I stared at Emily, calculating exactly how much force it would take to teach her a lasting lesson about respect. Nothing fatal—just enough to ensure she’d think twice before opening her mouth again. My body tensed, preparing to move.

“Jade, please go rest,” Frank’s gentle voice interrupted from down the hall. “I heard what happened at school today. I’ll handle dinner tonight.”

The sudden intervention broke my concentration. I glanced toward Frank—a middle-aged man with kind eyes and slumped shoulders. He is our father.

I shot Emily one last cold look before turning away. She remained frozen, clearly unnerved by whatever she’d seen in my eyes.

I returned to my room and collapsed onto the thin mattress, feeling the springs dig into my back. This pathetic body was completely out of shape—just walking home had left it exhausted.

“You can’t even find a decent job. How can you make edible food?” Linda’s voice cut through the air like a dull knife—unpleasant and ineffective.

“That fat cow is just being lazy again,” Emily’s shrill voice joined her mother’s.

“Like father, like daughter—both useless,” Linda agreed.

I heard Linda continue her tirade as their voices moved down the hallway. The insults blended together into meaningless background noise.

“Jade? Dinner’s ready.” Frank’s hesitant voice accompanied a soft knock on my door.

I dragged myself up, feeling the unfamiliar weight of this body. As I moved toward the kitchen to wash my hands, the TV in the living room caught my attention.

“More details are emerging about the Caribbean island explosion,” the news anchor reported. “The private island, completely destroyed yesterday morning, appears to have housed an underground facility. Experts speculate that…”

I froze, water running over my hands as I stared at the footage.

“The island has completely sunk into the sea,” the reporter continued. “So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for…”

“Are you just going to waste water all night?” Linda snapped from behind me.

I turned off the faucet, slowly drying my hands on a threadbare towel.

The Morgan family gathered around a scratched wooden table. Frank had made some kind of pasta with canned sauce and frozen meatballs. He’d given me an extra-large serving with a side of soup.

“This tastes like garbage,” Linda said after her first bite. “You can’t even heat up a can properly.”

Emily giggled, pushing her food around. “Even the school cafeteria serves better food.”

I ate methodically, my mind still on the news report.

Something touched my plate. Max had silently placed a piece of chicken on it, avoiding eye contact as he returned to his own food. An unexpected gesture that momentarily pulled me from my thoughts.

“The school called today,” Linda announced, her eyes narrowing at me. “Your guidance counselor wants a meeting about your grades.”

I continued eating, not bothering to respond.

“Are you listening to me? You’re failing almost everything!” She slammed her palm on the table. “At this rate, you won’t even get into community college. What are you planning to do with your life?”

I swallowed my food before answering. “I have plans.”

“Oh, you have plans?” Linda’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Please enlighten us with your brilliant plans.”

“I’ll handle it,” I said simply, turning my attention back to my food.

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