My head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds as I slump over the kitchen table, palms pressing against my temples like I'm physically trying to hold my skull together. The silence of the house is broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock, counting away seconds that Evelyn remains missing.

"What the fuck could have even happened to her?" I mutter, not really expecting an answer. "She went home without any issue last night."

Rose paces behind me, her socked feet padding softly against the linoleum. "Maybe she went for a long walk? People do weird things sometimes."

I don't bother pointing out how ridiculous that sounds. Evelyn isn't the type to wander off for contemplative midnight strolls. She's the type who schedules her grocery shopping two weeks in advance and color-codes her calendar.

Lilly's warm hand finds my back, moving in slow, soothing circles between my shoulder blades. "It's pointless to speculate without knowing anything else," she says, her voice steady and reasonable like always. "We should wait to hear what the police find."

I nod and let out a heavy sigh, leaning into her touch despite myself.

"Right now, we don't know if anything happened or not," Lilly continues, her fingers tracing gentle patterns on my back. "It's still early. I'm sure the cops will turn something up."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble, rubbing my face with both hands. I realize I haven't even showered today. Everything normal about my routine has been thrown into chaos by Evelyn's absence.

Something breaks inside me then, a dam of emotion I didn't know was building. Before I can overthink it, I'm on my feet, pulling both twins into a tight embrace that catches them completely off guard.

"Thanks for dropping everything for me," I say, my voice muffled against Lilly's hair. I really mean it. I couldn't have faced any of this alone."

They stiffen momentarily in surprise before melting into the hug. Rose's arms snake around my waist while Lilly's hands slide up my back, holding me close.

"Of course," Lilly murmurs against my collarbone. "We'll always be here for you."

"Always," Rose echoes, pressing herself closer. "No matter what."

We stay like that for a moment, a tangle of arms and shared comfort that feels right even in the midst of all this worry. I breathe them in, drawing strength from their presence.

When we finally break apart, Rose's eyes light up suddenly. "Hey, I have an idea," she says, rummaging through her jacket pocket. "How about we smoke a little something to help take your mind off things?"

"Huh?" I watch in surprise as she pulls out a small plastic bag filled with green buds and a colorful glass bowl.

"What?" she asks, noticing my expression. "It'll help you relax."

I’m not surprised Rose smokes weed, I already knew that. I’m surprised she’s taking it out here of all places. I shake my head firmly. "Rose, we're 18. We can't smoke weed."

Her eyebrows scrunch together in genuine confusion. "What are you talking about? The legal age is 18."

I stare at her, momentarily thrown. Another one of those weird little differences in this world I'm still getting used to. I don't have the energy to argue about it right now.

"Look, I've never smoked before," I explain, running a hand through my hair. "And I have to pick up Chris later. Now's really not a good time to start." I glance toward the stairs, lowering my voice. "Also, please don't bring drugs into the house. My little brother lives here."

Rose's indignant expression shifts immediately when I mention Chris. Her eyes widen with realization, and she quickly shoves the bag back into her pocket.

"I'm so sorry," she says, looking genuinely embarrassed. "I wasn't thinking about Chris. That was stupid of me."

She gets up from her chair, already heading toward the door. "I'll just put this back in my car."

I reach out and catch her wrist gently before she can leave. Something about the comfort they've given me today makes me want to reciprocate, to show them I appreciate their support even if I'm not ready to get high in my kitchen at noon.

"How about tonight?" I suggest keeping my voice low. "After Chris goes to bed."

Rose's face lights up, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Really?"

Lilly glances toward the living room, nodding subtly at my mom's liquor cabinet in the corner. "We could have a drink too," she suggests. "Might help take the edge off while we wait for news."

I frown slightly, another cultural difference nagging at me. "Wait, isn't the drinking age 21?"

Lilly's brow furrows in confusion. "What?"

"The legal drinking age," I clarify. "It's not 21 here?"

"It's 18," she says, looking at me like I've suddenly started speaking another language. "It's always been 18. Where did you get 21 from?"

