• *RING RING*
    A small room with nothing in it but a telephone. I stood up and sat next to the telephone, then I picked up the receiver.
    "Hello?"
    "Hey... Yuri?"
    "Mommy! It's been a week. Why haven't you called? You said you were just gonna visit daddy."
    "Yes, I know. I'm sorry, honey."
    "Will you come home now?" I asked.
    There was silence at the other end, I couldn't even hear mom breathing, and I have an amazing sense of hearing!
    "Sweetie, can you keep a secret?" she asked.
    "Of course, mommy!"
    More silence.
    "Mommy... mommy isn't coming home."
    "What? Why?"
    "Because I'm not of this world anymore."

    I woke up panting. I jumped out of bed and dashed to my mother's room. She's fine, I thought, mom's okay. I sighed and got back to bed.

    I've been having the same dream again and again after dad left. I get out of bed in the middle of the night just to check on mom.

    Life was hard after dad left. Mom had to do multiple jobs to pay for my schooling, and I had a part-time job. Mother and I were both very stubborn so we refused to give up even when the odds were against us. Occasionally, dad would call mom and tell her to hand me over to him because he could take better care of me and crap like that. But every time he called, I would snatch the receiver from mom and swear at dad 'till the day was over. Dad was tired of seeing me work my butt off. He wanted me to be HIS daughter so that I could have a better life. He said he'd buy me everything I wanted and more. But he just didn't - couldn't - understand that I would be happier with mom. He's an idiot for thinking that money would make me go over to his side.

    Soon, mom ran out of money. I had to skip school so I could go to my part-time job, while mom had to work overtime. Later, mom decided that she had to ask dad for money. She told me she'd be back in a few days because it was a long commute from the province to the city.

    Mom would call me every night, asking me if I was okay. I would always answer her in my happiest, jolliest tone because I didn't want her to worry.

    One night mom called me, saying she had a fight with dad. The fight was about me.


    "If you just let her live with me, then she'd have a better life!" dad screamed.
    "She's happy living with me, she said so herself!" mom answered back.
    "She's a 13 year old girl who's working for her future. HOW IS THAT A HAPPY LIFE?"
    Silence.
    "I will NEVER let you have my daughter! Do you hear me?!" said mom, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I love her, I want to keep her."
    "I love her too!"
    "REALLY?" screamed mom, "If you really loved her, you wouldn't have left us!"

    A few days after, mom didn't call. I was starting to get worried. I tried calling her, but no one would answer.

    But then one night, I had a different dream...

    *RING RING*
    It was the same old room, same old telephone. But when I picked it up, it wasn't mom on the other end. I heard laughter...
    "Hello?"
    "Sweetie, it's dad."
    "What do you want?"
    "Pack your bags, I'll pick you up tomorrow."
    "WHAT?" I asked, dumbstruck.
    Dad laughed some more, then whispered, "I killed her."

    I woke up, screaming that night. I dialed mom's number. I couldn't hear anymore beeping for a while so I assumed that mom answered the phone.
    "Mom? You there?"
    "Hello, Yuri, guess what!
    My eyes widened in fear because of what I heard.
    "You're MY daughter now..."

    End.