At 3 A.M., My Brother Dragged Me Out of My Bedroom While Dad Laughed—He Had No Idea What the Smoke Detector Had Recorded

Maybe he wouldn’t.

But I couldn’t make my safety depend on that possibility.

I went home to pack.

Douglas was waiting in the kitchen.

He had my old blue mug beside him.

“Madison,” he said, “we can settle this if you stop involving outsiders.”

I looked at the mug.

The familiar crack near its handle.