Melisa sat in her room, counting and recounting the suns she had earned, a big grin plastered across her face.
[One hundred suns. I can't believe it. I actually did it!]
But her elation was short-lived, as the sound of raised voices drifted up from downstairs.
[Uh oh. Sounds like Mom and Dad are at it again.]
She crept out of her room, tiptoeing to the top of the stairs. She could see her parents in the living room, their faces tense and their voices strained.
"We're out of time, Margaret. The deadline is tomorrow, and we're still short. I don't know what else to do."
"There has to be something, Melistair. Maybe if we sell some of the furniture, or..."
But Melisa had heard enough. She marched down the stairs, the bag of suns clutched tightly in her hand.
"Mom, Dad, I have something to say."
Her parents turned, startled by her sudden appearance.
"Melisa? What are you doing up at this hour? You should be in bed, young lady."
But Melisa just grinned, holding out the bag with a flourish.
"I think you'll want to see this first."
She thrust the bag into her father's hands, watching with delight as his eyes widened in shock.
"Melisa, what..." He did a double-take. His eyes repeatedly snapped between the bag and Melisa. "Where did you get this?"
Margaret peered over his shoulder, her face paling as she saw the glint of coins.
"Oh, gods. Melisa, did you... Did you steal this money?"
"WHAT?"
Melisa huffed, crossing her arms indignantly.
"Of course not! I earned it, fair and square."
Her parents exchanged a bewildered glance.
"Earned it? How?"
Melisa grinned, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Remember all those runes I was carrying around earlier? Well, I recharged them using my special technique, and then sold them back to their owners. Better to just recharge them than for them to have to buy entirely new runes, right?"
Melistair blinked, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"You... You recharged runes? But how? Nim can't..."
Melisa waved her hand dismissively.
"Mom saw me do it!"
Melistair looked up at her.
"I-I did, but..."
"I found a way to make it work," Melisa interrupted, "and now we have enough money to pay off our debt!"
Melistair stared at the bag of suns, then back at his daughter, his eyes shining with a mix of disbelief and pride.
"Melisa, this is... I don't even know what to say."
He pulled her into a tight hug, his voice thick with emotion.
"You brilliant, amazing girl. You've saved us all."
Margaret joined the embrace, tears streaming down her face.
"My baby, my clever, clever baby. What did we ever do to deserve you?"
Melisa basked in the warmth of her parents' love, her heart swelling with pride and joy.
[I did it. I really did it. I saved my family, with my own two hands and my own big brain.]
She shed a tear.
[I actually did something.]
---
Melisa crouched in the hallway, her heart pounding as she watched the scene unfold in the living room.
The loan shark, a hulking brute of a nim man, loomed over her father, his face twisted into a sneer.
"Time's up, Melistair. You got my money?"
Melistair stood tall, a proud smile on his face as he held out the bag of suns.
"Right here, Striker. All your money, just like we agreed."
But Striker didn't take the bag. Instead, he let out a low, menacing chuckle.
"Ah, about that. You see, things have changed."
Melistair's face fell, confusion and anger warring in his eyes.
"What are you talking about? We had a deal!"
Striker shrugged, his smile turning cruel.
"Yeah, well, deals can change. Especially when there's interest to consider."
Melisa's blood ran cold.
[No. No, he can't be serious.]
But deep down, she knew he was. Back in her old world, this was a common tactic for loan sharks. They'd lure you in with a seemingly reasonable deal, then jack up the price when it came time to collect.
Melistair sputtered, his face turning red with outrage.
"Interest? You never said anything about interest!"
Striker's grin widened, his teeth glinting like a predator's.
"Must have slipped my mind. But don't worry, it's not too bad. Just a measly fifty suns more, and we'll call it even."
Melisa's hands clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palms.
[Fifty suns? That's half of everything I got for us! This is insane!]
Melistair seemed to agree. He drew himself up to his full height, his voice shaking with barely controlled fury.
"I don't have another fifty suns. This is all we could scrape together. You can't just change the terms like this!"
Striker's face hardened, all pretense of friendliness vanishing in an instant.
"I can do whatever I want, Melistair. And if you can't pay..."
He lashed out, his fist slamming into Melistair's gut with a sickening thud. Melistair doubled over, gasping for air as he crumpled to the floor.
Margaret screamed, rushing to her husband's side. But Striker wasn't done. He kicked Melistair viciously, his boot connecting with Melistair's ribs.
Melisa held a hand up to her mouth, covering a gasp.
He didn't stop.
Over and over and over again, he kept kicking Melistair. Melisa was fairly certain she even heard something crack.
"Please, stop!" Margaret sobbed, trying to shield Melistair with her body. "We'll get the money, just give us more time!"
Striker sneered, spitting on the floor next to Melistair's head.
"You've had enough time. Tomorrow, I'm coming back with my boys. And if you don't have my money..."
He let the threat hang in the air, heavy and ominous.
"Well, let's just say things will get a lot worse than a few bruises."
With that, he turned and stalked out, slamming the door behind him.
Melisa stood frozen.
She looked at her parents, huddled together on the floor. Her mother, weeping softly as she cradled her father's battered form. Her father, his face twisted in pain and despair.
[How dare he? How dare he hurt my family, after everything we've done to pay him back?]
She gritted her teeth, unblinking as she stared at her father.
[This isn't right. This isn't fair.]
A cold, hard knot settled in Melisa's chest.
[Striker. That lousy... cheating... bastard! H-He thinks he can just waltz in here and ruin our lives, all for a few extra suns?]
Her fists clenched tighter, her knuckles turning white.
[No.]
She looked down at the ground, a tear falling by her feet.
The second tear she shed that day.
[No, I won't let him. I won't let him destroy us.]