"Oh, right," I mumble, trying to cover my slip-up. "Sorry, I was thinking of... something else."

I consider their offer, weighing my responsibilities against my need for distraction. The constant worry about Evelyn is eating me alive, and sitting here staring at my phone isn't helping.

"You know what? As long as we don't hear any bad news about Evelyn, maybe it would be nice to unwind a little tonight," I concede. "I've never actually smoked or drank before, though."

Rose's smile turns mischievous as she leans against the doorframe. "No worries," she says with a wink. "It'll be fun to teach you."

Lilly reaches across the table and squeezes my hand, her thumb tracing small circles on my skin. "I think you'll be a cute drunk, Seth," she says, her voice soft but playful.

"Alright.”

*****

Time crawls by in a fog of worry and restless waiting. Before I know it, the school day is ending, and I need to pick up Chris. I grab my keys from the counter, jangling them nervously between my fingers.

"We should all go," Lilly suggests, already slipping on her shoes. "No point in splitting up now."

The drive to Melrose Elementary is mostly silent. Lilly sits beside me in the passenger seat, occasionally placing her hand on my knee when I grip the steering wheel too tightly. Rose sprawls in the back, scrolling through her phone.

I pull into the pickup lane, watching the flood of small bodies pouring from the school's double doors. My eyes scan the crowd until I spot him, Chris's blue hoodie and messy hair standing out among the sea of children. He spots the car and breaks into a run, his backpack bouncing against his small frame.

The back door swings open and Chris climbs in, immediately noticing the twins. His eyes widen momentarily before his gaze shifts to me, anxiety etched across his face.

"Where's Evelyn?" he asks, his voice small and uncertain.

My heart sinks as I pull away from the curb, merging back into the line of departing vehicles. I glance at him in the rearview mirror.

"I haven't found her yet, buddy," I admit, trying to keep my voice steady. The words feel thick in my throat as I watch his face fall in the rearview mirror.

Chris's eyebrows scrunch together as he processes this. "Did she go on vacation?"

The innocent question hits me like a punch to the gut. A vacation. Such a simple, harmless explanation.

"I think she probably did," I lie, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "I'm sure she'll be back soon."

Chris's lower lip trembles as he stares down at his lap. "But I didn't even get to say goodbye," he whispers, his voice cracking. Tears well up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Rose's head whips around, panic flashing across her face as she registers Chris's distress. She scoots closer to him on the backseat, her movements jerky and uncertain.

"Hey, it's okay, alright?" she says, her voice pitched higher than normal. "Big sis Rose is here now, so I'll play with you, okay?"

Chris looks up at her, tears clinging to his lashes. He seems startled by her sudden attention, like he's not sure what to make of this strange woman offering to replace Evelyn.

"You will?" he asks cautiously.

"Absolutely!" Rose exclaims, her smile too wide, too desperate. "We can play whatever you want when we get home. Video games? Board games? I'm pretty good at building forts, too."

I watch this unfold in the mirror. Gratitude washes over me. Rose is trying, really trying, but she’s clearly not used to kids.

"I like Minecraft," Chris offers quietly, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

Rose's face lights up. "Minecraft! I love Minecraft! I can teach you all the best building tricks! I'm basically a Minecraft architect."

Lilly sighs from the front seat, turning to look over her shoulder. "No griefing Christopher, Rose."

"What?" Rose puts a hand to her chest, feigning innocence. "I would never!"

Lilly gives her a pointed look. "You blow up my builds constantly."

"Only because it's funny!" Rose protests, laughing. "But I promise I won't hide TNT in Chris's base."

Chris perks up, suddenly interested in their exchange. His tears seem forgotten as he looks between the twins.

Lilly catches my eye and shakes her head slightly. "We had to stop playing Minecraft together after Rose decided she wanted to recreate 9/11 for the twentieth time."

"It was art," Rose insists, crossing her arms. "And plus now that server is safer since we added the TSA to it."