I was just finishing my second beer when someone leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Want to do something insane?” As pickup lines went, it wasn’t half bad.

There’s one thing you should know about me — I would do anything to protect my family. I sit in my car, staring at the school and take a deep breath. Anxiety crawls down my arms, causing my fingers to tremble. I look at the message from Allison again. I need you to come get me. I got in trouble. That’s it. No explanation, nothing.

The crisp, December air of a decade ago still clung to the edges of their memories, a nostalgic perfume laced with the heady scent of cheap champagne and the sharper, metallic tang of youthful defiance. Five figures, united by the unshakeable certainty of their late twenties, had gathered in a dimly lit university common room, the fairy lights strung haphazardly across the ceiling casting a festive, yet somehow melancholic, glow. It was the eve of their graduation, a threshold moment, and the air thrummed with a potent cocktail of excitement and a gnawing apprehension for the unknown future. Liam, ever the dramatist, had produced a thick, leather-bound journal, its pages still blessedly blank, and a fountain pen with an exorbitant price tag.

“Lily,” a soft voice says to me. My body is gently pushed. “Wake up, darling. You must wake up now.” I attempt to open my eyes, and when I do, Mommy is staring at me, concerned. “Mom?” I say, confused when I notice it’s still dark outside. “What time is it?” I start to yawn. I didn't sleep for too long. Mommy says I sleep too much for a little girl who just turned seven last week. She tells me that I’m already sleeping like a teenager. “Lily,” she whispers aggressively. “Look at me.” I blink several times, attempting to understand why she’s upset. “Mom, is—” She puts a finger to my lip and looks around my bedroom. “You must be quiet, dear.” She extends her hand to me. “We have to leave. They’re here.”