Part 1My Last Walk Home

Mom said I needed to toughen up, so she made me walk home alone.

"You're ten. Everyone else can do it. Why can't you? If you were even half as capable as your cousin, I wouldn't have to worry so much."

I shook my head and signed, [I can't hear. Crossing streets isn't safe.]

She gave me that look. Total disappointment.

Then she walked off with my cousin, Sadie.

What Mom didn't know was that before school let out, Sadie had stopped me.

Said she was helping Mom make me independent.

Then she snatched my hearing aid.

Now the whole world was silent.

I followed the crowd down the sidewalk.

At a small intersection, a car spun out, horn blaring.

Everyone scattered.

Everyone but me.

I couldn't hear it.

My spirit rose above the street. Below, my body lay in a pool of blood.

Mom...

Sorry.

I couldn't do this independence thing.

* * *

My left leg bent the wrong way. Blood kept spreading under me.

It had to hurt.

But I couldn't feel anything anymore.

"Someone got hit!"

"Don't move her! Wait for the paramedics!"

"Oh my God... she's just a kid..."

Voices came from everywhere.

I could hear again.

The driver stumbled out. He looked maybe forty, wearing a faded puffer jacket.

He rushed over, but his legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, hitting the icy pavement with a dull thud.

"I didn't mean to." He was shaking badly. "The brakes failed. I swear, I hit them. Pushed them all the way down, but nothing happened... The road was too icy."

Someone spotted my uniform.

"She goes to Eastview Middle! That's an Eastview uniform!"

A girl in the crowd was my classmate, Mia.

Mia leaned closer.

Her face went white.

"Mom, that's my classmate Vienna! Call her mom!"

Mia's mom looked shaken too. She got Mom's number from a teacher and called right away.

The second it connected, she rushed to explain.

"Ms. Dudley, Vienna's been in an accident. She's at—"

Sadie's voice cut in. "Aunt Florence, there's no way Vienna got into an accident. She's probably throwing another fit. I saw her after school, and she was super upset. She said you always make her do stupid stuff. She was already in a bad mood. She probably just doesn't want to walk home alone."

Mom's voice came through.

"What's she whining about now? Is walking home alone really that hard?"

"No, it's real," Mia's mom said quickly. "The driver's still here. There are witnesses. Please come right away. Your daughter is badly hurt—"

"Enough." Mom sounded annoyed. Painfully familiar. "Did she put you up to this? Are you all doing some little performance for me?"

Mia's mom went silent.

"What? Vienna's always been like this. The second I make her walk home alone, she gets upset and pulls something. She's faked being sick before. She'll try anything. Now she dragged all of you into it? All she does is lie and make excuses to be lazy, just like her father."