She’s Such a Good Kid

The sky is a deep navy speckled with pinprick stars. A wan light sputters from a few orange-tinted streetlamps. Giant moths flutter around the bulbs, picked off by bats swooping in from the gloom. Isa’s skin prickles with goosebumps. Hopefully there aren’t any coyotes out. She keeps the kids close to her as they walk down the trail. Matteo digs through his tote for a lollipop while Camila peers curiously at the water.

“Is that a pool?” she asks.

“It’s a canal. People use the water for their yards.”

“Can we swim in it?”

“No, it’s not safe.” Isa squints in the gathering dark. “Look, we can get to the next street over there.”

“What’s that sound?” Matteo cuts in.

Nausea races through Isa’s gut. Camila’s not beside her. She looks around wildly, cold terror washing down her back when she spies the little girl crouched by the canal’s edge. “Camila, get over here! Now!”

“There’s a dog.” Camila leans over the shimmering black water, dusting the surface with glitter as she points. “Isa, help him!”

“Stay here,” Isa says to Matteo. He nods miserably, clutching his candy tote to his chest. She glances back at him one last time before sprinting for the canal’s edge. Dropping to her knees beside Camila, she grips the back of her tutu to ensure she won’t go toppling into the water. “Are you sure you saw a dog?”

“Right there.” Camila’s baby-blue polished fingernail traces a slow line. Isa follows with her eyes and catches sight of a small figure struggling in the middle of the water. Some neighbor’s Chihuahua caught in the current. It must have gotten scared when the lights went out and fallen in.

“Go wait with Matteo,” Isa orders. Camila ignores her. With a frustrated sigh, Isa turns back to the dog and stretches her hand toward it. “Come here, puppy! Come here!”

The dog whimpers and paddles its way closer. It’s not much bigger than a housecat, so it’s having a tough time with the current. Isa leans over the edge, grimacing as her knee sinks into the dirty muck. She’s going to need a shower after this if she’s seeing Sofia.

After an excruciatingly long minute, the dog swims close enough that Isa is able to hook her fingers through its collar. She hauls it to shore and dumps it on the dirt beside her. Camila immediately starts petting the sopping dog, which crouches, shivering, its tail between its legs.

“Poor baby,” Camila coos.

Isa reaches for the dog’s collar—maybe there’s a phone number she can call—but the ungrateful little shit snaps at her fingers before bolting off down the road.

“Fucking perfect,” Isa mutters. She stands up with a groan and half-heartedly swipes at the mud smearing her jeans. “Let’s go home, Camila.”

Camila doesn’t reply. Isa looks down at her, but she’s not paying attention. Her big eyes are wide and fixed on a point beyond Isa’s shoulder. With a trembling hand, the little girl points.

“If the dog fell in again, I’m not—” Isa’s words falter as she turns. Matteo kneels beside the canal, starlight reflecting off the water and shifting across his face. He’s frowning like there’s a puzzle underneath the surface. “Matteo, get away from there!”

“Do you see that?” he asks. His voice sounds far away.

Sudden fear grips Isa as primal warning bells ring through her brain. She’s not sure why, but she knows in her bones that Matteo needs to get away from the water. “Matteo!”

Startled, he looks up, as if freed from a trance. “Isa?” he asks in a small voice.

Isa runs for him, but it’s too late. She can only choke on a scream as a skeletal hand reaches from the black depths of the canal and grabs Matteo by the arm. Within seconds he’s dragged underneath the water, which ripples to stillness as if he’d never been there at all.

Read She’s Such a Good Kid here.