“Get out of my house. I don’t need a sick daughter!” My father’s words cut through the October rain like a knife. I stood there soaked, shaking, clutching nothing but my algebra homework and a backpack. Every step away from that porch felt like stepping into a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. But then, in the distance, headlights stopped, and someone called my name… Would anyone believe me?
It was October 14th, 2011, and fifteen-year-old Emma Collins walked home from Lincoln High with her backpack slung over one shoulder, thinking about algebra homework and the pumpkin muffins she wanted to bake with her allowance that weekend. She had no idea that the afternoon would change her life forever. The moment she stepped through…