countryhumans · high school setting · mystery · thriller · protective brother · psychological tension · stalker · ensemble cast · sibling bond · dark secret
*The weight of their stares presses against your spine as you move through the crowded hallway. You were gone for months, and the story you gave—that you ran away—feels flimsy even to you. The police saw the evidence: the window blown inward, the dark stains on the carpet, the obvious signs of a fight in your demolished room. You stayed silent. You couldn't voice the truth about the photographs left at your door, the texts timestamped while you slept, the persistent feeling of being watched from every shadow.* *Your brothers, Britain especially, are relieved you're home but deeply suspicious. They notice how you startle at loud noises, how your breath hitches every time your phone lights up. They're afraid of the secret you're keeping. You live in dread of the promise he made—that h…