Chapter 8
Dad didn't open the door.
He stood beside the security monitor with one hand resting protectively on my shoulder.
Vanessa waited on the porch.
She looked impatient.
Then she pressed the doorbell again.
Grandma moved closer.
"Marcus, don't engage with her."
He nodded.
"I'm calling the police."
My stomach tightened.
"Is she going to come inside?"
Dad crouched beside me.
"No, sweetheart."
He spoke firmly.
"Stay with Grandma."
I nodded.
But my hands were shaking.
Vanessa knocked harder.
"Marcus! Open the door!"
Dad didn't answer.
She raised the envelope toward the camera.
"I have something you need to see!"
Grandma guided me into the kitchen.
I sat at the table.
My heart was pounding.
I could hear Vanessa's voice through the security system.
"You're making a terrible mistake!"
Dad spoke through the doorbell camera.
"Leave the property. Any legal documents should be sent through the attorneys."
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
"You think a lawyer can protect you from everything?"
Dad didn't answer.
She continued.
"Your daughter is going to regret what she's done."
I began crying.
Grandma wrapped her arms around me.
"Don't listen, baby."
I buried my face against her shoulder.
A few minutes later, the police arrived.
Vanessa was still standing on the porch.
Dad provided the officers with the relevant information.
They spoke with her outside.
Then she left.
I didn't see the document she was holding.
But Dad later told me it appeared to be another attempt to intimidate him using allegations about my behavior.
He gave the information to Angela.
I spent the rest of the afternoon beside Grandma.
Every small sound made me jump.
When Dad came into the kitchen, I looked up.
"Did she leave?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
"Is she coming back?"
He sat beside me.
"We're taking steps to stop that."
I stared at the table.
"Why won't she leave us alone?"
Dad's eyes filled.
"I wish I had a simple answer."
I looked at him.
"Does she hate me?"
He took my hands.
"Sweetheart, whatever Vanessa feels does not decide your worth."
I swallowed.
"But why did she want me gone?"
He looked away for a moment.
Then he answered honestly.
"Because she wanted control over things that weren't hers to control."
I thought about the refrigerator.
The diary.
The camera.
The papers for Willow Creek.
"And I was in the way?"
Dad's face crumpled.
He pulled me into his arms.
"You were never in the way."
I started crying.
He held me until I calmed down.
That evening, Dr. Wilson called.
Dad had contacted her because he was worried about how frightened I'd become.
She suggested giving me time to talk about what happened and reminding me that the adults were handling the danger.
The next day, I went to her office.
I sat on the blue cushion beside her bookshelf.
For a long time, I didn't speak.
Then she asked, "What are you thinking about, Maya?"
I stared at my shoes.
"Vanessa came back."
Dr. Wilson nodded.
"That sounds frightening."
I nodded.
"I thought everything was over."
She waited.
I continued.
"Sometimes I feel safe. Then something happens, and I get scared again."
Dr. Wilson smiled gently.
"That can happen when you've been frightened for a long time."
I looked up.
"Does it mean I'm not getting better?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"Healing doesn't always happen in a straight line."
I thought about that.
Then she asked me to draw something.
"Draw a place where Maya feels safe."
I picked up a green crayon.
I drew our kitchen.
Then I drew Dad standing beside the stove.
Grandma sat at the table.
I was sitting between them.
There were pancakes on three plates.
Dr. Wilson looked at the picture.
"Tell me about it."
I smiled.
"That's breakfast."
"Who made the pancakes?"
"Dad."
"Are they good?"
I laughed.
"Sometimes."
She smiled.
"How does Maya feel in the picture?"
I stared at my drawing.
Then I whispered, "Happy."
Dr. Wilson nodded.
"That's something worth remembering."
I took the picture home.
Dad put it on the refrigerator.
Right beside my spelling test.
Then he made pancakes for dinner.
Grandma laughed.
"Marcus, pancakes again?"
He shrugged.
"My daughter is the executive chef. I'm just following orders."
I giggled.
For a few hours, the world felt normal.
But the legal case continued.
Vanessa's attempts to contact us were documented.
The allegations about my behavior were reviewed.
And the evidence of food deprivation and falsified documents remained central to the investigation.
Dad explained that the process could take time.
I didn't like waiting.
But I understood that the adults were working.
One afternoon, Angela called with an important update.
Dad listened quietly.
Then he sat down.
"Thank you."
He ended the call.
Grandma looked up.
"Marcus?"
He smiled faintly.
"The investigation has reached a significant stage."
I looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
He turned toward me.
"It means the people reviewing what happened have found enough evidence to take further action."
My heart began racing.
"Against Vanessa?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
Grandma closed her eyes.
"Thank God."
Dad continued.
"Vanessa is facing charges connected to the forged documents and false statements."
I stared at him.
"Because she tried to send me away?"
"Because of what the evidence shows she did."
I nodded slowly.
For the first time, it felt as though the truth was becoming stronger than Vanessa's lies.
Then Dad's expression changed.
He looked toward Grandma.
"There's something else."
She frowned.
"What?"
Dad hesitated.
"Investigators found communications suggesting Vanessa wasn't acting alone."
My stomach tightened.
I looked at him.
"Who helped her?"
He took a breath.
"Someone who knew about Willow Creek."
Grandma became still.
"Who?"
Dad looked down at his phone.
Then he whispered a name.
"Denise."
I stared at him.
Denise was Vanessa's younger sister.
She'd visited our house many times.
She'd brought me birthday presents.
She'd smiled and asked about school.
And suddenly I remembered something I'd forgotten.
Three months earlier, Denise had been the person who told me Willow Creek was a wonderful place for little girls who didn't listen.
I looked at Dad.
My voice shook.
"Daddy?"
He turned.
"What is it?"
I swallowed.
"Denise told me I'd be happier there."
May you like
The room went silent.
And I realized Vanessa might not have been the only person trying to push me out of my father's life.
