Episode 1

For Sophia Green, things had never been easy, and at 17, she had often wished she didn't exist. After all, no one had ever cared about her, and the only person who had truly loved her had passed away 4 years ago, leaving her with the one who had abandoned her in the first place. But it's best if we explain this mess well so you can understand why this girl is suffering.

Sophia was abandoned by her parents at birth. In fact, it was her own mother, Lauren, who gave her to her paternal grandmother when the baby was only two days old. The woman was astonished because she never thought her son and daughter-in-law got along so badly, and she understood even less when she discovered that her son had abandoned the girl when she was six months pregnant. All she could do was take the baby and the bag with clothes and diapers that the girl left her and raise her as if she were her own daughter instead of her granddaughter. That was the best part of Sophia's life. Her grandmother loved her unconditionally, and whenever she scolded her, she did it with the love of teaching her what was right and what was wrong. She never raised her hand or her voice. She taught her to cook when she was old enough and to sew her own clothes when they tore. She taught her to heal those scrapes that the little one made when she decided to climb the tree in the back, believing herself to be a superhero, and also not to trust strangers. She helped her with her schoolwork and watched over her on the nights when the girl got sick. She was more of a mother than a grandmother, so the blow was so hard when she suddenly fell ill and almost fatal when she died two weeks later.

The family court determined that, since they could not find the father, even though he sent checks every month to cover all the little girl's expenses and leave a small savings for college, they ended up giving her back to her mother.

"I'm Lauren, don't even think about calling me Mom," was all she said as they walked down the courthouse stairs.

The 13-year-old understood at that moment that there was no one left in this world who loved her. On top of that, her mother lived with a man who only knew how to drink all day and yell at her when her mere presence bothered him. Darrel was dangerous, not only to Sophia but also to her mother. Every now and then, he would knock her unconscious with blows and fall asleep on the couch. He didn't work, and on top of that, he had to have his beer in the fridge every day, or his aggression was terrible. The girl understood that the best thing she could do was go unnoticed by these two characters, and when she couldn't, she ended up in her bed for several days without even being able to go to school so that no one would know what had happened.

The only person who knew what was happening in that house was Evelyn, a young neighbor who had struck up a friendship with Sophia and sometimes let her sleep at her house when the screams and beatings in her own were unbearable. She was 3 years older than her and tried to help her in any way she could, although sometimes Lauren got in the way, and she had already threatened her not to get too involved or she would end up badly. The truth is that the mother was only interested in the checks she received per month, since with that she supplied her husband's vices.

At 17, her life was packed into two boxes and a suitcase. Her mother had decided to leave the city for a town that gave her a job with very good pay, and she was still underage to say no.

"Sophia, if you want, you can stay here with me," Evelyn said when she went to say goodbye.

"Staying would only bring you trouble, Eve, and I could never do that to you." The hug lasted longer than expected because both women were crying. One because she knew she could no longer protect her friend, and the other because she was once again facing her abusers alone.

"I'm of age, I could ask for your guardianship if you want, but don't go," Eve pleaded. The fear she had of what might happen to her saddened her heart.

"I'll be fine, we'll talk every day," she said, showing her the cell phone that her friend had given her on her birthday.

"Don't let her take it away and sell it, and if you need money, just let me know and I'll pass it on to you," she said, wiping away her tears.

"Sophia, we're getting late, I want your ass in the car right now," Lauren's shout made both of them turn to see her. She was leaning on the vehicle with her arms crossed and annoyed.

"I better go, I hope to see you soon, and believe me, I'll write to you often," she said before walking away.

"If you don't write me or answer my calls, I'll go to Glasgow myself to look for you," she shouted loudly so that both Lauren and Darrel could hear.

The trip was extremely silent. Sophia replayed in her mind the words said by Evelyn. If she had said yes, despite being 20 years old, she herself would have done everything possible to get guardianship and take care of her. She would have been very well with her friend, but the problems that it would have given her would have been abysmal.

They arrived in an extremely beautiful town. The cobblestone streets were magnificent. The houses rose on the sides, mostly two stories, with black or red roofs. The central square was filled with stalls of street vendors, and the center of the place had all kinds of shops. Many young people gathered around a small lake to enjoy the afternoon, which, although cloudy, was warm, and there was no threat of rain in sight.

They stopped in front of an old house, very similar to the others, only this one had the wall covered by a vine with small purple flowers. The white front door was a bit peeling, implying that no one had lived there for a long time. Although it was a very spacious place, cobwebs and dust covered much of the surface of the place, and some furniture had white sheets on top.

"Look for the smallest room," Lauren said as soon as she saw her go upstairs.

"Yes, I know." The reluctance in the answer was noticeable and normal.

On the second floor, there were 4 doors. Out of curiosity, she opened them one by one, and in the last one, she found a small room with a private bathroom. For some, it would be unpleasant, but for her, it was a luxury, and she loved it, knowing that the only thing she would share with them would be the kitchen.

The window of the room overlooked a lush forest. The trees rose, covering most of the light that the sun could give them. It was noticeable that there was a path to enter, but she thought it was best to wait until the next day to explore it. Now in her head there was only one thing that was extremely important, to get a part-time job for her personal expenses and to continue saving. Lauren spent all her check on her husband, so Sophia ate what she stole stealthily at night from the fridge or what Evelyn gave her. At 16, she had started working at a kiosk and with that she had saved a little money. Her plan was simple, to turn 18 and get out of that house, and for that she only needed 9 months.

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