On a breezy, cool fall morning at 6:00 a.m., in a town called Davon, life felt… perfect.
At least, that's what I believed.
In the medium-sized house I grew up in, everyone was slowly waking up for school. Breakfast was already set on the table, a glass of orange juice waiting on the side like always. The smell alone had me jumping out of bed.
And yeah—everyone says it, but it's true.
There's no cooking like your mother's.
Mine? The best.
I had a perfect life. The perfect family. Everything always seemed to fall into place for me. I'm not bragging… it just is what it is.
I'm fifteen.
I've got a long life ahead of me.
And I plan on enjoying every bit of it.
I consider myself lucky.
My hair falls silky down the middle of my back, neon green with a soft bump at the top. Lip gloss shining, blue eyes, long lashes—yeah, I know what I look like. Confidence isn't something I struggle with.
I have the biggest room in the house. Being the oldest has its perks.
Well… sort of.
I have three sisters and two brothers, and somehow, everyone at school says none of us look related.
Especially not me and Zack.
Zack Mart—my "twin."
We're both fifteen, but we look nothing alike.
Good news for me.
Zack falls in love easily. Too easily. It's honestly kind of sad to watch.
But there was one girl…
Zaylean.
She was different. You could tell just by looking at her. She dressed like she didn't have a home, like nothing in the world really belonged to her.
Except him.
They went everywhere together. They did everything together. Even got tattoos of each other's names from his thirteen-year-old friend, hidden at the back of her neck under her hair, his right over his heart.
Their bond?
Crazy.
The kind, people don't understand.
And then… she vanished.
No clues. No warning. No goodbye.
Like she never existed.
Zack broke in a way I didn't know people could break.
He cried so hard I didn't know how to help him. I stayed with him, watching over him until he finally passed out from exhaustion.
After that…
I did something I thought would help.
I gathered everything that reminded him of her—flowers, a picture, the ring she made for him—and buried it all in the backyard, hidden beneath a tree in a small box.
I didn't want him to keep hurting.
I thought I was helping him let go.
The next morning, he noticed it was gone.
But he didn't ask questions.
Didn't search.
Didn't fight it.
He just… let go.
And became someone else entirely.
He changed his hair, his clothes, everything. Over time, he became one of the most popular guys at school.
Now he wears the football team's leather jacket, the Alpha's.
His blue eyes are sharper. His hair is longer, usually tied back. Tattoos hidden from our parents.
And that version of him?
Doesn't look like someone who ever loved anyone at all.
My younger brother Seth is ten.
He's the complete opposite.
Always on his games, acting like he's older than he is, but somehow still helping Mom whenever she needs it. He's got this quiet, gothic vibe going on—like a little mellow king everyone just naturally likes.
I've never seen him fight.
Not once.
But after school?
That's when things get interesting.
I like climbing the tree in the backyard where I can see everything. Especially when Seth tries—and fails—to talk to the girl he likes.
It never works.
And I won't lie…
It makes my day.
One time she dropped her books, and Seth ran toward her—but not fast enough. Another kid got there first, kneeling to help her.
Seth just… kept running.
Right past them.
Didn't stop until they couldn't see him anymore.
Another time, he made it to her house—but right as she opened the door, her dog bolted out and chased him straight into a ditch.
She didn't even notice.
It happened too fast.
He popped his head up after, covered in leaves and twigs, just checking if the dog was gone.
Yeah…
That was one of my favorite moments.
Something always goes wrong for him.
His timing?
Terrible.
He really needs to step up.
Maybe one day…
I'll help him.
My sister Lizbeth Mart is fourteen.
She's girly, snobby, and the biggest flirt at school. We don't get along too well—honestly, I think she gets jealous sometimes, though she'd never admit it. She's always chasing attention, especially from guys.
And she's hiding something.
I can feel it.
She and Tori are closer than she and I will ever be. Lizbeth has long blonde hair, blue eyes, and yeah… she's gorgeous. That's why everyone flirts with her—and why she usually gets whatever she wants.
Tight blue jeans, a sparkly gold top, diamonds everywhere, bracelets, rings, necklace. She looks like she walked straight out of a magazine.
My middle sister, Tori Mart, is twelve.
Total opposite.
She's a full-on tomboy—into sports, fighting, and standing up for anyone getting bullied. Most of the time, if there's a problem at school… Tori is the solution.
Or the reason.
The school knows her name—and not in a quiet way.
She's protective of all of us. If there's even a rumor, she's already investigating like some kind of mini detective. I love that about her. She acts like the oldest, always ready to back you up no matter what.
Short black hair, almost like a boy's cut, with a single earring on the right side. Long shorts past the knee, muscle shirts, and ocean-dark blue eyes. She wears light makeup, but barely.
She doesn't need it.
Then there's our youngest sister, Liv Mart.
Eight years old.
And completely insane.
Not joking.
Last Thursday, I made the mistake of playing with her. She somehow managed to sneak dog poop into my sandwich.
Yeah.
I was not happy about that.
Honestly, I just hope when I have my first kiss, no one brings that up.
Then last weekend, Zack decided to tell us the house was haunted. I ignored him—he lies all the time. But later, when I went to my room and opened my closet…
Liv jumped out wearing her old banshee costume, screaming at the top of her lungs.
I screamed.
Zack took a picture.
And of course… it made its way around school.
My name is Mae.
And if those pictures were about anyone else, maybe it wouldn't matter.
But me?
I am known.
Liked.
Respected.
I kissed my mom goodbye, then my dad, who owns a lumber business and practically lives for it—and stepped outside.
I was wearing a tight black dress, a small leather jacket, and tall, sturdy black boots.
Perfect.
As I walked toward the bus with my siblings, something… felt off.
Like I was being watched.
I slowed.
And I wasn't the only one.
My siblings stopped too.
We all felt it.
I glanced back at my parents, standing in the doorway.
They hadn't done that since I was seven.
They looked… worried.
Then my mom forced a smile and waved us off like everything was normal.
But it wasn't.
I sat next to my best friend, Cami, as she burst out laughing.
"You should've seen your face—and your family's," she said. "It was like something out of a creepy movie."
Then she leaned closer.
"Psst… there's a new guy on the bus. All the way in the back." She grinned. "He's so hot."
I smirked.
"Cami, I'm not in the mood for boys."
"I forgot—Miss Perfect," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows. "But who knows? He could be Mr. Perfect."
"I doubt it," I said, laughing. "The boys here are too slow. No one can keep up with me."
I laughed hard and my book slipped from my lap, falling into the aisle.
I leaned down to grab it.