โYouโve been out all day.โย Dad spoke from his chair, balancing a beer on his shoulder.
โSo have you,โย Bel said.
โWorkโs crazy at the moment, kiddo.โย He didnโt take his eyes o๏ฌย the television.
Well, so was home.
โDid something happen today?โ
Bel stalled. What did he mean? A lot had happened today, but nothing he should know about.ย โI donโtโฆ,โย she began.
โMug was broken.โย Heย ๏ฌnally looked up at her.ย โMy favorite one.โ โSanta?โ
โJust had to throw it away. Did one of you break it?โ
Bel didnโt like that, being lumped into the sameย youย as Rachel. But Bel was the one whoโd drunk out of that mug this morning; Rachel had made her a co๏ฌee, still hadnโt learned that Santa was Dadโs mug. Had Bel broken it? She couldnโt remember, gulping it down, rushing to get away from Rachel. Sheโd done things like that before, careless, forgetful. Unless Rachelย didย know it was Dadโs favorite and broke it on purpose, pushing him a little farther every day.
โI donโt know, sorry, Dad.โย Bel sat down.ย โIโll get you a new one.โ
โDoesnโt matter,โย he said. But it did.
โI gotta talk to you about something.โย Dad leaned over for the remote, paused the TV.ย โI just got a call from your principal. He says you went to a teacherโs house today. Mr. Tripp. That you harassed him.โ
Belโs eyes darkened, her gut clenched.ย โFucking rat,โย she spat, picturing him, stamping on his glasses.
โApparently you were asking strange questions about Rachel. Whatโs going on, kiddo?โย he said, hands motionless in his lap.
Bel was caught.
But that was OK. She didnโt have enough evidence for the police, but she had enough for Dad. He was on her side, always. Bel glanced toward the stairs.ย โWhereโs Rachel?โ
โSheโs taking a bath.โ
Bel squeezed herย ๏ฌngers, lowered her voice.ย โI think sheโs lying, Dad. About all of it.โย Dad sat up, chair creaking beneath him.ย โHer disappearance, her reappearance. She planned them. I donโt think a man ever took her. There have been inconsistencies in her story, things she knows that she couldnโt know if sheโd spent the last sixteen years locked in a basement. She was in North Conway a few months ago, out and free, buying clothes to match the ones she disappeared in. It was all planned. I think Mr. Tripp knows something. Rachelโs a liar, Dad, and I donโt know what she wants, but we have toย ๏ฌnd out what really happened so we canโโ
โThatโs enough, Bel,โย he said, gentle butย ๏ฌrm, cutting her o๏ฌ.ย โWe talked about this already. Rachel isnโt lying.โ
โButโโ
โI donโt want to hear it.โย He peeled the corner of his beer label.ย โRachel is telling the truth about what happened to her. Of course she is; how else could she have been gone for so long?โย His gaze hardened, the sharp rip of the beer label coming free.ย โTrust me, I know her better than you. I believe her, OK, kiddo? That should be enough for you too. I want you to drop this. Please?โ
A punch to Belโs gut, knuckle prints in the knot that didnโt fade. Dad was supposed to be on her side. How could he not see it?
โYou know somethingโs wrong,โย she tried again, desperate.ย โYou havenโt been the same since she came back, avoiding the house, working all the time. Iโve hardly seen you.โ
Dad sighed.ย โThings are just complicated. Real life is, kiddo. Itโs only been a week, takes longer than that to get used to such a life-changing thing. For me, and for you. Please, Bel, let this go. Youโll only make things harder. Promise me?โ
Bel had already made a promise: to get rid of Rachel, to go back to their life before Rachel reappeared and ruined everything, back to when they were both happy. Bel chose Dad. He was her constant, the one whoโd never leave. She would always choose him. But he wasnโt asking her to choose, he was asking her to let it go, to accept Rachel, to make a new promise.
Maybe they could all exist together, in this house.
Bel had to try, because Dad was the one whoโd asked. Dad believed Rachel; and that should be enough for her too. Should be.
Bel de๏ฌated, but the knot grew, pulling tighter.ย โOK,โย she said quietly.ย โI promise.โ
Dad smiled at her, raised his beer in a sad salute.ย โPrincipal Wheeler said you were with someone from theย ๏ฌlm crew today?โ
โYeah,โย she said.ย โAsh. The camera assistant.โ
Dad coughed.ย โI would be careful, spending time with him. They are trying to tell the most interesting story, sensationalizing it, using us to do that. Orchestrating tense situations where they know weโll react in front of the camera. Theyโre trying to manipulate you, kiddo, all this stu๏ฌย about Rachel. I think you probably shouldnโt see Ash again, on your own.โ
Bel sni๏ฌed.ย โYouโre probably right,โย because Dad always was. And Ash was getting too close, anyway. There had to be a reason he was the only one whoโd believed her about Rachel, didnโt there?
โJust trying to protect you.โย Dad reached for the remote,ย ๏ฌnger hovering over the button.
โCan we do something tomorrow?โย Bel spoke quickly, before he could un-pause it.ย โYou and me. Rachel too, I guess. The three of us. Maybe a hike or something? Iโve missed you.โย He wouldnโt know it, but that was one of the hardest things to say, baring everything, chest pried open rib by rib, heart beating and unguarded. She was trying.
Dadโs face softened around a smile.ย โSure, kiddo. Anything you want.โย Upstairs they heard the bathroom door swinging open. The soft pad of
Rachelโs bare feet, creeping against the carpet. Them down here, her up there. Had Rachel heard any of that, what Bel said about her? Was she trying to listen in? Maybe sheโฆ
No, stop it. Bel was letting it go.
Really trying to let it go, to override that bad feeling in her gut.
Bel held her breath, waiting, listening. It came; the click of the spare room door shutting, the double click as Rachel locked herself inside.
