Chapter Text
The lady was very tall. She hovered over Vanessa, creating a shadow in the doorway. Her badge glistened in the moonlight.
Washington County Police
She spoke with a soft, southern twang, bending down to Vanessa’s level.
“Hey there, kiddo. Um..is your dad home?”
Vanessa shook her head, completely enthralled with the woman. Before she could speak again, Vanessa spoke up. Her voice was even softer, almost at a whisper.
“Are you a police officer?”
The woman smiled a gentle, amusing smile.
“Well, yes I am, missy.”
This got a laugh out of Vanessa, who jumped up and down excitedly. Seeing this, the woman chuckled for a moment before quickly returning to her kind, yet stern demeanour.
“Say, what’s your age hun? Are you old enough to be staying here alone at this time a’ night?”
As Vanessa’s smile brightened, her grip tightened on the open door.
“I’m 13, ma’am. Definitely old enough to be staying home. Alone.”
The officer’s brow furrowed in concern. Silence was said between the two of them, Vanessa could feel her neck start to heat up, and her palms started to sweat.
Had she said it too slowly? She messed it up. She shouldn’t have opened the door. She should’ve stayed put, just like her father had told her.
Before either of them could say anything, a faint crash sounded throughout the house. Vanessa’s heart skipped a beat. The officer’s hand instinctively reached for her gun as she stood up and looked past Vanessa into the living room. She looked back down, her voice in a whisper.
“Are you sure you’re alone? I won’t be mad if you lied to me, I just need you to tell me the truth, honey.”
Vanessa had to grip tighter on the door in order to keep her legs from shaking profusely. She was at a loss for words. Her silence seemed to worry the officer even more. Crouching back down to her level, the officer smiled again. This smile was different though and Vanessa could tell. It was the same smile her father wore at work. It was fake.
“Honey, I need you to speak to me, okay? I need you to tell me, honestly, if there is anyone else inside your house.”
Vanessa opened her mouth to speak, anything to stop her lip from quivering.
“Good evening, officer. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
The sound of her father’s voice brought Vanessa back to reality. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see her dad in a newly ironed suit and his hair dripping with water. She looked back at the woman, not daring to make eye contact.
“Oh, hello sir. I was just doing my nightly rounds and heard a ruckus coming from your place. Decided to come check it out. Your kid here told me no one else was inside.”
Her father’s grip tightened on her shoulder. He laughed, looking down at her with the same fake smile.
“Kids, ya know? I was just taking a shower after a long day at work. I’m sorry she bothered you, ma’am. Vanessa, tell the nice lady you are sorry.”
Vanessa knew she had done nothing wrong. She knew it and yet she found herself opening her mouth to choke out an apology.
“I’m sorry miss. I didn’t mean to lie to you.”
“It’s all good, I promise you. Having a kid of my own, I get it, trust me.”
Her father chuckled again, the weight of his hand vanishing from her shoulder. He shook hands with the woman before sending her off, wishing her a good night. Vanessa stared at the wood porch beneath them, listening as the woman walked off and got back into her car, driving away into the night. Once the silence of the night had returned, her father gingerly closed the front door. He cleared his throat and Vanessa waited. She waited for something, anything to happen. She was ready for him to get angry at her for opening the door, for going against what he had explicitly told her. She waited like that for a few minutes, until she realised nothing was coming. She looked up, seeing her father in the kitchen preparing chicken for dinner. She didn’t know what to make of it.
Maybe he isn’t mad. Maybe the lady was so nice that he decided he wanted to be nice tonight.
Though it shouldn’t have, the thought of her dad being influenced by the woman warmed her for a moment. Standing at the door, she thought back to a time when her dad actually was influenced by a woman. Her mother.
“Vanessa, come set the table.”
His voice broke her out of the reverie. Her face was hot and she realised tears were falling down her cheeks. Quickly wiping them away with her sweater sleeve, she hurried over to the table and began placing the silverware in their respective spots. Once finished, she sat in her chair and waited quietly for dinner to be served.
After what felt like ages, her father reached over her to set a platter of chicken in the centre of the table. The smell flooded her nose, causing her to notice how hungry she was. Her stomach must’ve smelt it too as it began to growl viciously. Her father walked around to the head of the table and sat down, his eyes on Vanessa. Not able to wait a second longer, she picked up a fork and reached over to grab a piece of chicken. The sound of her father clearing his throat stopped her in her tracks. She looked across the table, expecting him to say something. He didn’t say a word, continuing to stare at her with empty eyes. An uneasiness crept up her spine, causing her to withdraw her fork from the chicken and drop eye contact.
He picked up his fork and began putting chicken onto his plate. The sound of metal scratching on metal filled the silence. She waited until he was done, her stomach impatiently making even more noise to fill the space around them. The moment he sat back against his chair, she helped herself to the rest of the chicken.
“Was your day good?”
She mumbled an affirmation, her mouth stuffed to the brim. Though she had eaten lunch earlier, she felt as if she hadn’t eaten anything since the day before. Before she knew it, her plate was clean and she was full. She sank into the wooden chair, glancing at her dad. Her eyes locked with his. He hadn’t touched the chicken nor his drink. Her heartbeat accelerated, locked in a staring contest with the man across the table. She blinked a few times, breathing shallowly. At her blinking, he sat up and his expression turned dark.
“Why did you open the door, Vanessa?”
The dread that invaded her body instantly weakened her. She gulped down whatever chicken was trying to find its way back up and spoke with a shaky voice.
“It was a police officer. I assumed she was an exception to your rule.”
“And what have we said about assumptions, Vanessa?”
His voice was like daggers digging into her skin. She clenched her fists, trying to stop any tears from forming.
“That they are never true, so I should never make them.”
Silence.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I did everything right. I did it just like we practised.”
Her dad smiled, his dark expression remaining. His tongue clicked loudly.
“Everything right? You did everything right? Vanessa, Vanessa, what am I going to do with you? I haven’t taught you everything yet, so there’s no way you can do everything right.”
She felt another piece of chicken try to come back up. Worried about what would happen if she opened her mouth, she could only nod in agreement. Her dad’s smile grew, but it wasn’t fake anymore. There was something behind it but she couldn’t tell what. He stood, his chair sliding against the tiling, and made his way over to her. She was stuck in place, watching him get closer with the horrific smile on his face. He stood next to her, using one hand to pick up her plate and using the other to smooth out her hair. It felt like there was something stuck in her throat. Not to the point of choking, but she still couldn’t breathe with it there. Her dad leaned against her, his hand still brushing through her hair. His voice was so quiet, she had to strain to hear it.
“And since you didn’t do everything right, now I have to go clean up your mess.”
It was vague, but Vanessa had heard it before. Her whole body shook with fear. Hearing him, she couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They fell from her eyes like a rushing river.
“No, please Dad. Please, she doesn’t know anything. She’s innocent.”
He gently caressed her cheek before walking towards the kitchen. She rubbed her sleeve against her cheek, trying to stop it prickling from his touch. As he stepped into the kitchen doorway, he turned back to Vanessa with his smile.
“Aren’t we all?”
It was at that moment that she realised what was behind his smile. It was pure enjoyment.