A Neat Mess

1. The Call That Stirred Everyone

Sam was looking out of her office window when the sound of her mobile jolted her back to the present. She recognised the number. It used to give her the chills, but now it only made her angry.

She knew a phone call from her daughter's school could only mean one thing: Jenna, her popular eight-year-old "evil genius" with a twisted sense of humor—who was a year younger but two inches taller than her classmates—must have done something to one or a group of her schoolmates or teachers, or perhaps all of the above, including the janitor and school mascot. Sam just wondered why Ms. Parker, the principal, was calling from her mobile.

Sam rolled her eyes, picked up the phone, and prepared to get defensive. She released a frustrated sigh.

"Hi, Ms. Parker, how can I help you?"

"First, I need to assure you that Jenna is fine, but we had to take her to the hospital," Parker replied with a shaky voice.

"If she is fine, then why is she in the hospital?" Sam's first guess was that Jenna must have superglued something—or someone—to herself... again!

"Nah! Jenna normally tries things only once. We had to take her to the hospital because, after the school nurse cleaned her up, she couldn't find a single scratch on her or anyone else in the school."

Now Sam was wondering if Parker was playing a prank on her to retaliate against one of Jenna's million pranks. "And that's alarming, becaaaaause...?"

"Jenna was covered in blood when she walked into the nurse's office. Her hands, her clothes... even her face and some of her hair... were all bloody. We took her to the ER to make sure our nurse wasn't missing anything. Also, because it's blood, it needs to be checked for possible infections and other issues."

"Are we sure it was blood? What does Jenna say about what happened?" Sam already knew the answer.

"Yep, and now she's giving us the silent treatment. Can you please come over ASAP?"

"Not the silent treatment," Sam thought. Jenna's silent treatment was an escape strategy she invented for times when she was in trouble. She would pick a corner on the ceiling, carefully so no one could block her eyesight, and refuse to talk, answer, or even blink for a long time.

Jenna played her role so convincingly that she managed to fool everyone around her. Friends, family, and even doctors were deceived into testing her for epilepsy, autism, brain tumors, depression, and catatonia. Yet, the results were always the same: Jenna was perfectly fine.

The only explanation for her behavior was to avoid having to elaborate or apologize, and driving people around her crazy was just a bonus.

The first time she was caught by a clinic's security camera, she looked around, stretched her neck, and rested her eyes when no one was watching.

Sam picked up her bag and informed her manager that she had to go to the hospital. The manager's concerned and sympathetic eyes followed her out. Sam thought to herself, Jenna had better keep getting the highest marks in the region and continue receiving medals in almost every sport so the school will overlook any new mess she makes.

Sam found Ms. Parker with another woman whom, based on what she was wearing, couldn't be a hospital staff member. Sam had never seen her at school before. The woman was standing in front of an ER cubicle with the curtains closed. They stopped their quiet conversation upon Sam's arrival.

"She is right here," Parker pointed to the closed curtain they were standing by.

Sam leaned close to Parker and whispered in a voice so low that anyone who was listening could only see her lips move, "You let her rest? Now she's recharged her batteries, stretched her neck, and blinked enough to stay catatonic for another few hours—thank you very much!"

The woman Sam had never met before let out a quick laugh, which made both women turn to her. "Sam, this is Mrs. Pavlov. She's a... um..." Parker struggled to explain Pavlov's role and how she was involved in the situation.

Pavlov reached out to shake hands with Sam. "I am a children's behavioral psychologist and a partner at the Dreamland Recovery Centre, which partially funds and collaborates with Jenna's school. We are silent observers and use data provided by the school for our research. We only get directly involved when cases like this happen."

"You mean you fund schools and observe kids for your work? Is that even legal?" Sam was furious and confused—though more furious.

"Everything we do is by the book. You should also know that Jenna's doctor wishes to speak with you, then I will be here to answer all your questions and assure you that everything we do is in the best interests of the children and their well-being."