Chapter 1 - The Girl In The Pink Dress Said I Looked Like Her
The bench was hot from the sun and my legs stuck to it. I kept my teddy bear pressed hard against my chest because Aunt Karen said to wait and not move until the sun came up, but the sun was already going down and it made everything gold under the old oak tree. My dress was torn at the hem and my cheek still stung where I'd rubbed it. Across the grass a black SUV pulled in and its door shut with a soft thud.
That was when I saw her. She was standing right in front of me and she looked exactly like me, only clean. Same light brown hair, same size, only her ponytail was high with a big light pink bow and her dress was pink and lacy with puffed sleeves. She had a man with her. He was tall in a black suit and black shirt, dark wavy hair and stubble on his face, a silver watch catching the light. Behind them near the SUV another man in a black suit and sunglasses just stood and watched.
My name is Emma. I was seven.
The girl in pink stared at me and then turned to the man. The late afternoon light came through the oak leaves and made speckles on her dress. I could hear the wind in the branches and my own breathing. I looked down because I didn't know where to look. My bear was faded and one ear was worn flat and I held it tighter with both arms. I could feel my heart beating through it.
She said it really soft, like she was amazed.
"Daddy, she looks like me."
The man didn't answer her right away. He stepped forward. His shoes made a sound on the dry grass. He bent his knees and crouched down until his eyes were level with mine. I could see the tattoos on his hand and on the side of his neck. He didn't reach for me. He just put his hands near his knees and looked at me, and his face was worried but quiet, like he was trying not to scare me. The sun was behind me and it made a flare around my head and I had to squint. I kept my head down.
He let a second pass. Then another. I could hear the SUV ticking as it cooled.
He asked me gentle, "Where's your mom?"
I didn't want to answer because saying it made it real again. Aunt Karen had told me not to talk to strangers but Aunt Karen had left me on that bench that morning and said to wait here for the sun came up, and no one had come back. My throat was dry. I looked down at my bear and my voice shook when it came out.
"She died 3 months ago. Aunt Karen told me to wait here for the sun came up."
The man's mouth opened just a little. He didn't stand up. He stayed crouched there listening, and I could see his eyes get wet even though he didn't move. Behind him the girl in pink stepped closer. She was smiling before, but now she wasn't. She put her small hand on his shoulder. Her bow was so pink it hurt to look at.
"Daddy, she's"
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She didn't finish because I think she didn't know how to finish it. Her hand stayed on his shoulder and she was looking at me like she wanted me to be okay. The man was still down on one knee in the grass, his suit getting dust on it, looking up at me. The bodyguard by the SUV hadn't moved. The sun was getting lower and the light was getting more gold and the park was empty except for us.
No one had taken my hand yet. No one had said what would happen next.
