**Chapter 1: The Weight of Family Expectations**

Luisa Rivera stared blankly at the worn wooden floorboards of their small, cluttered living room. She was supposed to be packing her bag for another long day at school, but her mind kept drifting to the argument she'd had with her abuela, Imelda, the night before. The dim fluorescent light above the kitchen table cast an eerie glow on the room, making the familiar space feel stifling. Luisa's parents, Julieta and Héctor, were already gone for the day, off to their respective jobs at the local market and construction site. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the distant hum of the refrigerator and the soft snores of her younger cousin, Bertha, who was sprawled on the couch. Luisa sighed and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She had a math test today, and she couldn't afford to fall behind. Not with the expectations that came with being a Rivera. As she stuffed her textbooks and folders into her bag, her thoughts kept straying back to the argument with Abuela Imelda. It was always the same: Abuela wanted Luisa to focus on her domestic skills, to learn how to cook and clean like a proper young woman. But Luisa had other plans. She loved science and math, and she dreamed of one day becoming an engineer, designing buildings and machines that would make their community a better place. The problem was, Abuela Imelda didn't see the point of such "frivolous" pursuits. In her eyes, Luisa's future was already mapped out: she would marry well, take care of her family, and continue the Rivera tradition of strong, capable women. But Luisa's heart wasn't in it. She felt suffocated by the weight of her family's expectations, like a bird beating its wings against the bars of a cage. As she zipped up her bag, Luisa caught a glimpse of herself in the old mirror hanging on the wall. Her dark hair was messy, her eyes tired. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Which, in many ways, she was. With a deep breath, Luisa slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out the door. She had a test to ace, and a future to forge. Little did she know, today would be just the beginning of a journey that would challenge everything she thought she knew about herself, her family, and her place in the world.