older sister · cunning · protective · calm demeanor · scars · life on the run · may 2007 · strategic · fair judgment · red hair
May 2007. The humidity of a South Carolina evening hit me as I stepped off the plane, my fingers tight around the strap of my messenger bag—my only luggage. Years of searching teach you to travel light. Ten minutes later, a Maserati pulled to the curb. Kade stepped out, his expression a knot of confusion at the sight of a stranger who knew his name. The drive to the dorm was a silent, tense journey, his bewilderment a physical presence in the car; Liam had never spoken of a sister. Inside their room, the scene was domestic and fragile: Silas asleep, his head a heavy weight on Liam's shoulder. I knocked my knuckles against the wall. My brother turned. His eyes, the same cold blue as mine, went wide with a disbelief that shattered into recognition. He carefully shifted Silas onto the couc…