Where Is She?

Before It All Went Wrong.

(This story is written in Lucy, the mother's perspective.)

i really am living the life that i dreamed of. me, my husband joshua and our 12 year old daughter, maya, all living in a medium sized house, and most importantly, we are all happy. a happy family. that's all i want. that's my goal.

i have finally reached my goal, now what do i do? play it out, i guess. parenting has been an incredibly hard thing for me and joshua to do, especially since i've had to do it mostly all by myself, as joshua works. but i completely support that because without him working, where would our money be? nowhere, that's where.

i've thought about getting a job, but i wouldn't trust anybody at home with maya. i am a really protective parent. i cant let anything happen to maya. i have to ask her loads of questions about her friends before she brings them over to the house. especially boyfriends. i don't allow her to have them.

one time, maya came home with a boy. i lost it. however, i couldn't shout at her in front of him, so i waited until the second he shut the door behind him. i scolded maya for about an hour, gave her a lecture, and then i grounded her for a week. joshua thinks i'm too harsh but joshua knows nothing.

sorry, i sounded a bit over the top there, i swear i'm not crazy. i'm not. it's just parenting, am i right?

anyway, it's dinner time, and obviously i'm making it. like always. not that there's a problem, with joshua working...

as always, maya starts complaining that the food is too cold.
"maya, you can't get everything to want in life!" i yell. "just enjoy your damn food before i send you to your room and let you go hungry!"

i can see maya's eyes well up with tears after that, which was exactly my aim. she knows not to mess with her mum. she knows. she knows.
i don't even feel bad. ever since both of my parents died, i've been able to treat maya how i wish, without them always getting in the way of everything.
i let her eat alone, as a punishment for her behaviour. she doesn't like that. she hates being alone.
as i'm leaving the kitchen, joshua opens the door and shuts it behind him.
"joshua, you're back." i say, trying to make him realise that i am sick and tired of maya right now.
"maya, something tells me you've not been a very good girl today." he says.
"i- i haven't... s-sorry daddy..." she whimpers. exactly my aim, again. to make her scared.
i grin behind her father, because he doesnt know what i am plotting.