"Xavier?"

"Levine?!"

"Xavier!" she yelled, her voice piercing the air with urgency and despair.

I awoke from my nap when I heard my mother's piercing screams. Even as a heavy sleeper, the echo of a strong banging on the door downstairs shocked me awake.

I stumbled out of my room, my vision blurry, trying to understand what was happening. As I went down the stairs, I saw a heartbreaking sight. My mother’s leg was shackled with a thick, unbreakable chain. Her bright orange hair was tangled ...