By eight o\u2019clock, I had nearly convinced myself I was imagining things. The girls built their blanket fort between the couch and two dining chairs, arranged pillows inside it, and spent fifteen minutes arguing cheerfully about which movie deserved to be called the greatest movie ever made. Kaylee voted for an animated film about dragons. Mia wanted the horse movie they had watched during their previous sleepover. Their debate sounded so normal that my uneasiness began to feel intrusive.<\/p>\n
I made popcorn and carried the bowl into the living room. Mia had changed into pajamas. Kaylee had changed too, though I hadn\u2019t seen her do it. She wore gray sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt.<\/p>\n
The pink sneakers remained on her feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sleeping in those too?\u201d I asked lightly.<\/p>\n
Her smile vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou certainly can\u2019t be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia reached into the popcorn. \u201cShe wants to keep them on, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at my daughter. \u201cI heard her.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a defensive note in Mia\u2019s voice that surprised me.<\/p>\n
Kaylee stared at the television.<\/p>\n
I sat in the armchair rather than returning immediately to the kitchen. Neither girl asked why. The opening credits started. Winston circled twice on his bed and collapsed with a sigh.<\/p>\n
For several minutes, nothing happened.<\/p>\n
Then Kaylee shifted her legs.<\/p>\n
Her right heel touched the rug.<\/p>\n
She sucked in a breath.<\/p>\n
It was tiny, barely audible beneath the movie, but I heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her head snapped toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia looked at her friend, then at me.<\/p>\n
That exchange bothered me more than Kaylee\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n
I muted the television.<\/p>\n
Both girls protested at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Harper, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t accused anyone of anything.\u201d I kept my voice calm. \u201cKaylee, you\u2019re limping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy shoes are just tight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen loosen them.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n
\u201cKaylee?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re hurting you, keeping them tight will make it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said they were tight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Mia stared at the popcorn bowl.<\/p>\n
I felt the conversation changing beneath my feet. What had begun as a mundane discussion about footwear had somehow become something all three of us were treating as dangerous.<\/p>\n
I unmuted the movie.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right,\u201d I said. \u201cWe\u2019ll leave it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaylee released a breath.<\/p>\n
Again, relief.<\/p>\n
Again, too much of it.<\/p>\n
I went into the kitchen but remained where I could see the living room through the doorway. The girls watched the movie. Mia laughed at all the familiar jokes. Kaylee laughed a second after Mia did, as though taking cues from her.<\/p>\n
At 8:37, my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A message from Greg.<\/p>\n
Everything okay?<\/p>\n
I stared at it longer than necessary.<\/p>\n
I typed: Yes. Girls watching a movie. What time do you want her tomorrow?<\/p>\n
The typing dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Disappeared.<\/p>\n
Appeared again.<\/p>\n
Finally:<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll let you know.<\/p>\n
That was odd. Greg had always been organized about pickups.<\/p>\n
I typed: Kaylee seems to be favoring one foot. Did she hurt herself?<\/p>\n
The typing dots appeared again.<\/p>\n
Then vanished.<\/p>\n
A minute passed.<\/p>\n
Two.<\/p>\n
No response.<\/p>\n
I set the phone on the counter.<\/p>\n
At 8:46, another message arrived.<\/p>\n
This one was from a number I didn\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n
She gets dramatic about minor things. Please don\u2019t encourage it.<\/p>\n
I read the sentence twice.<\/p>\n
Who is this? I wrote.<\/p>\n
Tasha.<\/p>\n
I looked into the living room.<\/p>\n
Kaylee was watching me.<\/p>\n
The instant our eyes met, she looked away.<\/p>\n
I walked farther into the kitchen before answering.<\/p>\n
I only asked because she seems uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Tasha responded almost immediately.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s fine. She had a little blister earlier this week. If you make a fuss she\u2019ll obsess over it.<\/p>\n
A blister.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
A harmless explanation.<\/p>\n
Exactly what I wanted.<\/p>\n
I should have felt reassured.<\/p>\n
Instead, the wording bothered me.<\/p>\n
Not because it proved anything. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Because nobody had mentioned a blister until I asked about Kaylee\u2019s foot.<\/p>\n
I wrote: Okay, thanks.<\/p>\n
Tasha sent a thumbs-up.<\/p>\n
I returned to the living room and sat beside Mia.<\/p>\n
Kaylee looked at my phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that my dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cTasha?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you might have a blister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaylee went pale.<\/p>\n
The change was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
I lowered my voice. \u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I see it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came before I had finished the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cKaylee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your skin is broken, we should clean it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTasha?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another nod.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she put on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBandage?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why can\u2019t we check it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaylee looked toward Mia.<\/p>\n
Mia was no longer watching the movie.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m not supposed to take my shoes off.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to become quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaylee immediately shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what you said.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing changed.<\/p>\n
I recognized the beginning of panic now.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cNobody is taking anything off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
That frightened me more than if she had started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I do something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you mad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can call Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That word came out more firmly than I intended.<\/p>\n
Kaylee stared at me.<\/p>\n
I softened my voice. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to go anywhere. You\u2019re Mia\u2019s guest. You\u2019re staying here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless I\u2019m bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou aren\u2019t bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
Mia slid closer and put a handful of popcorn into Kaylee\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we just watch?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
I turned the volume back up.<\/p>\n
For the next twenty minutes, I watched Kaylee instead of the movie.<\/p>\n
Her shoulders gradually relaxed. She ate three pieces of popcorn. Then four. When Mia whispered something, Kaylee smiled.<\/p>\n
At 9:12, she stood to go to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
That was when I saw the stain.<\/p>\n
A dark reddish-brown mark had appeared along the white fabric just above the back rim of her left sneaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cKaylee.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I pointed.<\/p>\n
She twisted awkwardly to look.<\/p>\n
The color drained from her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that blood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
She backed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, hold on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took one step.<\/p>\n
Kaylee stumbled backward so violently that her shoulder struck the wall.<\/p>\n
Mia jumped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom!\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped immediately.<\/p>\n
Kaylee pressed herself against the wall. Her eyes were huge.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t make me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four words.<\/p>\n
Not I don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n
Not It hurts.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t make me.<\/p>\n
I raised both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing remained rapid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not touching your shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The terror slowly eased from her face, but she didn\u2019t move away from the wall.<\/p>\n
Mia came beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can use my bathroom,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Kaylee nodded.<\/p>\n
The girls disappeared down the hall.<\/p>\n
I stood alone beside the couch, staring at the place where Kaylee had been sitting.<\/p>\n
A small rusty smear marked the pale rug.<\/p>\n
I crouched.<\/p>\n
Touched it with one fingertip.<\/p>\n
Wet.<\/p>\n
Blood.<\/p>\n
My phone was in my hand before I consciously decided to pick it up.<\/p>\n
I opened Tasha\u2019s message.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s fine.<\/p>\n
Then the next sentence.<\/p>\n
If you make a fuss she\u2019ll obsess over it.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
A bathroom door clicked shut.<\/p>\n
For the first time that evening, I stopped asking myself whether I was overreacting.<\/p>\n
I began asking a different question.<\/p>\n
What could make an eight-year-old girl more frightened of removing a shoe than of bleeding through it?<\/p>\n
By eight o\u2019clock, I had nearly convinced myself I was imagining things. The girls built their blanket fort between the couch and two dining chairs, arranged pillows inside it, and … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21465,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21374\/revisions\/21465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}