"Picnic was fun!"
Pamela yelled excitedly as she hopped in the car.
"Thanks mum," She said as she hugged her mum.
"Thanks pa," She said to her dad too as she took the hand he stretched out.
"I took lots of pictures and they all came out really good. I think that area where we had our picnic is just so scenic. It's perfect for taking pictures."
"You see that one of you guys running towards me? It was the best!"
"So natural, unplanned. You both looked so carefree and utterly happy."
She suddenly gasped, "and you need to see the pictures of the pond and the lilies and the tadpoles and the fishes," She moaned, "ahh they're breathtaking."
And she rambled on and on clicking away on her camera.
Even as her dad's phone began to ring repeatedly.
She knew something was wrong. It was a gut feeling and her guts were always right.
Even as her mum and dad exchanged calculated understood looks, she just kept rambling and rambling.
And it just wasn't working anymore. She couldn't keep it and so she blurted.
"Are you fighting with someone, dad?"
Mr Benson inhaled sharply, looked at his wife before looking at his daughter through the rearview mirror.
"No baby. Everything is fine."
"I'm not a baby!" She whined as she slightly rose from the backseat, "you don't have to lie, you can tell me".
Mr Benson chuckled, "okay, sweetheart. You aren't a baby, I agree. But I'm telling you the truth, I'm not fighting anyone."
"Okay," She pouted.
"You know, the boss isn't around and a lot of files need to be signed and so much stuff like that that yearns for my attention," He further explained.
"Okay," Pamela smiled. "Tell me more about your work," She brightened up.
"Sweetie, Your father is driving. His full concentration should be on the road." Mrs Benson, her mum, interrupted.
As usual she was about to pout again when Mr Benson spoke, placing his palm on his wife's palm that laid on the armrest. "It's okay, honey," He squeezed her palm, "I'll just talk, I won't look back."
"Be careful." Mrs Bensin instructed worriedly.
"Okay! So Pamy baby. What do you want to know?"
"I'm not a baby!!" She cried and her parents burst into bouts of laughter.
And Mr Benson spent the rest of the car ride telling a curious Pamela about his work.
Mrs Benson also threw in some points now and then.
She seemed fascinated and eager to know a lot about his work.
"The car ride was fun, alright!" Mrs Benson thought as she looked ahead at their town house.
It was beautiful.
Mr and Mrs Benson equally work hard and make loads of income. So it isn't surprising that they have such a big and beautiful house.
It was furnished just to their taste. It was their dream house, Mrs Benson always told Pamela just as she always liked to reminisce about how she met her husband and then narrate it all to her daughter.
They had imagined it, sketched and brought it to life and it was beautiful.
Mr Benson steered the car around the little fountain, to the canopy that overlooked their oval-shaped pool.
The pool water was serene. It was evening after all and the sun wasn't around to shine its glowing ray through it.
Regardless, it was still beautiful.
There was something quite unusual about the Bensons' pool though.
Pools seldom have railing but the Bensons' pool is surrounded with it.
Mrs Benson had freaked out years ago when little Pamela almost drowned when she accidentally slipped and fell in the pool.
She had been paranoid and insisted the pool be removed.
But Mr Benson had reasoned with her and brought the idea of surrounding the pool with a sturdy railing.
And she accepted and it turned out beautiful and unique. And most importantly, it was safe. Even if there are kids around, it is still safe.
It might not be needed anymore though as Pamela had grown up to be a great swimmer but Mrs Benson seemed to have been scarred for life.
Mr Benson parked and they all hopped out and Pamela practically flew out, racing to her room after receiving a bear hug from their housekeeper.
Halfway up the stairs, she overheard her mum say to her dad, "I told you not to do it, Ben. I knew it wasn't a good idea."
"Look honey, I don't wanna talk about this right now, okay? We've had a long fun day and I just wanna spend the night in eternal Bliss," Her dad replied.
Her mum had hissed back a response but Pamela didn't hear as she had raced up the stairs.
Countless times, she had been told not to eavesdrop and she wasn't about to start that now.
She went up to her room, turned on her desktop and dozens of minutes later, she heard her parents walk past her room, laughing.
"Go to bed early, Pamy," her father called.
"Yes dad," she called back, smiling.
Her parents always made up quickly just like now. They were laughing so hard that she could have sworn that she had imagined them arguing.
She stretched and yawned as she admired the work she had done.
She had edited all the pictures and made a very cute video of their family.
Just like her life, it looks perfect.
"Almost," She thought, "dad said nothing is perfect."
She watched the video countless times, satisfied with what she had done.
Finally, she saved all her work, shifted back her chair and took a minute to admire her well furnished room.
When she had turned twelve her mom had asked her how she wanted her room to look, showed her tons of pictures of beautiful rooms and she had loved them all.
None of them seemed perfect though, none of them seemed to be what she really wanted.
So, she had taken a bit from each picture she liked, put it together, added her own idea and viola! A masterpiece, her room.
She loved it. Really loved it.
Sighing contentedly, she placed her headphone on her ear and waltzed around as she undressed, took a bath and got ready for bed.
She placed her headphone back on her ear as she glimpse through her school work.
She had an outstanding online assignment to submit.
"Shit! Shit shit shit," She cussed as she ran to her laptop to submit it.
The next day was the deadline.
Finding the assignment file seemed a strenuous task though, as it seemed the file had moved itself.
She had already concluded that she'd quickly do another one when she sighted it.
In big capital bebas font was written 'ASS' with a laughing emoji.
She giggled.
She clicked on it and sent it.
She was humming and swinging her head to the jamming music that was played through her headphones as she sashayed her way to her bed.
Suddenly, she heard a loud muffled sound. She froze, "that was definitely not one of the lyrics," She thought as she removed the headphone and placed it on her neck.
She waited, nothing.
She shrugged and was about to put her headphone back on when she heard a loud, "come on! Man". Silence, then, "this wasn't in the agreement."
It was her dad.
She quietly followed his voice and traced it to his home office.
He was standing, heads down, his long fingers gripping either edge of the table, veins popped out of his hands.
"Dad?" She called quietly.
He looked up, startled. "Baby. Come here."
She wanted to dispute that she wasn't a baby, but she figured the moment required her to shut up.
She walked to him and he gave her a long tight hug. She always loved her dad's hugs.
Her dad sighed contentedly and released her.
"You're having some sort of fight with some people right? Dad, I know something is wrong. I'm not a baby, I've told you countlessly."
Mr Benson chuckled.
"Okay, listen. I know you're a smart young girl but I won't be able to share what is happening with you right now but I'll share something else with you."
He paused and looked into her eyes, searching.
"What was he searching for?" Pamela wondered as she also looked into his eyes.
And she wondered again, "what was she looking for too? More than he's telling her?"
"And you'll promise me that no matter what pressure is put on you, no matter how much pleading, you won't give it up."
"What?" She mouthed.
"No matter what happens, DO NOT give it up. Okay?" Pamela just stared as her dad enunciated each word.
"Okay?" He repeated, shaking her gently.
She got out of her trance and nodded her head.
"Yes pa, I promise."
"What exactly could that information be that she has to swear not to give it up? No matter what happens? What might happen?" She wondered.