Chapter 1
At midnight, my soul floated out of the basement.
My bedroom door was shoved open. My brother, Conner, barged in, scoffing when he didn’t see me.
“Aren’t you a little old to be playing hide-and-seek and throwing tantrums?”
Normally, I would’ve argued back.
But this time, I just floated beside him, unable to make a sound.
Conner called my phone. It went unanswered. Annoyed, he raked a hand through his hair and casually flipped through the journal on my desk.
There was only one thing written inside: 99.
The number of times they had let me down over the years.
Conner didn’t get it. He frowned, tossed the journal onto the floor, and left a voicemail.
“Stop with the stupid games. Ella wants your homemade cookies, so get back here and make them for her!”
“It’s her graduation day. Don’t you dare ruin it. Get home within the hour, and I’ll forgive you.”
