Starting Over at Four

The day my aunt, Renee Dover, came to visit, Dad sat Mom down and said, "The 180,000 in savings doesn't get touched. I don't care who asks for it. That money's for the kids."What they did not realize was that Aunt Renee had been standing just outside the door, listening for quite some time.I only learned the full truth in my previous life. Her boyfriend, Ray Dutton, had been hounding her for 180 grand to put toward the wedding. She did not have the money, and my parents had already turned her down when she tried to borrow it.Then she noticed my sister, Candace Bennett, sitting on the carpet, smiling that soft, sweet little smile of hers. Her eyes lit up."Come on, Mary, I'm not making this up. A kids' clothing brand is looking for child models. One day of shooting is 20 grand."Mom paused mid-step, the grocery basket still in her hand. "Twenty grand?""Yeah!" Aunt Renee pulled Candy onto her lap. "How much do you and your husband even make in a month? That's enough to cover

I jumped off the couch immediately. "She's not going!"Aunt Renee laughed. "We're just stepping outside the door. You can come too, Levi."Candy was in her arms, still clutching that little stuffed bunny of hers. She looked at me. "You're coming too, Levi?"I was about to follow them when Aunt Renee gently blocked me with her arm. "Levi, your shoes are on the wrong feet. Go fix them."I looked down. My shoes were not on the wrong feet.By the time I looked up again, the door was open. Aunt Renee was already out, with Candy in her arms.I screamed. "Dad!"I sprinted to the doorway. The elevator doors had just closed.I pounded on them with both hands. "Candy! Candy!"Dad came in from the balcony. "What happened?""Aunt Renee took Candy!"Mom came running from the kitchen. "What?"She pulled out her phone and called Aunt Renee, but there was no answer. She called again, and still no answer.In the family group chat, Aunt Renee had sent a voice message."Mary, the photograph

Dad shoved me into Mom's arms and threw himself at the van, grabbing the back door with both hands.The driver had already hit the gas. The van lurched forward, and Dad stumbled, his knees nearly slamming into the pavement. His grip did not loosen."Stop the car!"His voice came out raw and cracked, like split wood. The driver swore and tried to gun it again, but the owner of the convenience store nearby heard the commotion and stuck his head out."What's going on out here?"I was crying so hard that my voice had gone ragged. I pointed at the van and screamed, "The bad man's taking my sister! Candy's in there!"Two men in security uniforms came running over as well. Aunt Renee immediately burst into tears."It's a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding! That's my niece in there. The kid's just throwing a tantrum!"Mom held me against her chest, her hands shaking the entire time. She still had not fully processed what was happening, not until the tracker in my hand k

The scene went dead silent.Aunt Renee lunged for her phone, but Dad was faster. He pinned her wrist to the spot. "Don't touch it."The officer picked up the phone, and Aunt Renee finally panicked. "That's just a friend joking around."Another message popped up on the screen.Ray: [Already sent you the 20 grand deposit. Don't back out on me now.]Dad stared at the text. That morning, Aunt Renee had said one day of shooting paid 20,000 dollars. It had never been a modeling fee. It was a deposit for selling my sister.The officer told her to unlock the phone, but she refused. The man in the baseball cap was not looking so steady anymore either. "I don't know anything about this. I was just helping drive."The officer turned to him. "A moment ago, you said you were the photography assistant."The man opened his mouth, then closed it. He had nothing left to say.The phone was unlocked in the end. The moment the chat history opened, Aunt Renee's legs buckled.It was full of photos

From that day on, Candy always wanted me to hold her hand. During meals, while watching cartoons, and whenever we went downstairs to play. Sometimes, she would fall asleep with her fingers still gripping the hem of my shirt.Mom asked, "Do you think Candy's still scared?"Dad said, "Give her time."The truth was, I was scared too. I would dream about the gray van and the headlights switching on, the pink hair clip lying on the ground, me screaming until my voice gave out while Dad still could not catch up.Every time I woke up, I would climb out of bed and go check on Candy. She would be asleep in her little bed, breathing softly. I would touch her hand, and it would be warm.This time, she was still here.One night, Mom got up for water and found me standing beside Candy's bed. She crouched down in front of me. "Levi, are you scared?"I nodded.She held me. "I'm scared too."I whispered, "Mommy, you have to keep Candy safe.""I will.""Dad too.""Him too.""And