Arlo's Academy For Girls (WILL BE REWRITTEN)

Prologue

    “Wake up!”

    I rebelliously turned my back to the demanding voice. I was determined to finish my dream.

   
“There’s a monster under my bed,” I insisted, wishing my dad would be like all the other dads and vanquish the fearsome beast. Instead, he would always shake his head and repeat my name. I knew there wasn’t, but I wanted him to pretend there was.

Parents are supposed to be good at pretending, right? Like when they pretend to be surprised about our Christmas presents from “Santa”. Or when Aunt Kathy and Uncle Neo pretend Mom stole all the brownies.

But I could never seem to express that without pouting, crying, or stomping my feet. I had decided to just accept his answer and settle in bed that night.

Maybe he’d be so worried that I was acting off that he would come to check on me. Maybe…

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard him leave the house. He never said goodbye to anyone; not even the cat. I had tried bringing it up with Mom a while back, but she just shrugged.

But tonight, I was determined to stay unusually quiet. Rarely did I not go out or wave at him through my window. After all, if I ignore him after I usually get angry, surely, that would be breaking some rules. Or at least I hope he thought I was. Or maybe, in the morning, when he was just like other doting dads, he would think I wasn’t feeling well, and check on me.

Yes.

This plan would finally get me the attention I could brag about at school. No longer would I have to keep silent while all the other girls compared how tightly their dads were wrapped around their fingers.

Now that my grand scheme was complete, I could rest peacefully. No monsters would be taunting me tonight, but not for the reasons I thought.