Caged Mercy – Cassidy Vale

The text from Eric Blackwood made my stomach drop. Emma, they started demolition on Roosevelt this morning. Thought you should know. I’m here if you want to see it one last time. – Eric I stared at the message, my hands shaking slightly. Demolition. They were tearing down Roosevelt Elementary. They were destroying the place where I’d spent more than ten years of my life, where I’d poured my heart and soul into shaping young minds.

Nicholas’s luxury condominiums were finally claiming their space. I threw on clothes without looking at them, my movements jerky with panic that came from knowing something precious was being lost forever. The drive to Roosevelt took twenty minutes that felt like hours, my Honda’s engine straining as I pushed the speed limit through familiar neighborhoods that looked the same but felt different now.

The construction site that used to be my school was surrounded by orange fencing and warning signs. Through the gaps, I could see heavy machinery parked like sleeping monsters around the building that had once been the center of my universe. I parked across the street and walked closer, my legs unsteady. The morning sun cast harsh shadows across a scene that looked like a war zone. Half of the east wing was already gone, reduced to piles of brick and twisted metal.

The playground where I’d supervised thousands of recesses was buried under construction equipment. “Emma.” I turned to find Eric walking toward me, his face grave with sorrow that came from watching something you’d fought to save finally succumb to forces beyond your control. He looked older than he had just months ago, as if losing Roosevelt had aged him in ways that mere time couldn’t account for. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more warning,” he said, his voice rough with exhaustion.

“The demolition company moved up their timeline. Weather windows and construction schedules.” “It’s okay.” The words came out automatically, though nothing about this was okay. “I needed to see it.” “Are you sure? It’s not easy to watch.” I looked past him at the destruction, at the gaping hole where Room 106 used to be. My classroom. The place where I’d spent the last five years of my teaching career, where I’d watched kids discover they were smarter than they’d thought, where I’d celebrated small victories and mourned small defeats.

“I need to see it,” I repeated. Eric nodded and led me to a gap in the fencing where we could slip through.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is coincidental. Copyright © 2025 Cassidy Vale All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. 1kitap1.com/en Contents Broken Kings Series 1.

Emma 2. Emma 3. Emma 4. Emma 5. Emma 6. Emma 7. Emma 8. Nicholas 9. Emma 10. Emma 11. Emma 12. Emma 13. Emma 14. Nicholas 15. Emma 16. Emma 17. Emma 18. Nicholas 19. Nicholas 20. Emma About the Author Leave a Review! 1kitap1.com/en Broken Kings Series READING ORDER Ruined Crown Borrowed Forever Caged Mercy Savage Grace Shattered Vows Hidden Empire Twisted Haven Feral Promise Hollow Throne Broken Kings 1kitap1.com/en CHAPTER 1 Emma I STARED at the empty desk where Tommy Rodriguez used to sit, the one with the wobbly leg that I never got around to fixing.

More than ten years of teaching, and this was how it ended with silence echoing through Roosevelt Elementary’s hallways and a cardboard box of personal belongings clutched against my chest like armor—useless against what came next. “Emma?” Principal Eric Blackwood’s voice drifted from the doorway. “You ready for our meeting?” I turned away from Tommy’s desk, forcing my shoulders back.

“Of course.” Eric’s office felt smaller than usual, cramped with the weight of decisions already made. He sat behind his mahogany desk, the one that had survived three principals and countless budget meetings, his weathered hands folded over a manila folder I didn’t want to see opened. “I wish there was another way,” he began, his voice carrying the exhaustion of a man who’d fought battles he couldn’t win. “You know that, right?” “I know.” The words came out steadier than I felt. “The district made their choice.” “The numbers don’t lie, Emma.

Enrollment dropped thirty percent in two years. The families, they’re moving to the suburbs, chasing better opportunities. Can’t say I blame them.” I nodded, though something bitter rose in my throat. “So we close the school that serves the families who can’t move. The ones who need us most.”

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: c0ea413eca1cf202
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 4,479,521 bytes (4.272 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 168
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 209.24 minutes
• Total Words: 41,848
• Total Characters: 246,243
• Average Words per Page: 249.1
• Average Characters per Page: 1465.73

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