Maya set down her fork, her appetite suddenly gone. "There were three homes after Grandma died. The first family just wanted the check they got for keeping me. They had four other foster kids, and we all slept in the basement. I ran away after two months."
Richard and Eleanor exchanged glances, but didn't interrupt.
"The second home was better at first. They seemed nice. But the father..." Maya paused, her hands clenching slightly. "He would come to my room at night. He never did anything, just stood in the doorway watching me. I started sleeping in the closet with a chair against the door. When I told the social worker, she said I was being dramatic. I ran away from there, too."
Eleanor's face had gone pale. Richard's jaw was clenched tight.
"The third home treated me like a servant. I had to clean, cook, take care of their younger children. When I tried to do homework, they said I was being lazy. When I asked to join the school chess club, they laughed and said I should focus on skills that would actually help me in life, like scrubbing floors." Maya's voice was steady, but her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "So, I ran away again. I figured the streets couldn't be worse than what the system offered."
"My God," Richard said quietly. "How long have you been on your own?"
"Eight months," Maya replied. "Since April. Spring and summer weren't too bad; I could sleep in parks, wash in public fountains. But when winter came..." She shrugged, leaving the sentence unfinished.
The doorbell rang, breaking the heavy moment. Charles Hoffman entered, carrying a briefcase and wearing a different expression than he'd had the night before: professional, but compassionate.
"Good morning, everyone. Maya, I've spent most of the night researching your case and making calls. The good news is that you're not technically a runaway, since no missing person report was ever properly filed. The system lost track of you, which works in our favor."
He sat down and pulled out various documents.
"I've drawn up papers for temporary guardianship under the auspices of the Grand View Chess Club, with Richard and Eleanor as primary guardians and myself as legal advocate. Harrison Vale and Theodore Banks have agreed to be co-sponsors. This arrangement will give us six months to establish a more permanent solution while keeping social services satisfied that you're in a stable environment."
"And they'll accept this?" Eleanor asked anxiously.
"With James Chen's endorsement and the chess federation's backing, yes. I've already spoken with a judge who's willing to expedite the process. It helps that Maya has demonstrated exceptional ability; the state has provisions for supporting gifted children."