Chapter 35: The School Incident

The call came at 2:43 PM. I was in my office, going over those boring reports. Maya sounded freaked out but was trying to keep it together.

"Bella, it's Westwood Academy. Something happened to Emma."

My stomach dropped. "What happened?"

"Some woman tried to get to her during playtime. Security stopped her, but Emma's asking for you."

I already had my keys and jacket. "Call Mikel, tell him to meet me there, ASAP."

"He's already on his way."

That drive to Emma's school felt like forever. Traffic was awful, and I kept thinking of the worst things that could happen. Someone trying to grab my kid? After Thomas's threats, and us finding out we were being watched, it was like someone actually got to Emma.

When I got to Westwood, Mikel was already there. I found him in the principal's office, talking to Mrs. Henderson. He looked pretty shaken, but he was trying to stay calm.

"Mommy!" Emma ran at me the second I walked in and hugged me super tight.

I knelt down, checking her over. "You okay, sweetie? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," she said quickly, but her eyes were huge. "But the lady knew stuff about you and Daddy that I didn't tell her."

My heart skipped a beat. "Like what?"

Mrs. Henderson told us to sit down and looked really serious. "Maybe we should go over what happened."

So, basically, during recess, a woman went up to the playground fence and called Emma by her name. The people watching the kids noticed right away – the school's got a strict rule about strangers talking to the kids.

"She told Emma she had a message from her dad," Mrs. Henderson told us. "She knew Emma's whole name, her favorite color, stuff about when she was sick. It was like she knew you guys."

"What exactly did she say?" Mikel asked. He was trying to keep it cool, but he was mad.

Emma looked at us, trying to remember. "She said she was Daddy's friend, and she had to tell me something important about our family. She knew about my dolphin pancakes and my fairy house by the big tree."

That creeped me out. That's stuff from our normal life, you know? Things a stranger shouldn't know.

"She knew about your bedtime stories too," Emma kept going. "The one about the stars that Mommy sings. She said Daddy used to love that song."

Mikel clenched his fists. Someone had to be watching us, listening to us, to know that stuff.

"What did you say to her, sweetie?" I asked softly.

"Nothing! Mrs. Patterson taught us about strangers, and even if they know stuff, we're not supposed to talk to them unless you or Daddy says it's okay." Emma sounded proud for a second, but then she got quiet. "But she looked really sad when I went away. Like she was going to cry."

"You did the right thing," Mikel said, pulling her close. "You never talk to strangers, even if they seem nice or say they know us."

Mrs. Henderson got out a folder. "We have the whole thing on camera, and the guards got pictures of the woman and her license plate before she left. We've already called the police and made a report."

She showed us some pictures from the security camera. It was Sophia Chen – you could tell, even in the blurry picture. The black hair, the fancy clothes, and that look on her face as she held onto the fence.

"That's Sophia Chen," I said quietly. "Mikel's old... coworker."

"We'll need to change Emma's security stuff," Mrs. Henderson said. "Only people on your list can talk to her, and we'll keep a closer eye on the playground."

The guard, who'd been writing stuff down, spoke up. "Has this woman tried anything before?"

"She's been sending threats and watching us," Mikel said. "We're trying to get a restraining order."

Emma tugged on my arm. "Mommy, why was the lady so sad? And how did she know so much about us if she's a stranger?"

Those questions hit hard. How do you explain obsession and stalking to a little kid without scaring her to death?

"Sometimes grown-ups do dumb things when they're upset," I said carefully. "She knows Daddy and me, but she's not thinking straight right now, so you shouldn't talk to her."

"Is she sick? Like when I was sick and I couldn't think straight?"

Mikel and I looked at each other. She's so sweet; she even feels bad for this person.

"Something like that," Mikel said softly. "But don't worry about it. We're going to keep you safe."

Mrs. Henderson told us about the new security stuff – someone would watch Emma during playtime, we'd have to show ID to pick her up, and any weird stuff would mean a lockdown.

As we were getting ready to leave, Emma's teacher, Mrs. Patterson, came over with a drawing Emma did in art class.

"She had to finish this before she left," Mrs. Patterson said, handing me a drawing of stick figures holding hands with what looked like a bubble around them.

