Chapter 1 - THE ROLE THEY GAVE ME“The dog needs to be fed twice a day, and the plants have to be watered every morning.”
My mother said it while fastening the gold clasp on her suitcase.
She spoke as if she were discussing the weather, not canceling the weekend I had been promised for months.
Dad stood by the front door checking his watch. My older sister, Jade, scrolled through her phone with sunglasses balanced on top of her head, already dressed for the beach.
Three suitcases waited beside them.
None belonged to me.
I looked from the luggage to the printed vacation itinerary lying on the kitchen counter.
“When are we leaving?”
Mom finally looked at me.
“We are leaving in ten minutes.”
The word we did not include me.
“What do you mean?”
“Someone has to stay with Cooper,” Dad said. “Boarding him is expensive.”
“I paid for my share of the trip.”
He shrugged.
“Then consider it a contribution to the family.”
I stared at them.
I was twenty-four years old. I worked full-time, paid my own phone bill, bought groceries, and transferred money to Dad whenever he claimed the household account was short.
Yet the moment they needed free labor, I became the youngest child again.
“Why am I always the one staying behind?”
Jade barely lifted her eyes.
“That’s your role in this house.”
I waited for Mom to correct her.
She zipped her bag.
Dad opened the front door.
That silence answered more honestly than either of them could.
I did not argue.
Arguments gave them time to twist the conversation until my needs sounded selfish.
I went upstairs, packed two changes of clothes, my laptop, identification documents, medication, and the emergency cash hidden inside an old poetry book.
While the family loaded the SUV, I slipped through the back door and ordered a rideshare to my friend Harper’s apartment.
Cooper followed me to the fence, whining softly.
Guilt stopped me.
He had done nothing wrong.
I filled both food bowls, opened the dog door, and called our neighbor, Mrs. Caldwell.
“My family left town unexpectedly,” I told her. “Could Cooper stay with you for the weekend?”
She agreed immediately.
I carried his leash and food across the yard before leaving.
That decision would matter later.
My family did not notice I was gone until 7:42 p.m.
My phone began vibrating.
Mom: Where are you?
Dad: This is immature.
Jade: You had better be home before we get back.
No one asked whether I was safe.
No one apologized.
I turned the phone facedown.
For the first time in years, I slept without waiting to hear someone downstairs shout my name.
At 8:13 the next morning, an unfamiliar number called.
“This is Officer Jackson Reid with the Pinecrest Police Department. Am I speaking with Ivy Barnes?”
My stomach tightened.
“Yes.”
“I’m calling regarding your parents’ property on Willow Creek Drive. A neighbor reported the front door standing open.”
I sat up.
“Was it a break-in?”
“Yes. There are signs of forced entry.”
Harper stopped pouring coffee.
Officer Reid continued.
“We initially believed the family dog was inside, but the house is empty.”
“I asked a neighbor to take him.”
“That may have saved him.”
The room turned cold.
“What happened?”
“Someone searched the house. Several rooms were disturbed, but very little appears to be missing.”
“Then what were they looking for?”
He paused.
“We found handwritten notes.”
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“One of them mentioned you.”
Harper placed the mug down and came closer.
“What did it say?”
Officer Reid’s voice lowered.
“It said, ‘Ivy was supposed to be here.’”
Then he added something even worse.
May you like
“The note was placed on your pillow.”
Cliffhanger: The intruder had not entered the house hoping to find valuables. They had gone directly to my bedroom expecting to find me.
Related Stories
