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\u201cThe husky needs someone to feed it, and the garden patch requires watering every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother said it with the casual detachment of someone delivering a trivial weather report, completely ignoring the fact that she was effectively erasing the only weekend I had managed to keep for myself in months.<\/p>\n
Her suitcase stood by the entryway, a glossy navy blue monolith, zipped so tightly it seemed ready to burst at the seams.<\/p>\n
My father stood nearby, tapping his wrist as he checked the time for the fourth time in a minute.<\/p>\n
My older sister, Jade, scrolled through her feed, her designer sunglasses already perched atop her head like she was auditioning for a luxury travel commercial.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy me,\u201d I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, \u201cwhen the entire rest of the family is heading off on this vacation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jade raised her gaze just long enough to offer a thin, condescending smirk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is simply your role in this family, Ivy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited for my parents to step in and correct her, but they remained stubbornly silent.<\/p>\n
I was twenty four years old, holding down a full time job, paying every cent of my own cell phone bill, and constantly pitching in for groceries, yet I was still treated like the spare key they kept hidden in a dusty kitchen drawer.<\/p>\n
I chose not to argue, so I simply went upstairs, packed two changes of clothes, my laptop, my documents, and the small stash of emergency cash I kept hidden inside an old poetry book.<\/p>\n
While they busied themselves loading the SUV, I slipped out the back door and hailed a ride to my friend Harper\u2019s apartment on the other side of town.<\/p>\n
No one realized I was gone until several hours later.<\/p>\n
At seven forty two that evening, my phone began vibrating incessantly against the coffee table.<\/p>\n
Mom: Where on earth are you?<\/p>\n
Dad: This is incredibly childish behavior.<\/p>\n
Jade: You had better be back at the house by the time we return.<\/p>\n
I calmly turned the phone face down.<\/p>\n
For the first time in as long as I could remember, I fell asleep without straining my ears to listen for someone screaming my name from the floor below.<\/p>\n
The next morning, an unrecognized number flashed on my screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, ma\u2019am,\u201d a man said with a cautious tone. \u201cI am Officer Jackson Reid with the Pinecrest Police Department, and am I speaking with Ivy Barnes?\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach did a nervous flip. \u201cYes, this is she.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am calling regarding your parents\u2019 residence on Willow Creek Drive, as someone has reported a break in.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat bolt upright on the sofa. \u201cA break in, you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am, a neighbor called after noticing the front door standing wide open, and we found clear signs of forced entry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused, then added, \u201cWe also found a dog inside the house, alive but visibly distressed, though no people were present.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went completely dry. \u201cMy family is supposed to be away for the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly what we are attempting to confirm right now, so are you able to come to the property?\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost told him no, but then he added something that froze my blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something else, as the house was not just burglarized because it appears someone had been watching the place closely, and there were notes left inside, one of which specifically mentioned your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
My name.<\/p>\n
Harper stared at me from across the kitchen, frozen mid pour with a coffee mug in her hand.<\/p>\n
I put the phone on speaker mode. \u201cWhat exactly did the note say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Reid hesitated before answering. \u201cIt said, Ivy was supposed to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the time Harper drove me back to Willow Creek Drive, my hands had gone cold and numb in my lap.<\/p>\n
The neighborhood looked exactly as it always had, with perfectly trimmed lawns, silent driveways, decorative flags on the porches, and sprinklers ticking away in a rhythmic cadence.<\/p>\n
Our house sat in the middle of the block with its white brick columns and sage green shutters, pretending that absolutely nothing was wrong.<\/p>\n
Only the bright yellow police tape stretched across the front door managed to break the perfect illusion.<\/p>\n
Officer Jackson Reid met me beside the driveway, a man in his late thirties with a calm face and tired, observant eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIvy Barnes?\u201d he asked as I approached.<\/p>\n
I nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for coming, but have you been able to contact your parents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried calling them repeatedly,\u201d I said, \u201cbut they are driving toward the airport in Milwaukee and have not answered since last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jade had answered once, only to hiss, \u201cWhat have you done now?\u201d before promptly hanging up on me.<\/p>\n
Officer Reid led me through the front door, and the house looked wrong in small, intimate ways.<\/p>\n
Drawers stood wide open, sofa cushions had been sliced apart, and my mother\u2019s decorative porcelain plates lay shattered across the hardwood floor.<\/p>\n
The family photos on the stairwell wall had been turned around, every smiling face pressed firmly toward the paint.<\/p>\n
Duke, our aging golden retriever, lay in the laundry room with a bowl of water set beside him, his tail thumping weakly when he finally saw me.<\/p>\n
I dropped to my knees to reach him. \u201cHey there, buddy, I am so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smelled of fear and dust, and although his food bin had been dragged across the floor, it remained sealed, meaning whoever broke in had not come to feed him.<\/p>\n
Officer Reid watched me quietly. \u201cDo you know anyone who would expect you to be here alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family,\u201d I said with a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there anyone outside of the family who would hold such a belief?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of my coworkers, my old classmates, and the neighbors, but no one who would write my name inside a stranger\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
Then I saw the note.<\/p>\n
It had been placed in the center of the dining room table like a formal invitation.<\/p>\n
Ivy was supposed to be here.<\/p>\n
The handwriting was sharp and uneven, written in thick black marker, and beneath it was a second, chilling line.<\/p>\n
Ask Walter why.<\/p>\n
Walter was my father.<\/p>\n
My pulse began hammering rhythmically in my ears. \u201cWhat is this supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly what we need to discover,\u201d Officer Reid said.<\/p>\n
At that moment, my phone rang, and it was my father calling.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately. \u201cWhere are you right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice came through the line tight and furious. \u201cWhy on earth are the police at my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone broke into our home.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a long silence on the other end.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad,\u201d I said slowly, \u201cthe person who did this left a note, and it says to ask you why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence, even longer than the first.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s voice drifted in from the background, \u201cWalter, what is she saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father did not answer her.<\/p>\n
Instead, he commanded, \u201cIvy, listen to me very carefully, and do not talk to the police about anything personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Reid looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
My father continued, his voice dropping lower. \u201cI will handle this mess when I get back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in his tone made the room feel colder than the broken front door ever could.<\/p>\n
\u201cHandle what?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n
He exhaled sharply. \u201cJust do exactly as I say.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in my entire life, I chose not to obey him.<\/p>\n
I looked straight at Officer Reid and said, \u201cPut it on speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Reid did not smile or show any reaction to my request.<\/p>\n
He simply reached into his shirt pocket, removed a small digital recording device, and placed it on the dining room table right beside the note.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Barnes,\u201d he said with absolute clarity, \u201cthis is Officer Jackson Reid with the Pinecrest Police Department, and your daughter has placed this call on speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the record, are you Walter Barnes of 422 Willow Creek Drive?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father swore under his breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad,\u201d I insisted, \u201canswer him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d my father snapped, \u201cI am Walter Barnes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Barnes,\u201d Officer Reid continued, \u201cyour residence was broken into sometime last night, and a message was left inside referencing your daughter and instructing us to ask you why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have any idea who might have done this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n