Two girls whispered in the dark. Blonde curls mixed with orange locks, and a flashlight sat between them, casting shadows through the room.
"… eight, two, seven…" Charlotte chanted, and Alexis punched the numbers into the phone, biting her lip and wincing slightly at each beep of the buttons.
"We're- I'm going to be in so much trouble! It's past bedtime."
The phone began to ring, and they leaned in close, waiting with bated breaths.
"Hello?"
"Daddy!" Charlotte let out a squeak of excitement. "Daddy, it's me, it's Charlotte, can you hear me? Daddy! Alexis-"
"Hello? Who's there?"
Charlotte stopped talking, and looked at Alexis with pleading eyes. "Please please please-"
Alexis sighed, and, heart beating in her ears, leaned into the speaker.
"Hello?"
Silence filled the room, and the girls waited once more.
"I think you have the wrong number, dear. Who are you trying to call?"
Charlotte's face fell. "But that's our number."
"Maybe it's changed?" Alexis suggested, before speaking into the phone once more. "I-I'm calling for a Mr. Jane?" Glancing at the stairs, she lowered her voice. "Is this – are you Charlotte's daddy?"
"I – yes, that's me. Who is this? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I, um. I have a message for you."
Charlotte was bouncing on her knees, her eyes bright and smile brighter. It was most excited she had ever been. "Tell him that Mommy and me made the chicken 'specially for him, and I made the salad with raisins and apples even though Mommy doesn't like it like that but I know he does, and I do too, and tell him that it was Dylan who gave me those flowers, and they don't have worms, I checked, and Mommy read me Peter Rabbit before bed, and tell him that I tried to wait up but it was too late and I guess I fell asleep, and also that Anna wants to come over for a play date, and I want to go down to the beach with her, and Mommy said it was okay, and I lost my allowance but it wasn't my fault, I was showing my quarter to Anna but Frank pushed me and I dropped it, and I cried but I'm alright now, Ms. Poppy gave me a new one -"
"The chicken's for you, and the salad, and the flowers are from Dylan, and she read Peter Rabbit, and, uh – wait, you're going too fast!" Alexis clapped a hand to her mouth as she raised her voice over her friend's excited chatter, and lowered it once more to a whisper, repeating desperately, "And she wants to go to the beach with Anna, and she lost her quarter but Ms. Poppy gave her a new one -"
"Stop. Stop! What is this? Who are you?"
Mr. Jane's voice had taken on an urgent quality, and the girls traded a look. He didn't sound as happy as they had hoped, to be hearing from his daughter.
"My name is Alexis." Alexis said slowly. She had probably been talking too fast. Charlotte certainly had. "I'm a friend of Charlotte's?"
"She's my friend, Daddy! I live with her now." Charlotte leaned in and spoke into the phone, even though they both knew he couldn't hear her.
"Alexis…"
"Alexis?"
Alexis jumped, and dropped the phone like it had burned her. She turned guiltily towards the stairs. "Dad, I can explain…"
Dad descended the last few steps, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"What are you doing up? Did you have a nightmare?" His eyes landed on the still glowing phone, and he straightened, suddenly looking much more alert. "Who are you calling?"
Alexis knew lying was bad, but when it came to Charlotte, the truth was sometimes just too complicated. Especially for one in the morning. She fumbled for the phone, and pressed the button to end the call.
"Um, no one. Ms. G! We had a question about homework. I'm going to bed. Good night, love you, bye!" Alexis grabbed Charlotte's wrist, and fled past her dad and up the stairs, to the safety of her bedroom. Charlotte looked disappointed, but didn't protest.
"We'll try again." Alexis promised, crawling under the covers and pulling them up to her chin.
"Okay. Thanks." Charlotte curled up next to her, and turned to look at the ceiling. "Do you think he believed you? That it was me?"
"I don't know. But he will. He's your daddy. He has to."
Richard reached down to the abandoned phone, frowning at it. He didn't like the thought of his six year-old daughter hiding things from him, especially things to do with midnight phone calls and strangers. He tried, but he couldn't think of anyone who would be up at this time of night, who he would be okay with talking to Alexis.
"Who are you…" he muttered, bringing up the call history. It wasn't her teacher Virginia Gillwood, he realized that as soon as he saw that it was a California number. Perhaps Meredith…
Meredith was in Paris.
Expression darkening, he pressed redial and held the phone to his ear. His mood did not change when the voice on the other end was that of a grown man.
"Hello? Alexis?"
"You leave my daughter alone, do you hear me? I have your number, and it's just one call to the police to find out where you live. If you ever call my home again, I can promise you this. I will find you, and I will make your life miserable. Are we clear?"
He hung up before the man on the other end could reply.