Chapter Text
Muirhead is a small town north of Los Angeles.
With white box houses and green lawns and small affordable pools in the backyard.
Where kids ride bikes and teenage girls blast music from their bedroom windows.
A perfect suburban life.
Christina stands on her front porch, listening to the typical street noises.
In the distance she can hear an ice cream van.
She likes ice cream. Vanilla, strawberry. Chocolate.
All of it together. She should go looking for some spare change.
Three blocks, one block away.
Three hours later, Christina’s father pulls into the driveway and the first thing he sees is the open front door.
His heart freezes over, can almost hear alarm bells going off.
Calls out to his wife, his daughter.
No response.
”Sorry I’m late, traffic out of the city was a nightmare.”
Her keys clatter into the tray, loud and schrill.
”Where is Christina?”
No response.
”You tell me. Where have you been? Where is our daughter?”