Hanna walked slowly toward her mother. At sixteen, she was already used to the quiet that wrapped itself around their wooden house, far from the noise of the city. Since she was little, it had always been just the two of them, keeping each other company.
Victoria lifted her face the moment she caught sight of her daughter. A gentle smile curved her lips. She quickly pulled off her gardening gloves, setting them on the small bench before standing up.
"Finished reading?" she asked, her voice warm as always.
Hanna gave a small nod. She stood there for a moment, watching her mother. The evening breeze drifted past, brushing through both their hair so it moved in soft waves.
Victoria narrowed her eyes slightly, noticing the look on her daughter's face.
"What's with that expression? Is something on your mind?"
Hanna drew in a deep breath, her brow faintly creased.
"Why do you always go out at night? Mom… is there someone?"
Victoria let out a light laugh, trying to sound casual.
"No, of course not. I'm just checking on the chickens. You know they've been disappearing lately."
"How long are you going to keep secrets from me? I'm sixteen, Mom. I'm not a little kid anymore."
The words made Victoria fall silent. She turned her gaze toward the stretch of garden, her face calm, but her eyes holding something unspoken.
"Are you bored living here, Hanna?"
Hanna quickly shook her head.
"I like it here. It's peaceful. I'm happy."
"Even though you don't have any friends?"
Hanna smiled faintly.
"I have you."
Victoria chuckled softly.
"I mean friends your age. Going to school, playing, sharing stories. I know you like watching the kids in town. You think I didn't notice?"
Hanna lowered her gaze a little, but her smile remained.
"I prefer learning from you. I don't want anyone else."
Victoria's hand rested gently on her shoulder. Since Hanna was five, she had been her teacher—teaching her to read, write, and count at the small wooden table in their living room. No school bells, no classmates—just her patient voice guiding her day after day, year after year.
"There's something you need to know… about me. And about yourself, too. It's just not time yet. I promise, when the moment is right, I'll tell you everything."
Hanna was quiet for a moment before asking softly,
"What about Dad? Is he still alive… or is he gone?"
The question changed Victoria's expression ever so slightly.
"I don't know, Hanna."
The answer came out heavy. Her husband had disappeared eleven years ago, not long after Hanna was born. Since that day, there had been no news at all.
"Why didn't you look for him? We could leave this place anytime."
Victoria held both of her daughter's shoulders, looking straight into her eyes.
"It's not that I don't want to. I just… can't. Trust me. When the time comes, I'll explain why we live here. Why it's only the two of us."
Hanna studied her mother for a long moment, searching for answers in her eyes before finally nodding, even though her heart was still full of questions.
"Okay, Mom."
The smile returned to Victoria's face. She wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders, holding her close as if she didn't want to let go.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"To town. We need to pick up a few things for the kitchen."
Hanna smiled.
"I'll come."
Victoria's smile widened, and she kissed her daughter's forehead with quiet affection. The evening breeze continued to move gently around them, carrying secrets still carefully hidden between mother and daughter.
Silverpine.
A small town in West Virginia that was never truly busy. Just a grocery store, an aging gas station, and rows of wooden houses standing close together. Fewer than a thousand residents. If a strange car drove in, everyone would know before sunset.
Hanna rested her chin on the open window frame of the pickup truck. The evening wind swept through her long curly hair, slipping along her neck and cheeks. She watched the road she knew too well—a narrow stretch flanked by thick forest, a few abandoned houses with peeling paint and sagging porches.
Every detail was etched into her memory. The smell of damp wood. Every curve. Every leaning tree along the roadside.
The pickup rolled slowly before stopping at a small intersection. Victoria looked right, then left, her hands steady on the wheel.
"Hanna."
"Yes, Mom."
"Do you need pads or tampons?"
Hanna didn't answer right away. She stared straight ahead before replying lazily,
"No… but just get some for me."
Victoria nodded and turned left.
Hanna lifted her head, sitting up straighter. Something had been circling her thoughts for months now.
"Why am I the only one who always needs that stuff?" she asked suddenly. "You still look young. I've never seen you have your period."
Victoria glanced at her, a faint, almost mischievous smile tugging at her lips.
"Hey… do you expect me to announce it every time?"
Hanna pouted.
"I get that. But I've never seen it. When it happens to me, it hurts like crazy. My stomach feels twisted. My emotions are all over the place. I just feel angry for no reason."
Victoria laughed softly.
"I'm used to it, sweetheart. You will be too. Eventually it won't hurt anymore."
"Hrrpp…" Hanna groaned under her breath, leaning back against the door.
Victoria was still smiling, but the laughter didn't last. Her eyes returned to the road, her face calm as always.
There was just one thing she had never said.
In her entire life…
she had never once experienced what her daughter was going through.
Not long after, Victoria's pickup entered the town of Silverpine. Wooden storefronts stood in rows, their paint faded by weather. A few residents walked slowly along the sidewalks—some carrying paper bags, others simply standing and talking. The town never truly felt alive. Its quiet felt… preserved. Intentional.
Only a handful of old cars were parked crookedly along the roadside. The pickup engine hummed softly before Victoria parked in front of a small grocery store with a sign cracked along the edges.
"Just get what you need," she said, turning off the engine. "Don't forget to roll the window back up."
"Yeah, I know," Hanna replied with a small sigh.
She turned the window handle until it was fully closed, making sure it was tight before opening the door. The town air was different—less forest earth, more hot asphalt and stale cigarette smoke.
Victoria had already walked ahead. The store door chimed softly when she opened it.
Hanna stood beside the pickup for a moment. She brushed her wind-tossed curls back into place with her fingers. Without thinking, she glanced to the right.
The door of a bar at the end of the row burst open. Several men in black jackets stepped out, laughing under their breath. The smell of alcohol reached her even from a distance.
At the front of them, one man walked slowly. He wore a worn cowboy hat tilted slightly to the left, shadowing part of his face. His steps were unhurried.
He stopped.
And looked straight at Hanna.
His smile was faint. Not friendly. More like the smile of someone who knew something.
Hanna's chest tightened for a moment. There was something about his scent… unfamiliar. Strange. Her senses caught a faint trace that made the back of her neck prickle.
Her brow furrowed.
Without reacting outwardly, she stepped toward the grocery store door. The small bell chimed as she pushed it open.
But before the door fully closed, she could still feel the gaze of the man in the cowboy hat lingering on her back.