The room was dim, the evening sun casting long shadows on the floor. No fl

onstant, grinding ache in my reconstructed hand or the hollow s

check my vitals.

sweetie?" she

throat too

ial-looking manila envelope on my bedside table. "It was

ll, steady thump. H

nvelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper. I

IGENCE & SECURIT

RECRUITME

E: ETHAN

ROVISIONAL

f his word. A quiet sense of relief, cold and clean, washed o

ind drift back over the last seven years. Seven

stem, arriving at the Wilsons' big, beautiful house. Eleanor had hugged me,

ence as a competition. He wasn't overtly hostile, not at first. He was a master

riend, he would complain of feeling "abandoned and lonely," and Eleanor would ask me to spend more time at home with him. I

so grateful to be chosen that I was terrified of rocking the boat.

ith a tray of food. She glanced at m

surgery," she said, her voice gentle.

ice hoarse but firm

y that was somehow more validating than any of

e. I hadn't looked at social media since the attack. C

The first post in my

ivia, and Caleb-all beaming. They were at a fancy restaurant. Caleb

Caleb Wilson! He got the full scholarship to the Northwood Aca

ery end, a final t

gged me in

ind of detached fascination with their sheer, unmitigated cruelty. They were celebrating

wn caption: "Feeling so blessed. Thanks to my family for always be

ing for a competition. The time he'd "lost" my portfolio just before a college interview. Every single time, he'd put on

rush to his side. "Don't be hard on him, Ethan.

that would flatten anything and anyone that stood in its path. And I was just something in the path. My

t I didn't have to wonder anymore. I didn't have to ho

ecision was no longer a decision. It was

nd Sarah. They walked in carrying a basket of fruit and cheap ba

ake emotion. "We are so, so sorry we weren't here whe

em. My silence seem

th the strap of her purse. "Those reporters

, stepping forward and trying to take my good hand. "

d my ha

ned. "Don't be l

cloying sympathy to stern warning. "We ne

f course. It always

sharing a great secret. "He feels so guilty about what happened to you. He thi

ing a clear, unspoken message: Pl

hed, her voice a low threat. "Do

ink. I just stared, letting the full weight of my cold, silent contempt

e