8
Another birthday rolled around. After the last
disastrous visit, I’d barely been home all year.
Mom insisted on a celebration. They’d
planned a surprise for me at the rooftop of
the Kells Hotel downtown.
In the lounge, I found thirteen–year–old Alex.
He stared at me intensely. “Brother, did you
know? Mom bought you a giant pirate ship
model, like, four feet tall. She said it’s your
favorite.”
୮
I scrolled through vocabulary words on my
phone. “Not anymore.” My pirate ship phase.
had ended when I was twelve.
Alex’s voice was low. “Dad told Ethan not to
upset you. He said you’re doing so well in
school, and since Ethan’s studying art, you’ll
inherit the company.” He paused. “But I’m not
good at school. And I can’t ride pirate ships.
because of my asthma. Why do you get
everything I want so easily?”
I raised an eyebrow. No audience around. The
mask was slipping.
His voice rose, laced with a sudden,
unsettling intensity. “Why did you come back?
Why?!”
He jumped up, rushed to the door, and turned
<
Panic seized me. I was claustrophobic.
He locked the door and I heard his footsteps
retreating. I tried calling the hotel, but there
was a signal jammer. Clever. Alex was
learning.
The darkness pressed in, filled with imagined
predators. I retreated to the sofa, sweat
beading on my back. My claustrophobia was
severe. How did Alex know?
My breath hitched. I scrambled for the
emergency hammer, smashed the window,
and stumbled out, gasping for air.
The hotel alarm blared. My parents and Ethan
finally arrived, Alex hiding behind them.
“Noah, Alex told us he couldn’t find you, so
we came looking. Don’t be angry,” Mom sa
subtly shielding Alex.
See? Alex was wrong. I wasn’t important. He
was the one who mattered, the leech draining
the life out of my relationships. I’d almost
died, and Mom was still protecting him.
“Mom, do you remember? I’m
claustrophobic.” I stared at her.
She froze. Dad and Ethan were silent.
When I was four, Ethan had accidentally
locked me in a closet. I’d ended up in the ER,
barely conscious. The lounge Alex had locked.
me in was airtight, soundproof, and pitch
black. He wanted me dead.
“Brother, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know you
