MIKA
The small room Beta Lucas assigned us was plain, with just the basics: three single small beds, a simple table, a tiny bathroom, a television, and an air conditioner humming softly in the corner. It was better than nothing, I thought, although I couldn’t ignore the stale odor of the walls or the creaky beds. I could tell that Harry and Karla, my parents, weren’t as accepting of it as I was, though. They looked around with expressions of utter disdain.
Sighing, I tried to settle onto the bed, only to feel my mother’s eyes piercing into me. “So this is it?” Karla said sharply, her tone dripping with annoyance. “This is the ‘luxury’ you managed to arrange here? A maid’s quarters?”
I knew that tone too well—she was disappointed, maybe even angry. “Look, Beta Lucas isn’t exactly easy
