Guardians' Betrayal

Are relationships between guardians and children strong enough to weather the truth of trauma? "Guardians' Betrayal" is told from three characters' points of view: Shayla, her mom Bernice, and her dad Tom. Shayla's birth parents abandoned her. At age ten she came into foster care with her younger sister, Abby. Tom and Bernice adopted both girls soon after. Shayla is insecure and doesn't have a lot of friends. Seven years after adoption, her long-forgotten older sister contacts her and announces her birth dad wants to reconnect. Her past abandonment haunts her, her terrifying flashbacks lead her to begin shoplifting. All hell breaks loose when Bernice wants to slow down a reconnection with her birth dad. Shayla uncharacteristically rebels and starts keeping secrets from her mom. She begins partying and plans to lose her virginity so her crush can turn into her boyfriend. Bernice suspects Tom is having an affair and has him followed by a P.I., who confirms what she feared. She confronts Tom, and he leaves the family. Bernice has trouble accepting the reality of raising a family alone and fails in dealing with a rebellious Shayla without Tom. She realizes she needs help when she discovers Shyla's self-harming and contacts Shayla's birth-dad. Tom hates that all of Bernice's attention is for the children. He moves in with his new love, but life isn't as wonderful as he expected. The shine soon disappears, and he begins to miss the equality and fairness of his marriage with Bernice. With the re-appearance of Shayla's birth dad, his place in the family is at risk. This story shows there's more to a family than meets the eye.