Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty Six
Mira’s POV

“Emma? Sweetie, are you up here?” Chloe's voice came through the hallway.

My stomach dropped. I looked at Emma, who’d gone completely still on the bed, her eyes wide.

"What's she doing up here?" she whispered.

I had no answer to that.

"Em." Chloe's voice was closer now, right outside the door.

"What are you doing up here?" Nat's voice cut through, low and tight.

I couldn’t make out Chloe’s response, just the murmur of her voice going soft.

“We’re just to check on her,” She said louder, like she wanted us to hear. "It would be rude not to." 

“She needs rest.” His voice was firm, closer to the door now. “You should go back downstairs.”

“But we haven’t even seen her yet.” That was Kem, her voice carrying that particular edge of amusement that meant she was enjoying this. “We’re worried about the poor thing.”

“She’s fine. I just checked on her.”

"Nat, baby." Chloe's voice softened, pulling at the edges of it. "We just want to say hi. We won't stay long." 

“No.” His tone was firmer this time. “She’s sleeping; you both need to go back to the pool.”

"Since when do you care this much about babysitting?" Kem let it sit for a second. "Or is it the babysitter you're worried about?" 

“Kem.” His voice dropped. “Downstairs. Now.”

“Fine.” Footsteps retreating, but slowly, reluctantly. “But this is ridiculous.”

“Come on, Chloe. Let’s go.” Kem’s voice faded down the hall. “He’s clearly being weird about something.”

“I’ll be down in a minute,” she called back, but her voice was closer to the door now. “We need to talk.”

“Let’s talk outside.”

The hallway went silent for a sec, then the footsteps started retreating.

But I could still hear them just outside in the hallway, their voices getting quieter as they headed back toward the stairs.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

“Are they gone?” Emma mumbled. “I don’t want them to come in.”

“They won’t,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t sure.

We sat there in silence, listening to the muffled sounds of the party starting back up outside. Her eyes were heavy, fighting to stay open even though I could tell she was exhausted.

“You should sleep,” I said gently. “You’ll feel much better by tomorrow.”

“Will you stay?”

“Of course.”

She curled up under her blanket, holding my hand, and within minutes her breathing evened out.

I sat there on the edge of the bed watching her sleep, listening to the sounds from outside and the occasional burst of laughter that made my chest tight.
When I was sure she was really out, I carefully extracted my hand and stood up.

The guest room was just across the hall, but I didn't want to leave her, and I didn't want to risk running into Chloe and Kem in the hallway. I grabbed the extra blanket from the foot of the bed and spread it on the floor beside her. It wasn't comfortable, but it was better than the alternative. 

I lay down on the rug, pulling the blanket over me, and stared at the ceiling.

The party sounds drifted up through the floorboards. The distant splash of someone jumping in the pool.

I closed my eyes, but there was something about being tucked away up here that sat in my chest in a way I couldn't quite shake loose. I couldn't explain why he would choose to hide me when all they ever did was use me for fun. 

The alarm jerked me awake. I fumbled for my phone, the screen too bright in the dark room, and turned it off.
I lay there for a second, disoriented, every muscle in my body complaining. The rug had left marks on my cheek. 
Then I remembered where I was. 

I looked at Emma’s bed. She was still asleep, curled up tight under her own blankets, breathing softly.

I folded the blanket and set it aside, then stood up carefully, stretching out the kinks in my back and shoulders.

My phone said I had twenty minutes before Emma needed to be up for school.

I went to the guest room and changed quickly, splashing water on my face in the bathroom. When I came back, Emma was starting to stir.

I sat on the edge of her bed and touched her shoulder gently.

“Em. Time to wake up.”

She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.

“Come on, sleepyhead. You’ve got school.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“I know. But you have to.” I pulled the blanket back a little. “How do you feel? Does your stomach still hurt?”

She thought about it for a second, then shook her head.

“No. I’m okay.”

“Good. That means you’re going to school.”

She groaned again but sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?” The question caught me off guard.

“You look sad.”

“I’m just tired, Em. I’m fine.” I forced a smile.

I helped her get dressed, pulling her uniform from the closet and laying it out while she stumbled to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth while I found her shoes and made sure her backpack had everything she needed.

