“You have ninety seconds to hide. If you are found, you die. Good luck.”

We always play hide and seek. The game is my favorite part of the day. I have nothing else to look forward to. Daddy shouts the timer, and I run giggling, through the open, rundown, wooden house, looking for a new hiding place. This time, he looks madder, sadder. His eyes are more swollen and his breath reeks like whatever is in the bottle he drinks from. Last time I hid in the washing closet, he found me. He hadn’t told me I was going to die that time. I’m not sure what that means, being only six. I hope he doesn’t hurt me again. One time I hid outside instead of inside and he wasn’t happy about it. But Daddy didn’t mean it. He loves me, and I love him.

I settle into my hiding spot, stifling my laugh. Daddy will start looking soon. I hope, if he finds me, his eyes are calmer.