Free My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski

whispered among themselves for a moment. Finally, they nodded in unison and turned back to me. “As we said, your parents were the greatest of adventurers. No one knows what became of them. They were on a mission when they disappeared. It is most regrettable.”
    â€œ Regrettable? ” How could they talk about my parents like they were a set of lost keys? “What mission? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
    â€œIt is classified information,” said the Committee. “Released only to top-priority personnel.”
    â€œThey’re my parents! Doesn’t that make me top priority?”
    â€œYou are too young,” said the Committee. “Such information is only released after the age of eighteen.”
    â€œWhy didn’t anyone tell me?” I repeated. The giant room suddenly felt too small, and I could hardly breathe. How could any of what they’d said be true? All this time I’d thought my parents had just been normal people who’d mysteriously vanished, and now it turned out they’d disappeared because they’d been adventurers?
    â€œJenny,” said Dr. Bradley, his voice low and sad. “I wanted desperately to tell you. But perhaps it was for the best. Think how upset you would have been if—”
    â€œI’m upset right now! You lied to me! How could you expect me to become an adventurer when adventuring made my parents disappear?”
    â€œIt wasn’t his place to tell you,” said the Committee. “It was not yet time.”
    â€œWhat gives you the right to decide something like that?”
    â€œWe are the Committee. If you are to be an adventurer, you will agree to follow our rules.”
    â€œWell, I don’t agree to follow your rules anymore. If you don’t tell me what happened to my parents, I’m never going on another adventure!”
    The hall throbbed with stunned silence.
    â€œYou cannot threaten us in this manner,” the Committee said finally. “You cannot simply quit. You signed the contract.”
    â€œYes, I can.” I grabbed the contract still hanging in the air and tore it in half. The Committee let out a collective gasp.
    â€œJenny, I implore you—” Dr. Bradley began.
    â€œNo!” I said. “I’m sick of having no friends and always getting hurt and following orders just because I’m told to. I don’t want to be an adventurer anymore. I just want to be a normal girl.” I ripped the contract in half again, and then again, until it was just a bunch of tiny pieces of paper. Then I threw the pieces in the air and watched them fall around me like confetti.
    â€œYou have destroyed the contract!” said the Committee. “Your behavior is unacceptable! Unacceptable!”
    An instant later, invisible hands dragged me away from the Committee’s table. This time I didn’t struggle. I couldn’t have been happier to get away from the Committee. I never wanted to see those women again.
    After the invisible hands dumped me on the floor of the waiting room, I scrambled to my feet. My head was pounding. I didn’t even notice Anthony the Gnome sitting in one of the nearby chairs until his voice echoed through the room.
    â€œThere you are,” he said, popping a jelly bean in his mouth. “That was taking forever.”
    I wanted to tear the jelly beans from his hands and mash them into nothing. How could he have tricked me into signing that contract? But just then Dr. Bradley opened the door and limped in.
    â€œThank goodness you’re here, Anthony,” he said. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”
    â€œAbout what?”
    â€œI quit,” I told him. “I tore up that fake contract you made me sign, and I told the Committee I was done following their stupid rules.”
    Anthony gaped at me. For once, he seemed to be speechless.
    â€œI’ve never seen the Committee members so angry,” said Dr.