I couldn't believe what I was seeing that night. It was way past midnight, and I'd just stumbled home from a dumb party with my buddies. The house was dead quiet, lights off everywhere except for a faint glow sneaking out from under Wayne's bedroom door. 

My stepbrother's room. I figured he was probably doom-scrolling on his phone or playing some video game, nothing special. But something made me pause—maybe the way the door was cracked open just a sliver, like he forgot to shut it all the way. I don't know why, but I crept closer, my socks silent on the carpeted hallway floor. Heart beating a little faster...