Chapter 1
When I got home that evening, Daisy didn’t rush over like usual when she heard me unlock the door.
I called her name a few times, but there was no answer.
The clock hands pointed to eight.
Usually, by this time, she’d be on the couch, watching her favorite cartoon.
Mrs. Davis hurried down from upstairs. “Ms. Sterling, you’re back.”
I handed her my coat, asking, “Where’s Daisy?”
“She’s asleep, ma’am.”
“So early?”
Mrs. Davis explained, “She looked a bit off when she came back from kindergarten. She went straight to her room the moment she got back and didn’t even eat dinner.”
My brows knitted with worry, afraid she might be sick.
I went upstairs and gently pushed open her door.
The person on the bed, hearing the movement, turned over, pulling back the covers to look at me. “Mommy.”
I sat by her bed, turned on the night light, and felt her forehead. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Are you not feeling well?”
Daisy shook her head.
Feeling her forehead, confirming her temperature was normal, my heart finally eased.
My gaze was drawn to the drawing book on her nightstand. “Are you drawing? What did you draw? Can Mommy see?”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, saying uncertainly, “My drawing isn’t very good.”
“Nonsense! Mommy thinks your drawings are the most beautiful in the world, darling.”
I flipped through the drawing book, only to find the last few pages filled with all sorts of cars.
The drawings grew more agitated, more chaotic with each page.
Until the very last page, messy, tangled lines completely buried the picture beneath.
I instantly knew something was wrong. Daisy was always so emotionally stable; she’d never expressed herself like this before.
I helped her sit upright, asking with concern, “Tell Mommy, why did you draw so many cars?”
She bit her lip, her eyes red. “Teacher said my drawing assignment was the worst in the whole class.”