The Scream That Pulled Me
I rushed to Lily's bedroom after hearing the scream. The door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open, my heart pounding.
Lily sat on the bed, trembling. She clutched a pink bucket hat in her hands, her eyes wide with fear.
My breath froze when I saw her hair. It was cut into rough, uneven patches, some strands hanging in tattered ends.
A dried cut showed above her left ear, and her hands shook as she held the hat.
“Aunt Vanessa said my hair is so pretty it's unfair to Chloe,” Lily whispered, her voice breaking.
I knelt beside her and gently turned her head, my hands trembling. Then I noticed a severed braid sealed inside a plastic bag on the vanity.
Vanessa appeared in the doorway, a forced smile on her face. It vanished as soon as she saw my expression.
“She got into the scissors. Kids do stupid things,” Vanessa said, her voice trembling.
“My six-year-old would never cut her own hair,” I replied, my voice icy.
I crossed the room and sl@pped her. She crashed onto the floor.
“I didn’t mean to,” Vanessa whimpered, but her eyes betrayed her.
My gaze fell on a tablet sitting nearby. A saved livestream was frozen at 2:14. I pressed play.
Beauty lights surrounded Lily. Vanessa stood behind her, holding scissors while Chloe gripped Lily's arms.
Vanessa lunged for the tablet. I yanked it away.
On-screen, Lily began begging them to stop.
“Why were you telling Chloe to hold Lily still?” I demanded, my voice shaking with rage.
Vanessa's eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape.
The Hidden Truth
Chloe, a nervous five-year-old, clutched Lily’s arm, her eyes wide with fear. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.
“I-I was just helping,” she stammered, her voice trembling.
Vanessa’s face twisted into a mask of desperation. “It was an accident. I swear,” she pleaded, inching closer to me.
I took a step back, holding the tablet firmly. “You can’t fool me anymore, Vanessa. I saw everything.”
“Alex, please—”
“Shut up!” I shouted, my patience snapping. “You knew exactly what you were doing.”
I pressed a button on the tablet, and a hidden phone tucked away in the vanity drawer started to buzz. I snatched it and pressed play.
The video from a different angle revealed Vanessa whispering to Chloe beforehand, urging her to hold Lily still while she prepared the scissors. Lily’s pleas became more desperate with each second.
Vanessa’s face turned pale, her eyes widening in horror. She lunged to smash the phone.
But it was too late. The screen flashed a sudden blackout, and a chilling, distorted voiceover cut through the silence: “Help me, Alex. Please, help me.”
The voice belonged to Lily’s mother, who was thought to be dead.
A scream filled the room, but it wasn’t Lily’s. It was Vanessa’s, a primal, desperate cry.
Vanessa’s Whispered Plan
The tablet screen flickered, showing a second camera angle. Lily's room looked almost peaceful at first, with beauty lights casting a soft glow.
Alex's heart pounded as the video began. Vanessa appeared on screen, her smile cold and calculating. She leaned down to Chloe, who looked nervous and wide-eyed.
"Chloe, honey, can you do me a favor?" Vanessa whispered, her tone sweet but sinister. "Hold Lily still for a moment, okay? She needs a little haircut."
Chloe's small hands hesitantly reached for Lily's arms. Lily's face twisted in fear, but she was too young to fully understand the gravity of the situation.
The video continued, and Vanessa's expression hardened as she picked up a pair of scissors. Alex's hands clenched into fists, anger surging through her.
Lily's voice began to tremble. "Aunt Vanessa, please don't. It hurts!"
Vanessa's hand moved toward a concealed knife on the vanity. The screen seemed to focus on it, the blade glinting menacingly in the light.
