The sight that met Sarah's tired eyes when she opened the door to the house she'd lived in her entire life was devastating. Two large suitcases and one small one, all of which had resided in her closet gathering dust for years, were sitting in the middle of the living room floor bulging with their contents.
Sarah tried to convince herself that her father was simply leaving for a business trip or that her stepmother was moving out (and in that case she'd be perfectly happy to give up her luggage). But something inside her wouldn't let her lie to herself. She knew exactly what was going on.
A figure darkened the doorway directly in front of Sarah. Her stepmother was leering at her with a hint of an evil grin on her face. "I took the liberty of packing your things."
Sarah simply stared at her, still in shock.
"You made it so clear that you no longer want to live here," Moira continued, "that I thought I'd make it as simple as possible." Her words made Sarah choke on the tears that were threatening to pour. "I expect you to be out by the morning."
Sarah saw her father standing in the kitchen behind his wife. He looked utterly depressed. "Dad," Sarah finally spoke, trying to appeal to her father's supposed love for her. "Dad, you can't let her do this."
For a split second, Sarah saw a look in his eyes and she thought she'd won. Her father would stand up to his wife and tell her that Sarah was his daughter and would always be welcome in his house. But the look in his eyes died slowly and he turned away from the scene. He couldn't fight her; she was too strong.
Well, Sarah thought, if she's so strong, I can be stronger. Sarah looked her stepmother deep in the eyes. No anger, no resentment, just pure strength and acceptance of the situation. She picked up the two big suitcases, tucked the smaller one under her arm and turned to leave.
As an afterthought, she turned back around and fixed Moira with her gaze once more and said her final words to the woman who had stepped into her life and detached her from everything she once loved. "You have no power over me." With that, Sarah left through the open door and closed her heart to the house forever.
As she was loading the suitcases into the car, she heard a little voice call her name. She watched as Toby ran to her, his little legs carrying him awkwardly but quickly toward her. Sarah knelt down and caught him in her arms, holding him close.
"Don't go," Toby squeaked through his tears.
"I have to, Gobs."
"Then take me with you."
Sarah briefly considered just taking Toby away from the house, but she didn't need kidnapping charges on top of everything else.
"Listen to me, Toby. I can't take you with me right now. But I will come back for you. I promise."
Tears came to Sarah's eyes as she told her brother to go back inside. He walked away from her, looking back only once with a tear-streaked face.
Sarah pulled out of the driveway before she broke down in fits of sobs, tears blurring her vision. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and stepped the gas, not knowing where she was going or what she would do when she got there.