Mira could hear her mom on the phone before she even stepped into the kitchen.
"Yes," her mom was saying, "we're all set for Monday morning. I'll drive her up myself."
Mira froze in the doorway. "Monday morning for what?"
Her mom ended the call, setting the phone down like it was suddenly heavier. "That was Saint Helena's, They have a spot for you so you'll start next week."
Mira's chest tightened. "You said we'll talk about this."
"We did," her mom said bluntly.
"You didn't listen, but look...this is what's best for you."
Mira laughed making a sharp, ugly sound. "Best for me? Don't you you mean easiest for you? By getting get of me.. your problem!,."
Her mom's face flickered, hurt flashing under the calm mask. "I can't keep fighting with you, Mira...You need discipline and Structure, Somewhere that can set you straight and Saint Helena can give you that."
"I don't need a stranger telling me when to eat and when to sleep like I'm some… some animal in a cage."
"You need someone to guide you."
Mira's hands curled into fists. "So you're just sending me away? After everything? You were baking cookies two days ago, was...was that supposed to be my goodbye party?"
Her mom's voice stayed quiet, which somehow made it worse. "Go to your room, we'll finish packing this weekend."
"No," Mira said, but her voice cracked. She turned before her mom could see her eyes welling up and slammed her bedroom door hard enough to rattle the frame.
She sat on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest, and let the tears come. Not loud, gasping sobs, just the kind that burned and kept coming, until her throat ached.
---
Zoe's night wasn't better either, Her mom had been unusually warm all week. Going out for movie nights, cocoa, even a spontaneous trip to the lake. But now she stood in Zoe's doorway, arms crossed.
> Knock! Knock!!<
"Come in..." She giggled like a baby ready to hear the next goodnews.
" Hey princess... Her mom smiled faintly.
You don't look so good, were you hurt?..." Zoe questioned curious.
" I have something important to tell you... "
"Is that serious?... Why are your eyes wet?..."
" Whatever decision I made, is.. for your good ok?...
"What... Decision?..."
"Promise mommy you will continue to be a good girl..."
" I promise, Pinky promise... So....
"You're going to live with your Aunt Claire for the next few months," she said like it was nothing.
Zoe sat up in bed. "What? Why?"
"Because you need a calmer environment, Somewhere you can focus."
"You mean somewhere I can't talk back to you, are you sending me away?"
Her mom's mouth tightened. " Hell no! Why would I? Your aunt Claire has rules, Zoe You need that right now."
Zoe's laugh was brittle. "All that 'bonding time' this week was just buttering me up, wasn't it? You pretended to care so you could drop this bomb without feeling guilty."
"That's not fair..."
"Fair?!" Zoe's eyes were wet now. "Fair is not lying to my face for a week and then shipping me off like I'm a problem you can't solve."
Her mom's voice softened. "You're not a problem...."
"Then why do you want to get rid of me?" Zoe's voice broke on the last word. She turned away, pulling the blanket over her head, and didn't look at her mom again.
---
Leo's dad was more direct.
"Hey dad..." Leo smiled.
"Hey my boy.. wassup..." And I"ve got news for you..."
"Which is?..."
"You're going to Camp Horizon this summer," he said, sliding a brochure across the table. "Military style it teaches respect."
Leo shoved it back. "No way."
"It's not optional."
Leo stood so fast his chair tipped over. "You think yelling at me all year didn't work, so now you're gonna pay strangers to do it for you?"
His dad's eyes hardened. "I'm doing what's necessary."
"No," Leo said, his voice shaking. "You're doing what's convenient."
He left the kitchen before his dad could answer, slamming the front door and sitting on the porch steps until his vision cleared. He didn't want his dad to see the tears.
---
Ash's foster parents were gentler, but it still hurt.
"You're a good kid," his foster mom said, "but lately… you've been restless. We think a structured boarding program could help, Just for a while."
Ash stared at them, blinking nonstop. "So you're returning me."
"It's not like that... we just.."
"It feels like that," Ash said, standing. "I thought you wanted me here, Guess I was wrong."
He went to his room, shut the door quietly, and didn't open it again.
---
Jayden's parents didn't even pretend it was his choice.
" so...we've been talking to a counselor," his dad said. "He works with strict private schools which might be exactly what you need."
Jayden bit back a laugh. "Right...'What I need... hmmm Because I'm such a disappointment, right?"
His mom frowned. "Don't twist this, we just want what's best."
"Then maybe you should ask me what that is, let me decide... I'm no longer a five year old..," Jayden snapped. He left before they could answer, pacing his room when his phone buzzed.
---
Mira: Treehouse. Tonight
Zoe: I'm in.
Leo: Same.
Ash: Already packing.
Jayden: Let's do it.
---
The treehouse wasn't much, just old boards nailed together in a big oak at the edge of Leo's backyard but it was theirs. The kind of place where secrets stayed put.
By the time Mira climbed up the rope ladder, the others were already there. Zoe's eyes were still red. Leo's knuckles were white. Ash had his sketchbook in his lap, drawing without looking down. Jayden sat cross legged, a flashlight between them.
"They all pulled the same stunt," Zoe said bitterly. "Acted nice, then dropped the hammer."
Leo nodded. "Mine's military camp. Guess they think I need to be marched into shape."
" Catholic Boarding school," Mira said. "Monday."
"Foster program," Ash murmured.
"Private school," Jayden said. "With a counselor breathing down my neck."
They all sat in silence for a moment, the only sound the creak of the boards and the wind in the branches.
"They don't get to decide where we go," Zoe said finally.
"They already decided," Leo muttered.
"Then we decide bigger," Jayden said, pulling the folded paper from his pocket the coordinates. "We are leaving... No turning back."
Mira looked at each of them, her throat tight. "We're not doing this because we hate them, we're doing this because they don't hear us and maybe they never will."
Ash finally looked up from his drawing. "I don't think the island is just waiting for us. I think it's been calling us."
No one laughed.
They all just sat there, under the dim flashlight glow, feeling the truth of it in their bones.
---
Far away, across black water, Mirage Island shifted.
The tide rose an inch higher. The air above it shimmered faintly.
Tomorrow, the children would come.
And the island would be ready.