Vanishing point

{Larissa}

I woke up in the car alone, my head throbbing.' What am I doing sleeping in the car ?' I asked myself, confused.

Shrugging, I opened the car door and stepped out .

As I entered the house the atmosphere was tense, but there was no one in sight .

" Miaaa !" I screamed.

Then, I saw my daughter running out of her room looking breathless.

" What have you been doing? Why are you home early?!" I asked confused.

Her eyes widened in shock as if I caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to do .

She placed her hand on the crook of her neck and stuttered." Ummmmm.... M-Mom ! I got out of school early b-beacuse I got transferred to the 12 th grade ." She said rubbing her neck .

I narrowed my eyes since every time she rubs her neck means she is hiding something, and I was determined to find it out .

Noticing that she was ignoring my first question I asked again. " What were you doing before I arrived?!"

She started to tremble, I knew something was off so I said, " you know you can tell me anything, right ?"

{ Mia }

As I stared into my mother's eyes I could tell she was onto me . ' does she know something? Did the memory wipe not work ?'

I shivered, the mere thought of her finding out about Scarlett, or anything about what happened sending shivers down my spine.

I couldn't tell her I was tracking down the people that attacked the house, I had to come up with something,and fast !

" Ummmmm ... I was cleaning my room!" I said a little too fast .

Her eyes narrowed. She knew I was lying! I panicked. " Ummm ... Lemme show you " I forced a chuckle.

While leading the way I hoped with all my strength that Scarlett cleaned my room .

With trembling hands, I touched the door knob the cold metal doing very little to calm my nerves.

As I twisted the door handle and pushed it open, my breath caught.

The room was spotless. Every gadget, every scrap of evidence gone. Scarlett had done her job. Relief flooded through me, but I forced myself to stay tense, to sell the lie.

I turned back to Mom with a sheepish smile. "See? Told you. Just cleaning."

She stepped inside, her sharp gaze scanning every inch of the room. My stomach clenched as she walked over to my desk, running her fingers along its surface.

"Then why are you trembling, Mia?"

I swallowed hard. "I .... uh, I was just surprised. Didn't expect you home so soon."

Her eyes flicked to my nightstand. A tiny, nearly invisible speck of dust lingered there. She looked back at me, suspicion darkening her features.

"Scarlett, status?" I whispered under my breath, barely moving my lips.

"Your mother is analyzing the room for inconsistencies," Scarlett's voice hummed in my earpiece. "If she finds something, I suggest a distraction. Immediately."

I clenched my fists. I needed to get out of this conversation fast. But how?

Then, an idea struck me ." Mom, when is dad coming back from his work trip to Hong Kong? " I asked concern evident in my tone .

" It's been 2 weeks mom ."

Something flashed in her eyes but it was gone just as quickly as it arrived.

" Y-your dad is coming in two days, sweetheart."

" Really?" I asked actually surprised.

" Yes, it was supposed to be a surprise, but he's done with work and will be back ."

I smiled. " Thanks mom."

Then I whispered under my breath." Scarlett, send mom a message from the school that it's time she pick my sister up ."

Then, my mom's phone vibrated in her pocket. As soon as she read the message she quickly muttered an excuse and left .

{ Larissa }

As I drove away from the house, my grip on the steering wheel tightened. My knuckles turned white, but I barely noticed. My mind was spinning.

Mia thought she fooled me. She was always a smart girl, always quick on her feet but she was also my daughter. And a mother always knows when something is off.

The room had been too clean. Not just tidy, but sterile. No stray books, no clothes tossed on the chair, not even a wrinkle on the bedspread. Mia never kept her room that spotless. It was as if someone had erased every trace of what she'd been doing before I arrived.

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. Don't jump to conclusions.

The familiar weight of my phone in my purse pulled my attention. It wasn't the school message that made me reach for it I already knew that was fake. I had seen the way Mia had whispered to herself right before my phone vibrated.

Instead, I unlocked the screen and opened an app buried deep in my folders, disguised as an old calendar reminder. A single unread message waited for me in the encrypted chat.

Unknown Sender:

You need to tell her. She's not safe.

My heart pounded. Her fingers hovered over the screen. She wanted to type something—demand answers, beg for a location—but instead, she clenched her jaw and erased the message. No loose ends. No risks I didn't need to respond I already knew what it meant.

My hands shook as I set the phone down on the passenger seat. My husband was supposed to return in two days. That much was true.

But what I hadn't told Mia what I couldn't tell her was that he went missing in Hong Kong three days ago.

And now, someone was warning me. Someone who knew more than I did.

I swallowed hard, forcing my thoughts to slow down.

Whoever sent that message... did they know where he was? Were they trying to help, or was this a threat?

And more importantly if they knew he was missing, how long before Mia found out?

Because if she did, I had no doubt she would do something reckless.

And I wasn't sure I could stop her.