"Kenzie, Minny, Tom, meet our lawyer. This is Mr. Lewis."

Polly's uncle sat in his desk chair, his lawyer beside him. It was late afternoon, and golden sunlight spilled through the blinds, casting a warm glow throughout the office, though Kenzie felt anything but warm. She felt chilled to the bone.

The beginning of November was upon them, and Polly was still trapped. Elections were about to happen in a few weeks, and Kenzie was growing more anxious as the days passed.

Kenzie reached her hand out to Mr. Lewis, her face straight and determined. "Mr. Lewis, I'm Kenzie." She wanted to add, Polly's girlfriend, but she bit her tongue before the words could slide out. She didn't know this man, or his intentions quite yet.

Minny pressed his hand into the lawyer's, giving it a firm shake. "I'm Benjamin." He was anxious as well, but he put trust in Polly's uncle, and so the lawyer didn't shake him, not yet. Polly was safe, still. Elections had yet to happen, and Tanner was clearly in the lead.

Tom followed suit, though out of the entire group, he felt the most uncomfortable. He didn't hold a stake in this issue, nor was he the best of friends with Polly. But, his alliance to Minny was what kept him there.

Kenzie was the first to speak. "So, where are we with this court hearing? I want to hear you tell me it's soon." She took a seat, smoothing her dress under her thighs as she leveled Mr. Lewis with a heated look. She wasn't one for pleasantries, and she wasn't one for idle chat.

Mr. Lewis reclined in the chair he sat in, hands clasped together. "Yes, a date has been set for the 5th of November. Is that soon enough for you?" It was a hint of humor, but Kenzie's face didn't crack in the slightest. She didn't even miss a beat as she sat with her back straight and her attention focused.

"No. Soon enough would be tomorrow, but it'll do. What should we do to prepare? Anything?"

She gestured to Minny and Tom, though she knew secretly it was her running this show. Without her, she doubted Tom and Minny would have a single thing done to save Polly, not that they didn't care. It was just that both boys seemed unorganized, and both lacked a sense of urgency.

Mr. Lewis chuckled at her impatience. "You three don't have to do a thing. Polly's uncle and I will take it from here."

"We want to be involved." Minny's firm voice left no room for discussion. "Polly means more to us than she does to you, Mr. Lewis, and we want to make sure all is going accordingly."

Mr. Lewis looked at his client with a hesitant smile. It wasn't that he wasn't alright with the help of three teenagers, but there was little the three of them could do from here on out. "I'm sure she does, but there's nothing you can do but support Polly."

Kenzie tilted her head up, regarding Mr. Lewis from under her lashes. He looked middle aged, with a stellar salary and a stable life at home. The ring on his finger told her he was married, perhaps with kids, and she immediately understood him. Everything for him was done; all set in stone. He had a happy, boring life that was cemented for him already. Stable marriage, happy family, wealthy income.

It could mean he was sloppy. Willing to take shortcuts they couldn't risk taking. His efforts would be helpful, but she wasn't willing to leave everything on his shoulders, especially when he didn't know Polly or anything about her.

She wished she could see behind his head and know whether or not he was voting for Tanner. That would give her the answers she needed on who he was as a person.

"With all due respect, Mr. Lewis, we want a hand in this. Quite frankly, I don't know you and I don't trust you. Polly means a lot to all of us, and I need to know she's being taken care of. This is not your run of the mill case, and there's more at stake than a child staying with her parents for a few months until she turns eighteen."

Mr. Lewis stood up, a power move that showcased his height and his age, both he used as power over the three teenagers. His knowledge of the subject, his role in this case, he held over them as he stood, leaning over the desk. "With all due respect Kenzie, this is my job, and there is no place in court for three teenagers who know nothing of this type of situation. I deal with children and teenagers switching guardians all the time, and I'm good at it. Let me do my job."

Kenize stood as well, pulling up to her full height. While she stood a foot shorter than the lawyer, it was the defiant move that put her in power. "And let me take care of my friend. I won't take no for an answer. I will be involved with this, and you will keep me updated on what's happening. To you, this is another case. To me, this is my best friend becoming safe and out of harm's way. I looked you up before coming over, and yeah, you're good. You win 92 percent of your cases. I need to know you'll win this one."

He regarded her with narrowed eyes, annoyance clear on his face. He wasn't used to such defiance from a client, or guests of a client, especially not when it came to something like this. He glanced at Polly's uncle, and then back to the spitfire girl. "Fine. I will not be contacting you personally; Polly's uncle will keep you as up to date as he deems fit. When I said there was nothing you could do, I was serious. If you wish to meet again, tell Polly's uncle to arrange a meeting."

