From Russia, with Love: Love, Family, Freedom. Some things are worth the fight. by Erin Lee

Author:Erin Lee [Lee, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Bella Tulip Publishing
Published: 2017-05-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Ericka

Graduation day is a blur. Anna gets ready with Dana, spending the night before working on decorating her mortar board in an elaborate spray of teal blue rhinestones and glitter. It reads: FEARLESS. She sends me a picture that I later save to print out for the scrapbook I’ll give her someday.

Having been through a graduation only a year earlier for Elliot, I know to get there on time. Besides, we’ve agreed to form a human wall around her so her parents can’t ruin the day for her. Sergeant Gregory will be there and has unofficially agreed to keep an eye on things. I’m grateful to live in such a small town.

Danny, Elliot and I walk to the car as my phone starts blowing up with text messages from Anna, wanting to be certain that we are leaving now and telling us to meet her out in front of the school so no one knows where she is. My heart sinks. No kid should have to worry about this.

Her parents will be there because Abram is graduating too. There’s nothing we could have done to stop them from attending. Instead, our best bet will be to keep a close eye on her and make sure everyone around knows about the situation. Of course, it’s been hard to hide with her walking around school covered in bruises these last few weeks. Her tiny track uniform hardly covers anything as it is.

I assure her that everything will be alright. She laughs when I tell her Elliot and Danny are ready for a fight and that we won’t allow anyone to ruin her big day. I promise her that I won’t let her parents hurt her; not today. And, I’m able to keep that promise with a whole lot of help.

Between Kacy and her family and Wren and hers, we are able to keep Anna surrounded. The only time she is alone is when she crosses the stage to take her diploma – one she receives with the highest of honors. I use up all the memory on my phone taking pictures.

After the ceremony, we move to a parking lot behind the school for photographs. While others are celebrating on the football field, we have a party of our own behind a church near the school. Anna is smiling and can’t stop looking at Elliot; who spends the ceremony scanning the crowd. Later, she tells me it was one of the best days of her life in spite of the circumstances. “I knew everyone who was with me that day actually cared about me and really was proud of me. I knew I was almost free…”

Anna rode that high for a few more weeks. Back living at Kacy’s thanks to her therapist, Gina’s, recommendation and persistence that Anna not return home for at least a few months, she spent her time looking for a job and working on college applications. At least, that’s what she told me. Now, I’m not so sure.

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