Dalton's Path to Redemption

Chapter 5

The two of them drove to Cedar Ridge High School. The sky was cloudy, and due to the severe weather warnings, the school was empty—no teachers or students in sight, just an elderly security guard at the entrance.

"Who are you? What do you want with Dalton?" the guard asked as he recognized Dalton.

He remembered Dalton well. The boy was usually friendly and respectful to the security and cleaning staff, always greeting them politely. This behavior made the guard quite fond of him. Dalton seemed to struggle financially, which made the guard more sympathetic toward him.

However, the guard scrutinized Susan and Helen. They were elegantly dressed and appeared wealthy, which raised the guard's suspicion.

"We're his family, of course," Susan said, her tone a bit anxious and unfriendly. "Cut the nonsense and tell us where he is!"

"Family?" The guard scoffed, picking up a broom from by the door.

"Don't lie to me. Dalton has been here for three years, and I've never seen anyone come looking for him or even attend a parent-teacher meeting. He's an orphan. He doesn't have any family. I don't care what you want, but you can't kidnap our students! You better leave, or I'll call the police!"

Susan and Helen's faces darkened instantly. After being ridiculed and chased out of the school, Susan returned home, fuming and wanting to forget the whole thing.

But Helen felt that the situation was serious. She stopped Flavia, her fourth younger sister.

"Flavia, I don't come back often, so I don't know which room Dalton is in. Can you help me find his room to look for clues?"

"Why should I help? He's probably crazy, and I don't want to be dragged into this. He actually dared to run away from home. How childish!" Flavia replied dismissively.

Helen remained calm. "Looks like you know everything, so do you know he doesn't have a phone?"

"Yeah."

Helen was surprised. "Then why don't you buy him one?"

"Huh? Why would I buy him something? What is he to me?" Flavia laughed mockingly. "And besides, if no one else is buying him anything, why should I?"

Helen paused, looking embarrassed.

As they spoke, the two of them reached Dalton's room. Flavia took a napkin from her bag and wrapped it around the doorknob. Holding her breath and looking disgusted, she said, "Why do I have to do this? His room must be a mess. You know, people from the slums never keep their rooms clean."

When she opened the door, they were surprised to find the inside extremely clean. In the small room, about five square meters, there was a compact bed, a set of table and chair, and a wardrobe—nothing else, as if no one had ever lived there.

"Well, it's clean," Flavia said, unsure.

But something felt off. It was just too strange. Helen looked around the spotless room, which lacked any signs of life. She turned back to the living room and asked Jack, "Dad, did you ever give Dalton pocket money?"

Jack paused. "No, does he need anything? We provide everything for him at home."

"Then, Mom, have you bought him anything? Like daily necessities, clothes, shoes, or socks?" Helen asked Susan.

Susan shrugged. "He's a grown-up. Do I really need to worry about buying him those things? Can't he buy them himself?"

Helen felt a lump in her throat. She had heard that when Dalton left, he only took a small backpack that couldn't hold much. Now, his room was empty, with nothing to help him live a normal life. It was hard to imagine how Dalton had survived in the family for so many years.

"Dad, Mom, we need to find Dalton quickly! We have to bring him back!"

"I want to find him too, but it's not that simple," Susan responded irritably.

"Mom, he might not have a single penny on him right now!" Helen said earnestly. A teenager out in bad weather and completely broke—that was a dangerous situation.

"Come on, that's impossible! Helen, Dalton often steals things from the house. Just a few days ago, he took Mom's necklace. He got punished for it, and that's why he ran away!" Patricia chimed in. "The stuff he steals could sell for quite a bit!"

Patricia had a strong dislike for Dalton, especially since she had gotten closer to Harvey, making her one of the sisters who disliked him the most.

"What has he stolen?" Helen asked.

"Oh, too much stuff. As far as I know, he took Harvey's clothes, my pen, and Mom's necklace!"

Aside from Susan's necklace, most of what Dalton had stolen was worthless. The fact that he felt he needed to steal clothes showed just how tough his life in the Walker family had been.

Helen felt a pang of guilt. In such a large Walker family, not a single person had shown any concern for Dalton.

Despite the bad habits he had picked up in the slums, he was still her brother. Although she didn't want to admit the fact that he had been neglected badly, she had to face the truth. In the five years No one had treated him like real family. They all looked down on him.

Seeing that no one else intended to continue searching for Dalton, Helen decided to stand up and think of another way. Just then, she noticed Beth looking hesitant to speak. So she called Beth aside.

"Beth, do you know something?"

Beth sighed softly. "Miss Helen Walker, we have talked about this privately. It might be better for Mr. Dalton Walker to stay away from home. Maybe you shouldn't search for him anymore."

"What do you mean?" Helen frowned.

"Please don't blame me for saying this, but Mr. Dalton Walker's life here is worse than mine as a servant."

Beth hesitated, then decided to continue. She knew Helen was one of the more reasonable members of the Walker family, and she believed Helen would listen.

"Mr. Dalton Walker has been back for five years and has never shared a meal with them. Whenever he tried to get closer to the family, he was met with disdain and told not to sit at the table. Everything he touched was thrown away by Mrs. Walker and the young ladies as if he were some kind of plague."

Helen's eyes widened in shock.

"At least we get paid every month, but he hasn't received a single penny. He can't even afford to buy clothes. He only has two uniforms provided by the school. If those get dirty, he sometimes has to wear his old middle school uniform, which is so short it looks like capris. It's really pitiful…"

Helen covered her chest in disbelief as she listened to Beth continue.

"I'm not sure about the necklace, but I do know about Miss Flavia Walker's pen. One day, he came to me, looking particularly happy. He said Flavia's pen was broken, and she planned to throw it away. He offered to fix it for her. After he repaired it, Flavia said she didn't want it anymore and gave it to him."

She added, "Mr. Dalton Walker smiled and said it was the first time his family had given him something, and he would cherish it…"

"Enough, Beth... you don't need to say any more…"

Helen couldn't bear to listen any longer.

She felt horrified by how her family treated Dalton. For so many years, they had allowed their flesh and blood to suffer. What was even more frightening was that no one had realized their mistake until now. They never treated Dalton as a person—let alone a family member. She felt that she was not much better than they were.