Family First? (Tracy)
Family First? (Tracy)
I should have told Jasmine sooner.
The moment the words leave my mouth—“I’ll be staying with Ree for a while”—I know how they will sound to her.
Jasmine’s hands freeze where she is folding Saffy’s clothes. She looks into my eyes, searching my face for the rest of the truth.
“Stay with her?” she asks quietly. “Tracy… why?”
I take a slow breath. The truth is simple enough, but wrapped in danger. “Because people are after her. I can’t let her face this alone.”
Jasmine sets the small sweater down on the table, her hands trembling just enough for me to notice. She stares at me—through me—like she’s searching for the man she married and wondering what I’ve become.
Her voice breaks when she finally speaks. “Is she one of them?”
I don’t answer the question right away, because the truth is, I don’t know. And admitting that to Jasmine feels like asking her to trust a shadow. “I’m not sure,” I confess, the words tasting bitter. “But I need to protect her.”
Her lips press together, trembling slightly.
“What if they come for us too?” she whispers. She glances toward the small room where Saffy is humming to herself. “What will we do then, Tracy?”
I cross the room to her and rest my hands on her shoulders. She feels smaller than she used to, or maybe I just notice it more these days. “We’ll be ready for them when they come,” I say. I wish I could sound more certain, but the weight of the unknown presses down on every word.
She shakes her head slowly, as if she wants to believe me but doesn’t know how. Her eyes glisten, and for a moment, I almost tell her everything I’ve kept buried—the doubts I carry, the feeling that Ree might be more than a victim in this game. But I swallow it down. Some truths burn too hot to share.
“Tracy…” Jasmine starts, but her words trail off. She presses her lips together, then exhales through her nose. She won’t argue, not tonight. She’s tired, and fear has already taken its toll.
I turn toward Saffy’s corner.
She’s crouched on the floor, crayons scattered around her, drawing shapes and spirals.
“Saffy,” I say gently, forcing a smile. “What are you drawing, sweetheart?”
She glances up at me with a grin far too wide for the dimness of this moment. Her eyes are bright with the pure joy of a child. “It’s a shield,” she says proudly. “So they can’t find us.”
I kneel beside her, pretending to admire the picture. “A shield, huh? That’s… that’s very clever.”
She nods, returning to her work, her little fingers moving with playful precision.
I glance back at Jasmine. She’s watching Saffy too, her face pale, lips pressed tight.
I look back at our daughter, then at my wife.
I need to protect them more than anyone else.
I want to believe we’re safe here in Tipet. But deep down, I know safety is a lie I can’t afford anymore.
And tomorrow, when I leave this house to stand by Ree’s side, I’ll be carrying more than my doubts. I’ll be carrying the knowledge that danger might already be inside these walls.