Chapter 1

One day, when my brother, Cameron Joyner, and I went out to play, I fainted when I accidentally slipped and fell on the staircase. He was gone by the time I groggily regained consciousness.

My heart immediately began to race. I yelled his name at the top of my lungs. "Cam! Where are you, Cam? Don't scare me!"

My surroundings were pitch-black, and a blood-red moon hung in the sky. It was completely silent.

Fear gripped my heart. Cameron was only four. I couldn't help but wonder if a human trafficker abducted him when I was unconscious.

I became more and more panicked. Pressing one hand to my dizzy head, I hastily ran back home. The door was tightly locked. I had lost my key, so I had no choice but to hammer my fists on the door.

"Who is it?" Mom asked from beyond the door.

"It's me, Mom. It's Cassie," I replied loudly.

However, Mom only opened the peephole. She peered at me with bloodshot eyes before she asked, "Is it really you, Cassie?"

"It's me, Mom," I said.

Mom immediately opened the door after she heard my answer. However, she slapped me hard across the face before I could even tell her that Cameron had gone missing. Her bloodshot eyes were burning with hatred.

"It's all your fault, Cassie!" she snapped. "Cam wouldn't have gone missing if it weren't for you!"

It felt as if an explosion had been set off in my head. My mouth fell open, but I couldn't say a single word.

Mom was right. I was responsible for Cameron's disappearance.

In the end, I did everything that I could to hold back my tears and explain myself. "I fainted after I slipped on the stairs, Mom. Cam was already gone when I woke up. I immediately came to look for you.

"Let's look for Cam together. I really didn't lose him on purpose."

Mom slapped me again, then grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me toward the living room.

An enlarged portrait of Cameron had been placed in the middle of the living room, along with his favorite toys.

Mom pressed my head down and snapped, "You don't need to look for him. I want you to kneel here for seven days and seven nights to atone for your sins. Grovel for his forgiveness as you kneel. Don't blame me for taking drastic measures if you refuse."

She slapped me a few more times, making me see stars.

Mom was probably furious with me because Cameron had gone missing on my watch. In the past, she tolerated everything that I did and was the perfect example of a mother who adored her daughter.

I believed that she would return to the sweet and doting mother that I knew as long as I found Cameron.

…

When midnight rolled around, I was still kneeling in the living room. I felt a little tired and wanted to sleep.

Suddenly, a gust of wind billowed in through the window, bringing a strange scent with it.

Driven by an inexplicable force, I quietly rose to my feet and walked over to the window to look outside. When I looked down, I stared directly into Cameron's eyes that had turned white.

Cameron, who was supposed to be missing, was quietly lying on my third-floor neighbor's balcony. His body was twisted in odd angles as he lay there, and his face had taken on a purplish hue.

My voice was shaking when I called out to him. "Cam?"

When I didn't get a response, I crumpled onto the floor.

Cameron didn't go missing at all. He was already dead.