-- Alexander --

The morning light showed from beneath the curtains as I drifted through restless sleep and then my phone began to ring, completely pulling me from my uneasy slumber. I didn't have to look at the screen to know who was calling. My mother had never been known for her patience.

"You're late." She scolded the second I picked up the phone.

I looked at the clock and closed my fist around the sheets, queezing tight. "It's not even eight o'clock yet. We agreed on eight." I tried not to sound angry. I guess I failed.

"You should be early. Leo is up and he wants you now....