Girl Won’t Talk After Playdate At Neighbor, Mom Realizes Mistake When She Sees Trash

Something Wasn’t Right

Faith was sick with worry as she pulled the clothes out of her daughter’s laundry basket. She knew that something just wasn’t right, but she was about to learn how bad it truly was.

Ever since she’d sent her daughter, Mikaela, over to the neighbor’s house, she’d been distant and secretive.

Something happened, and she was about to find out what it was.

Beside Herself

Faith was beside herself when she first spotted the tissues in the trash.

At first, she assumed the strange substance that coated them was ketchup, but when she took a closer look, she realized her mistake.

It was a vibrant red, one she had seen before. But where on earth had it come from? Whose tissues were they?

At Play

She couldn’t help but feel like something sinister was at play. Lately, her house hadn’t been feeling the same.

Since allowing her daughter to spend the night at a neighbor’s house, she’d been acting differently.

The concerned mother sat with her head in her hands. Long gone were the days when her daughter would tell her anything and everything.

She Knew

For a moment, she considered asking her daughter about the strange substance in the garbage, but she knew what her response would be.

For the past week, all of her responses were the same.

“No,” Was all she said each time her mother asked what was going on. Faith didn’t know what she was supposed to do.

The Shut Door

Eventually, the concerned mother arose from her seat and left the kitchen.

She could see her daughter’s bedroom in the distance. Her door was shut, just like it had been for the last few days.

But what was she hiding behind those four walls? Why was she refusing to speak to her mother about it? She used to tell her everything.

A Heavy Heart

She walked past her daughter’s bedroom, her heart heavy as her fingers brushed against the door.

It had only been a week, but she had already missed the days her daughter would spend every second by her side.

She walked toward the laundry room, prepared to tend to her household chores. But she had no idea that she was about to stumble across something terrible.

The Substance

When Faith walked into the laundry room, she quickly emptied the dryer and folded her and Mikaela’s clothes.

Once she had sorted everything into neat piles, she reached for Mikaela’s dirty laundry. That’s when she saw it.

Her eyes grew wide as she stared down at the pile of laundry. At the top lay the shirt her daughter wore that day, but she couldn’t believe what was on it. Something terrible was going on.

Her Dream

For all her life, Faith Mitchel dreamed of becoming a mother. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she dreamed of someday marrying Prince Charming and starting the perfect family together.

When she first met her husband, Daniel, she thought he was the perfect man.

They hit it off right away, and before she knew it, he proposed. She was certain that she would live the perfect life with him.

Right Away

The pair packed up their apartment in the city and moved to the suburbs just a few months after they tied the knot.

Faith wanted to become a mother right away, and her husband was willing to do that for her.

As soon as they moved into their new home, they began trying for a baby, and before Faith knew it, she was expecting her first child.

Excitement

Faith was over the moon, and it seemed that Daniel was too, at first. But one day, something changed. Daniel grew distant and quiet, and when Faith asked him about it, he dismissed her.

The day he left, when she was six months pregnant, was the worst day of her life.

Although she saw it coming, she couldn’t believe that he would walk out on her and their baby.

A Tragic Event

Their divorce was settled just a month before the birth of their daughter, and he said he didn’t want anything to do with the baby.

Faith felt utterly betrayed. How was she supposed to raise a baby all by herself?

That month was terrible. Faith was due at any moment, yet she found herself in bed, regretting ever trusting Daniel. He had broken her heart and destroyed her trust.

A Tough Day

The day her daughter, Mikaela, was welcomed into the world was one of the most difficult days of her life.

Not having family in town, she was forced to go to the hospital and give birth all by herself.

But when she held her baby girl in her arms for the first time, all of the pain suddenly disappeared. She blinked back tears, entranced by the little girl in her arms.

Nothing Else Mattered

Suddenly, nothing else in the world mattered. When she took Mikaela home, she knew that she didn’t need anyone else.

She was going to be the best single mother the world had ever seen.

As she held her daughter in her arms, she made a promise. She was going to protect her at all costs. But one day, something unexpected would happen.

A Great Mother

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Faith did everything in her power to be a great mother.

She landed a well-paying job and spent her free time bonding and playing with her daughter.

But in the last few months, Mikaela had grown increasingly close to the next-door neighbor’s daughter, Mari.

Not Allowed

Faith had never allowed Mikaela to go out for sleepovers. She didn’t like the thought of spending a single night away from her daughter. But one day, Mikaela came into the house with a pout on her face.

As soon as Faith asked what was going on, the girl opened up to her mother.

“Mari is having a sleepover for her birthday, and everyone is going but I’m not allowed to,” The girl cried.

Sadness

The concerned mother could see the deep sadness behind her daughter’s eyes.

There was nothing she hated more than missing out on a friend’s birthday party. But she just didn’t feel comfortable letting her daughter stay the night.

Faith comforted her daughter and explained that it just wasn’t safe. But later that afternoon, she received a knock on the front door. It was Mari’s mother, Jessica.

