I Came Home From a Double Shift to Find My Daughter Gone—My Family Said They “Voted”

in the wall.

I repeated myself, slower this time. “Where is Kora?”

My mother’s smile was tight and bright, the kind that doesn’t reach the eyes. “We voted.”

I stared at her, certain I’d misheard. “We what?”

She lifted her chin slightly. “We voted. You don’t get a say.”

The world went quiet, like someone had turned down the volume on everything except my continue reading …