Chapter 2

Lydia stood at the door, holding their one-year-old child.

"The car's almost here."

"Coming." Aldric looked back at me.

I sat on the carpet, holding a yellow building block, trying to place it on top of my castle.

He walked over and crouched in front of me.

"Elara, if you're hungry, open the fridge. If you're thirsty, drink water. The food's all inside, okay?"

I nodded. "Hungry, open fridge. Thirsty, drink water."

"Good girl." He reached up and patted my head.

"We'll be right back. We'll buy Elara her favorite strawberry cake."

As he left, he casually flipped the master switch by the entryway.

Click.

The living room lights went out. The TV screen went dark.

He glanced at his phone, thinking it was just a brief power outage.

Then he turned and went to pick up the suitcase by the door and headed downstairs.

Not long after, I called him, my voice small: "The lights won't turn on."

Lydia drew closer with the child: "There she goes again."

"It's true," I said.

Lydia's baby started crying.

"How much longer are you going to humor her? She uses this every time to keep you."

I looked at the block in my hand: "I'm not—I—"

"Elara." His voice dropped. "We're just going away for two days. Don't make a scene."

"How long is two days?"

"We'll be back soon."

"Today?"

There was no answer on the other end. Aldric was silent for a moment.

"Elara, if you keep this up, I'll really have to consider separating from you."

The block slipped from my hand and landed on my lap.

"If we separate, will you not come home anymore?"

Lydia leaned toward the phone: "Ignore her. She's just afraid you won't keep her company."

Aldric cleared his throat.

"Be good. Don't open the door by yourself. It's not safe outside."

I nodded. "I'll wait for you at home."

He left.

The house fell completely silent.

I sat on the carpet, staring at that door.

Much later, I picked up the phone again.

"There's no electricity at home. I'm scared."

"I know—you're going to say the lights are broken again."

"Not the lights. The fridge is still on, but nothing else."

A pause on the other end.

"If you call me about this again, I'll send you back to the care facility."

I looked at the black TV screen.

"I don't want to go there. I just want to turn on the lights."

"Then don't."

The line went dead.

I held the phone, sitting in the dark.

After a while, I said to myself: "Elara won't make trouble."

The sun outside was bright.

Inside, the only light was the faint glow from the fridge crack.