Gemotions

The password had been easy to guess, a combination of the family dog's name and a birthday. Now, here she was, peering into the hidden world of her daughter, Olivia. Carol’s stomach churned as she scanned the posts, the carefully chosen images, the comments brimming with coded language. It was a performance, a carefully crafted image of someone Carol barely recognized. Her hands felt clammy.

Carol shut the laptop, the screen going dark. The silence of the house suddenly amplified the thump-thump-thump of her own heart. She pictured Olivia’s face, a blend of innocence and something else, something she was only now beginning to understand.

Instead of confronting her, Carol decided to leave a small, thoughtful gift on Olivia’s bed – a new sketchpad and a set of charcoal pencils, knowing that Olivia enjoyed drawing. She hoped that her daughter would understand the gesture.