âYour sister was just venting earlier, you know? Donât take it to heart,â Elton said to his younger daughter, his voice carrying a warmth that belied the stern facade he often wore. âWhen she cools down, Iâll have a chat with her. But like you said, sheâs under a lot of pressure too. From now on, maybe itâs best not to tag along to school with her on the weekends.â
Elton sighed deeply, unaware of the cunning smile that spread across the face of the little girl sobbing in his arms.
Dinner was a no-go for Mara. She just couldnât stomach it.
âDad, you go ahead and eat. Iâm not really feeling it, so Iâm gonna head to my room,â she muttered.
Elton waved her off, left to sit alone at the dinner table, the weight of his exhaustion palpable in the silence. Raising two kids on his own was proving to be a Herculean task.
Once in her room, Mara flopped onto her bed with a contented bounce, her face alight with an unstoppable grin.
âAh, nothing beats the comfort of your own bed,â she mused to herself.
Of course, she wasnât hungry; she had already eaten her fill outside, all part of her little scheme.
Poor Victoria. How does it feel to be overlooked by Dad? To be wronged and accused? Iâve borne that burden for so long; itâs only fair you taste it now, thought Mara.
The slap from Dad earlier only made Mara feel exhilarated. It was as if years of pent-up frustration had been released in one go. This was all Victoriaâs just desserts.
Victoria, utterly perplexed, couldnât fathom the turn of events. She had been at the school for over two years; surely, she knew the layout better than Mara. How could it be that she searched but didnât find Mara?
And yet, Mara had definitely come back after her.
Victoria began to doubt her own memory. Had she really not checked every corner of the library that afternoon?
With this nagging thought, she texted the friend who had helped her search.
[Found my sis. She said she was in the library the whole time. Did we really search that thoroughly?]
The friend replied with a skeptical emoji.
[Impossible. We combed through every inch of that library more than twice. You were so frantic; you wouldâve turned the place upside down if you could. She couldnât have been there without you finding her-unless she wasnât in the library at all.]
Victoria instinctively wanted to reject that notion, but it didnât add up in her mind.
Her friend continued. [Donât stress about it. Maybe your sister just found a good hiding spot. Kids her age can be crafty, and who knows? Maybe she got sidetracked by an online game at some café?
Probably too scared of getting chewed out by your dad, so she made up the library story.]
[Sheâs not that young, just a bit younger than me. But if thatâs true, then Iâm legitimately upset. I panicked and searched the whole school multiple times, and sheâs just off playing somewhere? I hate to think it, but itâs looking like the only explanation.]
Victoria tossed her phone aside, but her mind was far from at ease. If Mara wanted to go out, why didnât she just say something? Itâs not like Victoria would have stopped her.