CHAPTER 2: THE JEALOUSY THAT TURNED DANGEROUS
It took nearly an hour before Emma could explain what happened.
Every word made me sicker.
The school was preparing for its annual theater production.
Emma had earned the lead role.
She'd practiced for weeks.
Memorized every line.
Worked harder than any child her age should have to.
The role had originally belonged to another student.
My niece.
Sarah's daughter.
When auditions ended, Emma got the part.
My niece didn't.
Apparently Sarah never accepted it.
At first she complained to teachers.
Then administrators.
Then other parents.
Everyone told her the same thing.
The auditions had been fair.
The best performer got the role.
Emma.
Most adults would move on.
Sarah wasn't most adults.
According to witnesses, she arrived at school furious.
She demanded the role be changed.
When teachers refused, she became aggressive.
Then she somehow convinced Emma to follow her into an empty classroom.
What happened next horrified everyone.
Sarah locked the door.
Took a pair of art scissors.
And cut off chunks of my daughter's hair.
While screaming that Emma had "stolen" something that belonged to her daughter.
Teachers eventually heard crying.
By the time they forced the door open, Emma was hysterical.
Hair covered the floor.
Sarah was still yelling.
Police were called immediately.
I felt physically sick.
"Why?" I whispered.
Principal Reynolds looked away.
"Honestly?"
She hesitated.
"I think your sister needs help."
The police report was even worse.
Sarah showed no remorse.
None.
She insisted Emma deserved it.
She insisted the school had cheated her daughter.
She insisted everyone else was wrong.
As officers escorted her out, she reportedly shouted:
"She ruined my child's future!"
My daughter was eight.
Eight.
What kind of adult does that?
I thought things couldn't get worse.
I was wrong.
That evening my phone exploded.
Calls.
Messages.
Voicemails.
My parents.
At first I assumed they were horrified.
Instead, they were angry.
At me.
"Sarah made a mistake."
"A family disagreement shouldn't involve police."
"You're destroying your sister's life."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Destroying her life?
She had assaulted my child.
My mother cried on the phone.
My father accused me of betrayal.
Then came the sentence I'll never forget.
"Family should protect family."
I hung up immediately.
Because apparently nobody planned to protect Emma.
So I would.
No matter what it cost.
What I didn't know yet was that this wasn't Sarah's first victim.
May you like
Not even close.
To be continued...
