“Pizza it is,” I declared.
Minutes later, we were sitting on the couch, wolfing down slices while watching TV. Mira was quiet for once, her face illuminated by the screen.
Before I knew it, my head rested against the back of the couch, and the day’s exhaustion caught up with me. I didn’t even notice when I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up with a start, blinking against the light pouring into the room. Something felt off. The house was too quiet. I glanced around, and that’s when it hit me—Mira was nowhere to be seen.
“Mira!” I called out, my voice echoing through the house. “Mira, where are you?”
No answer.
Panic surged through me. I started frantically searching the house, opening doors, peeking under beds, and even checking the closets and cupboards.
Every empty space seemed to mock me. My heart raced faster with each passing second.
I had one task. One simple task. Watch Mira for a day, and I couldn’t even do that.
I pulled out my phone, desperate for a clue, and saw a text from Riley:
“On my way home. I’ll be there in an hour. Everything okay?”
I froze for a moment, then typed back: “All good!” It was a lie, but I needed time to fix this.
Running downstairs, I scanned the living room again and noticed something I’d missed earlier: the window.
It was open, and a faint breeze was fluttering the curtains. Mira had gone outside.
I climbed through the window and spotted a small shoe lying by the neighbor’s fence. My breath hitched.
Climbing over, I found myself in their backyard, where a tall tree stood with a sturdy wooden treehouse near the top.
“Mira!” I yelled, looking up.
“I’m here,” her calm voice replied from above.
I climbed the rickety ladder, my pulse still pounding. At the top, I found Mira sitting cross – legged with another boy.
They were playing with toy figures, completely unfazed.
“Mira! You scared me!” I said, still catching my breath. “Why did you run off like that?”
“I got bored,” she said, shrugging. “And Sam was here. Sam, say hi to my uncle.”
“Hi, Mira’s uncle,” Sam said, not looking up.