Chapter 10: The Breaking Point
585 Words
The night was long. I stayed on the kitchen floor, leaning against the cabinets, watching the clock tick toward midnight. Every time I looked at my phone, Silas’s text felt like it was burning a hole through the screen. My pride was a heavy weight, but the thought of Mia’s face when she talked about the "stars" was heavier.
I must have drifted off for an hour because I woke up to a loud, aggressive pounding on the front door. It wasn't the "hey, can I borrow sugar" kind of knock. It was the "I own you" kind.
I scrambled up, my joints cracking, and checked the peep hole. It was Mr. Henderson, the landlord. He was a sweaty man who smelled like cheap cigars and bad intentions. I cracked the door, keeping the chain on.
"It’s 7:00 AM, Mr. Henderson," I rasped. "Rent isn’t even due until tomorrow."
"Change of plans, Elena," he said, shoving a piece of paper through the gap. He had a nasty yellow grin. "Market's changing. This neighborhood is 'up and coming' now. New policy."
I grabbed the paper and my heart stopped. The rent hadn't just gone up. It had tripled. A 200 percent increase.
"This is illegal," I whispered, my hands shaking. "You can't just jump from eight hundred to twenty-four hundred dollars in one night! There are laws!"
"Laws cost money for lawyers, kid. You got lawyer money?" He leaned in, his breath hitting me like a wall. "The new lease starts Monday. Pay up or be out by Tuesday morning. I already got a couple of tech bros who want to turn this place into an office. Honestly, I’m doing you a favor giving you three days."
"Three days? Where am I supposed to go?"
"Not my problem. Maybe that fancy law firm you're cleaning for has a couch," he chuckled, turning his back on me and walking down the hall, whistling a tune.
I slammed the door and leaned against it, my breathing coming in short, panicked gasps. Twenty-four hundred dollars. I didn't even have twenty-four dollars in my savings account after paying for groceries.
I heard a soft sound behind me. Mia was standing in the hallway, clutching her threadbare blanket. She had heard everything.
"Are we going to be homeless, El?" she asked. Her voice didn't even shake; she sounded like she had already accepted it. That was the worst part. She was twelve, and she was already used to the world failing her.
"No," I said, my voice suddenly hard as flint. "We aren't."
I walked over to the table, grabbed my phone, and dialed the number from the text. It didn't even ring twice before he picked up.
"I thought you might call," Silas said. His voice was calm, almost soothing, which made me want to scream.
"I have conditions," I said, my voice cold. "I want the two million upfront, today. I want a house for me and my sister that is nowhere near my current landlord. I want her enrolled in the Preston Academy by Monday. And the 'No Touch' clause? If you even breathe on me without permission, the deal is off and I keep the money."
There was a pause on the other end. I could almost hear him smiling.
"I’ll have the car at your door in thirty minutes, Elena," Silas murmured. "Pack light. You won't need anything from that apartment ever again."
I hung up and looked at Mia. "Pack your stuff, Peanut. We’re moving."
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