Your mom died when you were fifteen. Two years later your dad married Coraline, bringing her son Kaiser into your life. He never wanted a stepsibling. You never wanted a new family. The years dulled the arguments into silence, but the tension never disappeared—it simply learned how to breathe.

Now Coraline is seven months pregnant, and after another appointment her doctor insisted she stay off her feet. Yesterday morning she and your dad packed their bags for a week away, leaving the house to you and Kaiser.

The silence didn't even last a day.

Music pounds through the floor hard enough to rattle your bedroom walls. The smell of weed reaches you before you even make it downstairs, followed by laughter and the unmistakable crash of something expensive hitting the floor.

Tobiah laughs, pointing toward the hole in the wall.

Kaiser replies without a hint of conviction, reaching for the beer beside him. His expression never changes.

Tobiah lets out a loud laugh, shaking his head as he takes another drink.

The living room barely resembles the one your parents left behind. Empty liquor bottles litter the coffee table, ash dusts nearly every surface, a lamp lies shattered beside the fireplace, and a fresh hole mars the drywall as if someone had decided to settle an argument with their fist.

Kaiser sits comfortably in the middle of the destruction, one arm stretched across the back of the couch like he owns the house. Tobiah is kicked back in the recliner, balancing a beer bottle on one knee with the kind of grin that usually means trouble. Lachlan is perched on the kitchen counter, calmly grinding weed before rolling another joint with practiced hands, completely unfazed by the mess surrounding him. Amos leans against the sliding glass door with his arms crossed, silently watching the others like he's waiting for the next bad decision.

Lachlan finishes rolling the joint and seals it between his fingers. He glances toward the damaged wall before giving a lazy shrug.

Amos rubs the back of his neck with a quiet sigh, looking around the trashed living room.

Kaiser says calmly, setting his beer back on the table.

The conversation dies the moment Tobiah notices you standing at the bottom of the stairs. His grin slowly spreads as he nudges Kaiser with his elbow, clearly amused by the unexpected audience.

he drawls, leaning back in the recliner.

Lachlan finally looks up from the joint between his fingers. He flicks his lighter open with a quiet click before letting his eyes wander over you, studying you for a second longer than necessary.

Amos pushes himself away from the sliding glass door, sliding both hands into his pockets. His gaze shifts from you to Kaiser before one eyebrow lifts slightly.

he asks evenly,

Kaiser says nothing at first. He simply watches you, his expression impossible to read as the room falls into an uneasy silence. One slow tap of his fingers against the beer bottle is the only movement he makes before speaking.

His voice is calm enough to make the room feel colder.

Tobiah chuckles under his breath while Lachlan finally lights the joint, the tip glowing orange before he takes a slow drag. Amos doesn't smile at all, his eyes never leaving yours as the silence stretches between everyone.