The All-Seeing Eyes

Chapter 1

Two years ago...

Isabella was about leave the house for school when her Mom intercepted her at the door. She instantly covered her ears to ignore it, but the words came out anyway.

"I think it's time that you visit your Dad in prison," she said.

Isabella looked up into her Mom's eyes to catch a glimpse of hope. She was too stubborn to agree. Every time, their conversation sounded as if they were in a play and knew each line by heart. Isabella would resist the idea while her Mom encouraged the change. Nothing expanded beyond their previous thoughts.

However, today Isabella couldn't take it anymore, "When are you going let this go, Mom?"

"When you decide to hear him out. He was a part of this family."

"Yeah, he was welcome until he ripped the only good thing in his life apart," she murmured.

"What did you say?"

And just like that, their talk reached a moment that was no longer scripted.

"I did what I had to do to get his friend out of our lives. I never intended to make you heartbroken."

Her Mom looked wide-eyed as she tried to formulate a response.

"You were twelve years old then. A child shouldn't have the power to control who leaves or stays. There's no way that you understood what was going on," she replied.

Her Mom was easily convinced that John would never do anything to hurt the people he cared about. Well, only half of that is true. He would do dangerous work on the side in order to benefit his family. Her Mom took advantage of the situation and let him get away with more than she could bargain for. Those three years of him gone increased her pay at a local law firm. John wanted to support them independently. However, Mom had refused to let her dream job pass. This made Isabella attend the most prestigious school in Rachdale. 

"It's hard to face him after he put our lives on the line to do a risky job."

Isabella rushed out the door before getting a response and made it to school by the first bell. Other kids took their place at the front of the classroom while she squeezed into a chair in the back of the classroom. Her thoughts ran wild of the night she had called the police on her Dad.

"Was it right to punish someone even if they were a family member? Yes, because we didn't have to deal with his problems every day. Mom and I are better protected now that he's out of the picture. I hate to admit it, but he still held a place in my heart despite this mistake," she wondered.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked from the desk beside her.

"I'm fine. Why?" Isabella replied as she snapped back to reality.

She turned to see that the girl had dark grey leggings and an ACDC t-shirt on.

"You've been staring out the window for ten minutes now. The teacher was starting to notice," the girl whispered.

"Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem."

"What's your name?"

"Miranda."

She hesitated before adding, "I'm Isabella."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but: what's making you so spaced-out?" Miranda said bluntly.

"My Dad did something he wasn't supposed to. I called him out on it and my Mom is making me face the consequences."

As vague as her explanation was, it felt good to get that off her chest. Isabella made herself vulnerable to someone who was not involved with the situation. In this way, a stranger's judgement would not directly affect her mental state. 

A small smile spread across her lips as the girl searched for a response, "Oh, I'm sure that it will work out in the end." 

However, there was no proper response to such a personal issue. Miranda couldn't possibly understand what she was going through and maybe never would. Isabella's broken family only served as the outcome of her mistake. It was that simple. There's no need to bring another person into her problems and to share that type of burden. 

"Then you obviously don't know me very well. Not all families are perfect," Isabella retorted.

She disregarded the comment and continued talking, "You're right, but it doesn't hurt to help when able to."

After that, both girls turned back to the front of the room. When they got up to leave for the next class, Isabella realized that there was a slip of paper on her desk. 

"Call me if you ever want to talk. :)"

Attached to the message was Miranda's phone number. She looked up once finished reading to see the girl lingering at the door. From that day forward, they would sit at the same lunch table and talk for hours on the phone. Isabella hated to admit it, but she needed a friend during that stage of her life. In past years, she had dealt with most situations alone. This feeling of being uplifted by another person was unfamiliar.