a hot slap. For a moment, I stood there, too stunned to speak, my ears ringing loudly. What did I do this time? “That is for being such a loud mouth. If it wasn’t for your stupid speech, those men wouldn’t have taken my dad away.” The way Jenny called him ‘my dad’ like she owned him, one would think he wasn't my dad as well. And I
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