ate-night shifts and the dogged search for financial soundness had become an all too natural rhythm in her life, an unrelenting melody she was powerless

y she lived. Her brain drifted once again as she sipped the soothing brew, considering the possibility of getting in touch Michael's family once more. Perhaps this time her prayers would be heard, her child's presence acknowledged. But where it counted, she understood the emptiness of such hopes. The Drake world was a fort, impervious to any kind of attack - a struggling single mom hardly scraping by. They lived in different worlds, their worlds separated by a challenging gap of wealth and dignity. Elizabeth's dream was broken by a soft moan from the living area, and she hurried to Jeremy's side as her heart contracted at his wrinkled brow and shutter lips. Dreams seemed to frequent their little house, unwanted guests who targeted her child's naive psyche. She held him in her arms and softly rocked him while singing a calming lullaby to help his whimpers stop and his features reverted to a peaceful slumber. At that moment Elizabeth promised herself she would do all it needed to shield her kid from the terrible reality that had destroyed her own hopes and guarantee his happiness. A steely purpose descended upon Elizabeth as Jeremy's breathing straightened out. She would neither allow the apparitions of her past guide her future nor would she submit to surrender. She would keep on, deliberately, pawing her way toward a better life for her and her child. She got up from the couch deliberately, driven. Looking out at the glittering lights of the metropolis that never dozes, a material of chance seeking her brush, she moved closer the window. She pledged silently tomorrow, her eyes fix with a ferocious assurance. She would start down the path toward achieving her dreams and building a life fit for her son's unbounded future. As the night sky yielded the first hesitant colors of dawn, Elizabeth sensed a spark of hope burn inside her. She would be able to negotiate the hardest of situations with this hope. She would not be refused either as a warrior or a mother. She was unaware, though, that the exact forces she was trying to flee were already rumbling and throwing shadows over her precari