When Maria woke up the next morning, Jonathan was sitting in a chair by the window looking very worried. His phone was on the table, turned off for the first time in 2 days.
"Good morning, Maria," he said gently. "How did you sleep?"
"Better than I have in a long time," Maria said. "But you look tired. Did you sleep at all?"
Jonathan smiled sadly. "Maria, I need to tell you something important. Yesterday after you played piano, I made a video recording. I shared it on the internet, and now millions of people have seen it."
Maria looked confused. "What does that mean?"
"It means you are famous now," Jonathan explained. "People all over the world know about you and want to help you. But it also means that your life is going to change in very big ways."
Jonathan showed Maria some of the news articles on his laptop. She saw her own face on television screens and newspaper websites. She could not read English very well, but she understood that people were talking about her everywhere.
"I do not want to be famous," Maria said quietly. "I just want to find my mama and have a normal life."
Jonathan understood how overwhelmed Maria felt. He had seen what fame could do to young people, and he wanted to protect her. "We can control how fast things happen," he said. "But first, we need to get you somewhere safe where all these reporters and agents cannot bother you."
Outside the hotel, news trucks were parked on the street. Reporters were waiting to get pictures of Maria. Jonathan knew they could not stay there much longer.
That afternoon, Dr. Elizabeth Murphy arrived at the hotel. She was the woman who ran the music program for homeless youth. Jonathan had called her because he trusted her to help Maria make good decisions.