Kenzie nodded her head once, than sat down, looking more regal than she should for a purple haired girl from a single parent household. She carried herself well, though. It wa one of her strengths.

Minny and Tom shared looks, but said nothing to the lawyer.

"Perfect, so what setbacks could we be looking at?" Kenzie didn't even hesitate to continue the conversation. She needed completely control, always.

Mr. Lewis sat down, then thumbed through a folder. "Her parents are holding her uncle responsible for kidnapping, but that's an easy hurdle to jump over, since they abandoned Polly at that camp. They're her actual guardians, and that's always a hurdle, but because of abandonment and abuse, we could easily switch the guardianship. Another hurdle is the fact that Polly has two siblings, both of which seem healthy and happy. Court could see that as a testament of their parenting skills. Or, it could mean those children have to find new homes."

Kenzie nodded, pulling out her notebook to jot the setbacks down. She wanted to be most prepared for anything.

"I have records of my father letting Polly out of the camp, if you need it for evidence of abandonment. The letter was sent to Polly's parents multiple times, as well as voicemails that my father left when her parents never answered the phone. They were well aware of Polly's leave from the camp."

Mr. Lewis nodded. "Yes, that's helpful. Get those records to me, or better yet, to Polly's uncle."

Minny wasn't sure how he was going to do that, but he nodded anyway. His father wasn't home; it was just his mom wilting away in that huge house. It pained Minny to even think about his mother, and his banished thoughts of his parents to the back of his mind.

"When will her parents be notified of the court date?" Polly looked up from her notebook, expectant of an answer, and impatient enough to send the lawyer a look.

"They already have. If they don't show, that makes it very easy on our part. There has been no response, not yet, but there should be soon. I expect them to not take the news well, and so I've tipped the local police in Oklahoma to keep an eye on that household."

Tom's eyes brightened. "Oklahoma? Then where will the court meet? Here, or there?"

"The child's home state makes the decision, so court will be held in Oklahoma."

Kenzie was already trying to think of ways she could fly to Oklahoma to be there, but she couldn't find a way to escape. She had no money for a plane ticket, a hotel room, and food. She'd have to ask her mother, and if it landed on a school night, forget it, Kenzie wasn't going. Not after what happened with her father. Not after she'd almost been killed.

For a child who'd been kidnapped by her father, Kenzie wasn't bound to her house the way most children would be after what she'd been through. Her mother requested her to be home at a certain time, but she was free to do as she pleased.

A trip to Oklahoma though? She doubted that would fly with her mother.

"Alright. November 5th, in Oklahoma. What happens when the court makes a decision? Does Polly immediately leave the custody of her parents?"

Mr. Lewis nodded. "Yes, she will immediately go with her uncle to Vermont."

Kenzie nodded, then stood up, Minny and Tom following suit. "Alright then. I have nothing more to discuss with you." She looked at Polly's uncle. "We'll be in contact."

Polly's uncle didn't doubt it, not for a single moment.

As the three left Polly's Uncle's house, Minny's phone rang, showing Lennard's contact on the screen. He answered on the third ring. "Lennard? What's up?"

"Another good night for Tanner. Something is up with our father. He isn't doing well, but he doesn't look... upset. Like, he wants Tanner to win or something. I sense something is wrong."

Minny looked at Tom, then stopped walking. "Like what, Lennard? Why would dad want Tanner to win? Why would he lose on purpose?" Stress and a hint of fear tinged Minny's voice as he ran over every reason in his head. If his father was purposefully losing, there had to be a reason.

"I don't know! I'm just saying, something is going on, and dad is behind it. Tonight, he purposefully answered a question wrong, and he wouldn't do that. Not this close to the election. Votes in his favor are plummeting."

Minny rolled his eyes. "Lennard, something good happens and you have to twist it, don't you? Maybe dad really got the question wrong, okay?"

"No, ugh, whatever. Don't believe me. But something is going on. I think you should visit mom."

Minny started walking again towards Tom's car. "I have to go there anyway, to get records of dad telling Polly's parents that she was released from the camp, to show that she was abandoned. I'll talk to her then."

"Good. Make it soon, Minny. We're running out of time."

He slid into the front seat of Tom's car, his head spinning. One moment, he was feeling like there was plenty of time to get Polly safe, and now he was thinking that time was running out.

Minny looked at Tom, immediately taking the mint gum from his outstretched hand. "I need to go to my house. Fast."

* * *

Sorry my updates are so slow fam

today I had my teaching license exam... it was stressful. also 5 hours long. rip

Why do you think their father would lose on purpose?

also, have you guys heard of AJR? I've always been a fan, but im obsessed with their most recent album. it's just a feel-good album. perfect for summer tbh

love you all, XOXO