“Do I have to go?” she asked, coming back into the room with toothpaste still on her chin.

I wiped it off with my thumb.
 “Yes, Queen.”

We made it downstairs just as I heard a car pull into the driveway.

I stopped, my hand tightening on Emma’s shoulder.

Minutes later, the front door opened, and Helen walked in, her husband right behind her. She was perfectly put together even this early, her smile warm when she saw Emma.

“There’s my baby! Are you feeling better?”

She ran to her. 

“I’m all better! Mirabel took really good care of me.”

She hugged her tight, then looked at me over Emma’s head.

Mr. Martinez set his bag down by the door, giving me a brief nod of acknowledgement, and pecked Emma’s head before heading toward the kitchen.
"I've left your payment on the counter." She kept her arms around Emma. "Plus a little extra for the trouble."

"Thank you, Mrs. Helen."

“You can head home whenever you’re ready.”

Footsteps on the stairs made us all look up.

Nat appeared, already dressed for school, backpack slung over one shoulder. He stopped when he saw his parents, surprise flickering across his face before he smoothed it away.

“You’re back early.”

“Work emergency,” His father's voice came from the kitchen. “Couldn’t be helped.”

“I’m taking Emma to school,” Nat said, looking at his mom.

“You don’t have to. I can-“

“I already told her I would.” He grabbed his keys from the hook by the door. “Ready, Em?”

Emma looked between her mom and Nat, then nodded.

“Have a good day, sweetheart.” She kissed the top of her head. 

Nat moved toward the door, Emma following, and for half a second his eyes met mine. Then he looked away, and they were gone, the door closing behind them with a soft click.

“Thank you again, Mirabel. We’ll see you next week?” She turned back to me. 

“Call or text me.”

“Perfect.”

I went upstairs and gathered my things from the guest room, checking under the bed and in the drawers to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind. The room looked exactly like it had when I had arrived. 

Downstairs, Mrs. Helen was on her phone in the kitchen, and her husband had disappeared into his office. I grabbed the envelope from the counter and let myself out quietly.

The morning air was cold. I pulled my jacket tighter and walked to the bus stop.

School felt like walking through a fog, everything moving too slow and too fast at the same time. I fell back into the usual routine of being invisible.
Mrs. Carlton's class eventually came, and she reminded us about the project. I got to the library early and claimed the table at the back, spreading out my notes even though I already knew Kem wouldn't look at any of them. She showed up fifteen minutes late with coffee and her phone, dropping into the chair across from me without apology. 

"So." She didn't look up from her screen. "How's the project going?"

"Fine. I've finished the outline and started the research."

"Cool." She set her phone down briefly. "How was your weekend?"

The question caught me off guard. I looked up.

"I mean, we used to be close." She picked her phone back up. "No harm in asking."

"My weekend was fine." I turned back to my notes.

"Just fine?"

"Yeah."

I could feel her eyes on me, then she scoffed and started scrolling through her phone for more than five minutes, laughing at something, typing rapidly, completely ignoring the papers spread out in front of her.

Then she set her phone down, folded her arms on the table, and put her head down.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

I sat there staring at her for a second, then went back to my notes.

I worked alone for the rest of the period, her soft breathing the only sound besides my pen scratching paper.

The bell rang.

She woke up immediately, grabbed her stuff, and left without a word.

I packed up slowly, making sure everything was organized, then headed out into the hallway.

The bus ride home felt longer. I stared out the window and watched the city go by, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time.



The apartment was too quiet when I walked in.

Mom’s shoes were by the door even though she should have been at work.

“Mom?” I called out, dropping my backpack by the couch.

"In here, baby." Something in her voice made me slow down before I'd even reached the kitchen.

I walked in slowly.

She stood by the sink with her hands clasped in front of her, that smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“How was school?”

“Fine.” I looked around. “Why are you home?”

“I got off early. I thought we could have dinner together.”

I was about to answer when I noticed a shadow in the corner of the kitchen. 

“Who is that?” I ask, pointing in that direction.

A man stepped out from behind the kitchen doorway, holding a glass of water. He was older and thinner, but his eyes remained the same.

“Daddy,” I heard myself say.

The word came out strangled and disbelieving.

He smiled, and it was like being punched in the chest.

“Hi, Baby.”