1: The Parent-Teacher Conference

“Your dad should be here to pick you up soon,” Amelia said as she gently rubbed Lily’s head. 

Lily is her student who has made her concerned for a while now. Lily’s art was different, there were always shadows and people with no faces. One drawing was really messed up, it was a small girl hiding under a table with red scribbles everywhere in the background.

She had tried to reach out to her dad several times, she left messages and even sent a note home with Lily. Most parents wanted to talk about their kids but Lily’s dad seemed not to want to talk to her at all.

Just when she was losing hope of seeing him, the sound of a motorcycle shook the building. She watched the man getting off the huge black Harley looked like something from a bad dream. He was tall and wide, he walked with a lot of confidence, his dark hair was pulled back, and even from far away, she could see the tattoos on his arms like sleeves.

"Are you the teacher?" His voice was rough as he approached which made her want to step back.

"Ms. Vance," she said. She put her hand out with a fake smile. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Miller. Please, have a seat."

She pulled out a chair and one eyebrow went up, he didn't sit. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall by the door.

"Look, I don't have a lot of time," he said. His dark eyes looked around the room and then at her face. "Lily's grades are good, right? So what's the problem?"

"Lily is a great student in school," she said pulling out the folder. "But I'm worried about how she acts. It seems like she's dealing with some hard feelings."

His face got dark and he moved forward a little. "What kind of stuff?"

She opened the folder and showed him the drawings. "These drawings show some bad things and in class, Lily seems worried. She gets scared easily and has a hard time with loud sounds."

He looked at the drawings for a second and then his jaw got tight. "Kids draw weird things. It doesn't mean anything."

"Mr. Miller, I've been a teacher for seven years. I know the difference between a kid's imagination and signs of something bad that happened." She was calm but her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met, he looked scary. "Did something big happen at home recently? Like losing a family member?"

"You don’t ask me such questions! Save the shrink talk, Ms. Vance. You teach ABCs, not my kid's head. What's really going on here… you think a guy like me can't raise his daughter right?"

"I'm not judging you," Amelia said, "But ignoring this won't help Lily. If you won't talk about it, how can we make sure she's okay? I also want her to see the school counselor."

"No way." His words came out like a snarl. 

"Mr. Miller, Lily has clear signs of being very worried and maybe even PTSD. Helping her now could change everything…"

"We? There ain't no 'we' here." He leaned closer, his eyes slitted "Stay with your chalkboard and stay out of my business."

“I can’t she is my student!”Amelia stood her ground even though she was shaking inside and he scoffed. 

“Lily is a tough girl, you have nothing to worry about. You don’t know her more than her father!”

"Being tough shouldn't be a rule for an eight-year-old to live by."

His gaze locked with hers and it took everything in her not to turn and run out of his sight. 

"We're done here," he hissed and turned. 

Just before Amelia could say another word, Lily was gone with her dad, she let out a deep breath, and just then her phone beeped, she took it and noticed a message pop in. “Stop asking questions about the Miller girl, or you'll regret it. Some secrets are not worth dying for.”

Amelia looked at the screen, her hand shaking wondering who could have sent this.  What kind of world was little Lily living in?

* 

The meeting with Deacon Miller kept playing in Amelia’s head. She sat on her couch staring at the drawing Lily made of a bird in a cage. He was a jerk and scary, she wasn’t sure what he was doing to her but she really wanted to get to the bottom of everything. 

Knowing she couldn’t keep everything in, she called her best friend who picked up immediately, telling her everything that happened at school the previous day. 

“Jess, am I crazy?” she asked as she finished narrating her ordeal. 

“Probably,” Jessica yawned  “but I am going to advise you to stay away, this is not your problem. The guy is in a motorcycle gang and you’re a second-grade teacher. Do not go to his house, you hear me?”

“But what if she’s in danger?”

“Then you call the police, don’t try to be a hero, you do not go knocking on the door of a man whose friends text you death threats! You’re not even sure he is not the one who texted. Are you insane?”

"I can’t just stay put Jess. I need more information before I can help her properly."

"This isn't about that kid from your first year, is it” They both paused knowing Jess had just hit a nerve. 

“Amelia, you couldn't have known what was happening at Marcus's house. You were twenty-two years old and fresh out of college."

The mention of Marcus made Amelia's chest tighten. She thought she failed that little boy, missed all the signs until it was too late, and by the time child services got involved, the damage was done. Marcus had ended up in foster care, and Amelia had sworn she would never let another child slip through the cracks.

"We will talk later, okay?”Amelia said and ended the call. She couldn’t continue this conversation anymore. 

She took her system and went through her student files and was able to get Lily’s address “Deacon Miller,” she mumbled as she wrote down the address. 

On her way, she stopped at a bookstore bought two books on helping kids with anxiety, and drove up to a small, neat-looking house in a quiet neighborhood. 

It looked normal.

She took a deep breath as she walked to the front door and knocked.

The door opened a second later, and Deacon was standing there. He had a dish towel in his hand. He wasn't wearing his leather vest. He just had on a plain black t-shirt. For a second, he looked confused and then his eyes got hard.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he growled.

“Mr. Miller, please, just give me five minutes,” Amelia said. She held up the books like a shield.

“You have a lot of guts showing up at my door like this,” he snapped. He stepped onto the porch to block her view inside. “You think you can just come into my life with your books?”

Just then, Amelia heard laughter from inside. Lily’s laughter, was the first time she had ever heard it. It was a beautiful sound and it made her feel stronger.

“I’m not leaving until you listen to me,” she said, her voice steady.

He took a step closer to her space. She had to look up at him, she could smell a little garlic and something else... just him. It was a strange feeling.

“This is my home,” he said. His voice was quiet and dangerous. “My daughter is in there, you are not welcome here. Get off my porch before I make you!!.”

Her eyes looked past his shoulder, into the living room, and she saw a picture on the fireplace. A beautiful woman with Lily’s smile. She had her arm around a younger Deacon and they looked so happy.

“Wait,” Amelia said. She forgot she was mad. “Is that Lily’s mother?”

Deacon’s eyes went dark immediately and he narrowed his eyes at her,  “You... see nothing,” he said. He held on to the door frame with his hand. 

“Let’s talk Mr. Miller, it’s just that…” he cut her off.

“You hear me? Stay away from my family, or you will regret it.”

Then he slammed the door in her face.

Amelia stood there confused, unsure of what to do and the only thing she could do was turn and walk away, there is no way she is giving up so easily.