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My Neighbor Kept Seeing My Daughter at Home During School—So I Hid Under Her Bed and Heard the Truth
The first time my neighbor mentioned it, I laughed.
But Mrs. Calder didn’t laugh with me.
She stood on her porch, gripping her cardigan like it was holding her upright, her eyes fixed on my front door. “No,” she said slowly. “I mean during school hours. Middle of the day. I’ve seen her in the window. Multiple times.”
A chill ran down my spine, but I forced a smile. “You must be mistaken. My daughter, Ava, leaves at 7:30 every morning. I watch her walk to the bus stop.”
Mrs. Calder hesitated, then nodded, clearly unconvinced. “If you say so. I just thought you should know.”
I went to work that day unsettled but determined not to spiral. Ava was thirteen—quiet, studious, the kind of kid teachers loved. Straight A’s. Perfect attendance. Never once had the school called with concerns.
Still, that night, I checked the school portal.
Ava had been marked present. Every class. No absences. No tardies.
I told myself Mrs. Calder had confused Ava with another kid. Maybe a cousin. Maybe a trick of the light. Old houses and aging eyes played tricks on people.
“And yesterday,” she added, lowering her voice, “she waved at me.”
That’s when fear took root.
I didn’t confront Ava right away. I watched instead.
Every morning played out the same. She ate breakfast, complained about math homework, grabbed her backpack, and left the house at 7:30 sharp. I’d wait a few minutes, then drive off to work.
But now, doubt gnawed at me all day.
So I did something I’d never done before.
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