"It's our family with a safety shield," Emma said seriously. "So the sad lady can't scare us anymore."

That drawing messed me up way more than any threat from some company ever could. My kid is drawing safety shields because some crazy person is messing with her life.

Outside in the parking lot, Mikel and I stood by our cars while Emma got in her car seat. We needed a second to deal with this.

"She got to our daughter," I said, trying not to lose it. "Sophia actually talked to Emma and tried to use personal stuff to mess with her."

"The restraining order will happen, and I'm getting more security, just for Emma," Mikel said. He looked angry.

"This has to end, Mikel. I don't care what it takes; Emma comes first."

"I agree. She needs to be protected, no matter what."

My phone buzzed – a text from a number I didn't know: *She's adorable, isn't she? So trusting. So innocent. It would be such a shame if something happened to that sweet nature.*

I showed Mikel the text, and his face went ice-cold.

"She's getting worse," he said quietly. "First watching, then talking to Emma, now threats."

"What's next? Breaking into our house? Following Emma into the bathroom at school?" I was panicking.

"Hey." Mikel came closer and put his hands on my shoulders. "Look at me. Nothing's going to happen to Emma. We won't let it. Whatever Sophia's planning, we'll be ready."

"How can we be ready for someone who's lost it? Someone who thinks it's okay to talk to a five-year-old at school?"

"Because we're her parents, and we'll do anything to protect her." He sounded so sure. "Sophia messed up today. She showed herself, gave us her location, and gave it to the cops. She's not as smart as she thinks."

I wanted to believe him, but Emma's drawing reminded me how easily everything could fall apart.

"Bella," Mikel said softly, "I know you're scared. I am too. But we can't let it control us. We have to be smart and stick together."

"Together," I said. It was like all this – the years apart, the lies, trying to trust each other again – this was showing us what it meant to really be partners.

"Together," he said. "Whatever Sophia does, she's going to have to deal with both of us."

Emma tapped on the car window, waving us over. When we got there, she rolled down the window and looked really serious.

"Are you and Daddy making plans to keep me safe?" she asked.

"Yeah, sweetie. Good plans."

"Good. Because I have an idea too." She sounded like a little adult. "What if we told everyone at school that I can't talk to any adults except you and Daddy and Mrs. Henderson? Then, if the sad lady comes back, they'll know to call you."

I thought that was a good idea – letting her be part of keeping herself safe instead of just trying to hide her from everything.

"That's really smart," Mikel said. "We'll talk to Mrs. Henderson about telling her teachers about our plans."

"And what about a password?" Emma asked. "Like if someone says something weird, I can say the password, and they'll know to help me."

"What kind of password?" I asked. She was really thinking this through.

Emma thought about it. "Dolphin! Because dolphins are smart and protect their families."

Mikel smiled for the first time since the school called. "Dolphin it is, princess. If a stranger tries to talk to you, yell 'dolphin' as loud as you can, and everyone will help you."

As we drove home, Emma excited about her password, I realized that Sophia had screwed up.

Instead of scaring us and pushing us apart, she'd made us closer. Instead of making Emma feel weak, she'd helped her be part of keeping herself safe. Instead of breaking us, she'd shown us how strong we really were.

But when I pulled into the driveway and saw Mikel getting out of his car, I wondered what Sophia would do next.

Someone who'd go after a kid at school would probably do anything.

"Mommy," Emma said when I took her out of her car seat, "the sad lady said one more thing."

My blood ran cold. "What?"

"She said Daddy loves me and you very much, but sometimes love isn't enough to keep families together." Emma looked confused. "What does that mean?"

I looked at Mikel, and he looked just as shocked as I felt. Sophia wasn't just trying to get to Emma; she was trying to make her think our family was going to fall apart.

"It means she doesn't understand how much we love each other," I said. "Because our love is enough to keep us together forever."

"Promise?" Emma asked, looking at both of us.

"Promise," Mikel and I said together.

But as we walked to the house, I kept thinking about what Emma had said – that the woman knew things about Daddy. She'd shown us how much we were being watched.

And I was terrified that this was only the start.