A Knock On The Door

“We’re going to have a pizza and cake night. A few of the neighborhood girls are coming. Mari wants them to do arts and crafts. I know it would mean the world for Mari and Mikaela if you let her come over,” The woman smiled friendly.

Faith couldn’t see an ounce of evil behind the woman’s eyes. She thought about the matter for a moment.

“We’re right next door, if anything were to happen, we would be right here,” The woman said with kind eyes. If only Faith had said no.

She Agreed

Faith agreed. Although she still felt uneasy about the situation, she knew that it would make Mikaela extremely happy. That night, she surprised her daughter with the big news.

“We better pack you a little bag,” She said as she sat down on her sulking daughter’s bed. Mikaela stared at her mother in confusion.

“What? You’ll need to pack some pajamas for your sleepover at Mari’s house on Friday,” She grinned.

Good News

Mikaela was over the moon. That night, they packed her bag for the sleepover that would occur in just two days.

Before they knew it, Friday rolled around. Faith tried to ignore the dreadful feeling in her gut.

“She’ll be okay,” She kept trying to remind herself, but something just didn’t feel right. She walked with her daughter to Mari’s house and waved her off as she ran inside.

Concerned

That night, Faith kept looking out the window, trying to see if everything was still alright. But it was quiet out. She assumed the girls were all just watching a movie and hanging out.

She kept telling herself that it would be fine. Eventually, she went to bed and tried to forget about it.

She wondered if they had gone to bed yet. If only she had known what was going on.

Picking Her Up

She woke up early that Saturday morning and rushed over to the neighbor’s house.

She knocked on the door, and a second later, Jessica answered the door. Everything seemed fine as she flashed her friendly smile.

But the second Mikaela came into view, Faith’s stomach dropped. Something about her daughter was different, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She Seemed Different

They walked home in silence as Mikaela cradled her bag to her chest.

When her mother tried to take it, she gripped it even tighter. “Mom, no!” She said, desperate to keep the bag to herself.

Faith was utterly confused. Why wouldn’t she let her take the bag? “Honey, are you okay?” She questioned when they stepped through the front door of their home. But Mikaela refused to meet her eye.

Hiding Something

She could instantly tell that her daughter was hiding something from her, but what was it? What on earth has changed in the last twelve hours? Faith was becoming sick with worry.

“I’m fine, mom. I’m just tired,” The little girl said.

From there, she walked to her bedroom and shut the door behind her, telling her mother that she wasn’t allowed inside.

Distant And Quiet

It continued that way for days on end. Mikaela was distant and quiet, constantly locked up in her room.

Faith had always believed in respecting her daughter’s privacy, but what on earth was going on inside of that room?

But one day, while she was tending to household chores, she found something truly alarming inside the trashcan in the kitchen.

The Discovery

When she spotted the pile of tissues coated in a bright red substance, her blood ran cold. What on earth was going on? Where did these come from? She wanted to ask her daughter if she knew anything about it, but she knew that she would be met with the same response as the last few days.

“No,” Was all she said each time her mother asked what was going on. Faith didn’t know what she was supposed to do.

So, she decided to move on to the laundry, telling herself that it probably wasn’t a big deal.

There Was More

When Faith walked into the laundry room, she quickly emptied the dryer and folded her and Mikaela’s clothes.

Once she had sorted everything into neat piles, she reached for Mikaela’s dirty laundry. That’s when she saw it.

Her eyes grew wide as she stared down at the pile of laundry. At the top lay the shirt her daughter wore the night of the sleepover, but she couldn’t believe what was on it. Something terrible was going on.

What On Earth?

The bright red had seeped into her shirt. What on earth happened while she was at that sleepover?

Had Jessica done something to the children that night? Was that why Mikaela had been acting so distant and strange?

She said she was just tired, but Faith didn’t know if she was telling the truth. What if something terrible had happened?

What Was It?

Faith removed the small white shirt from the laundry basket and stared down at it. What was it? Was it blood? It sure looked like it. “It could be anything,” She tried to convince herself. What if it was ketchup?

But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case. Something sinister was at play.

What was her daughter hiding in her backpack that she couldn’t see? She had to find out.

Confronting Her

With the shirt in hand, she rushed to Mikaela’s bedroom.

She needed answers right away, or else she would lose her mind. She knocked on the door, and when Mikaela told her not to come in, she ignored her.

She pushed the door open as Mikaela arose from her desk, standing before it so her mother couldn’t see what was on her desk. “I need answers right now,” She said.

The Truth

But as soon as she told her daughter what she had found, a giggle left the little girl’s lips. “Mommy, it’s not blood. It’s paint she said, and stepped out from in front of the desk, showing her mother what she had been working on.

“It’s your birthday in a week, and I was painting you a book of my favorite memories with you. Mari’s mom said it would be a nice birthday present. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise,” The little girl showed her the book. Page after page had paintings of their most memorable moments together.

Faith had to blink back tears. She couldn’t believe she had misread the situation so poorly. All along, the substance was paint, and her daughter was hiding a birthday surprise. From that moment on, Faith realized that the world wasn’t as scary as she thought.