Chapter 4 - LAURA’S FIRST LETTER
Harper waited until midnight to open the sealed envelope.
She sat beneath a blanket with a flashlight, the wooden memory box resting beside her knees.
The paper inside smelled faintly of lavender.
My dearest Harper,
If you are reading this, something has made our home feel unsafe.
First, remember this: fear is not proof that you are weak. Fear is your heart telling you to pay attention.
There are things about this house that your father does not know. I kept them from him because I believed secrecy would protect him. I may have been wrong.
The house was purchased with money from your grandfather’s family trust. It is protected for you, but protection on paper means nothing if dishonest people control the paper.
Inside the butterfly clock in the library, you will find a brass key.
Use it only if someone tries to convince your father that you cannot be trusted.
Do not tell anyone about the key until you know whom you can trust.
I love you beyond every room, every wall, and every year.
Mom
Harper read the letter three times.
Then she slipped out of bed.
The upstairs hallway was dark. Bennett’s bedroom door was closed, and no light showed beneath it. Evelyn often slept with earplugs, but Harper still moved carefully.
The library stood at the opposite end of the house.
Laura had loved that room more than any other. Books covered three walls, and a green velvet chair remained beside the window exactly where she had left it.
The butterfly clock hung above the fireplace.
It was made of dark wood, with silver wings spreading from the clock face. Harper dragged a footstool across the carpet and climbed onto it.
She searched behind the clock.
Her fingers touched metal.
A small brass key had been taped inside a hollow space.
Harper pulled it free.
The clock gave a quiet click.
A panel opened beneath the lower wing.
Inside was a folded map of the house.
One room had been circled in red.
THE GREENHOUSE CELLAR.
Harper had never heard of a cellar beneath the greenhouse.
She hid the map under her dress and returned the clock to its place.
As she stepped down, the library light switched on.
Evelyn stood in the doorway.
Harper’s heart jumped.
“What are you doing?” Evelyn asked.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“So you climbed furniture in the dark?”
“I wanted a book.”
“Which book?”
Harper looked at the nearest shelf.
“The Secret Garden.”
Evelyn walked closer.
“That book is behind you.”
Harper forced herself not to touch the map beneath her dress.
“I forgot where it was.”
Evelyn’s gaze traveled to the butterfly clock.
“Did your mother ever tell you about that clock?”
“No.”
“You’re a poor liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
Evelyn took Harper’s chin between her fingers.
“Your mother filled this house with hiding places. She thought secrets made her powerful.”
Harper tried to pull away.
Evelyn tightened her grip.
“Did she leave you instructions?”
“No.”
“Letters?”
“No.”
“Keys?”
Harper’s breath caught.
Evelyn smiled.
“There it is.”
She reached toward Harper’s dress.
A voice came from the hallway.
“Evelyn?”
Bennett stood outside the library wearing a robe.
Evelyn released Harper immediately.
“She was climbing the shelves.”
“I was getting a book,” Harper said.
“At midnight?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Bennett looked from Harper to Evelyn.
“Go back to bed, bug.”
Harper picked up The Secret Garden and walked past him.
Before leaving, she glanced back.
Evelyn was watching the butterfly clock.
The next morning, Harper carried the brass key in her sock.
At school, Mrs. Carter announced a surprise mathematics test.
Harper completed every problem and photographed the paper before submitting it.
During lunch, she pretended to forget her water bottle and returned to the classroom.
Mrs. Carter was seated at her desk.
Harper hid behind the open door.
The teacher erased two of Harper’s answers and wrote incorrect numbers in their place.
Then she photographed the paper and sent the image to someone.
Harper’s tablet vibrated inside her backpack.
She had connected Evelyn’s second phone number to an old messaging application after seeing it written on a receipt.
A message appeared.
GOOD. MAKE THE NEXT ONE WORSE.
Harper captured a screenshot.
That afternoon, she visited the school counselor, Ms. Nora Ellis.
Ms. Ellis had kind eyes and wore bright scarves. Laura had once spoken to her after Harper experienced nightmares during the hospital months.
“Can I tell you something without you calling my stepmother?” Harper asked.
Ms. Ellis became serious.
“I can listen. But if I think you’re in danger, I may need to involve another safe adult.”
“What if the unsafe adult says I’m lying?”
“Then I look for evidence. I don’t decide based only on who is older.”
Harper felt something loosen inside her chest.
She removed the tablet from her bag.
Before she could open the recordings, the office door swung open.
Mrs. Carter stood outside.
“Harper,” she said, “your stepmother is here.”
Evelyn appeared behind her.
May you like
She smiled at Ms. Ellis.
“I’m afraid Harper has been having another episode.”
