My older brother gives me a “sleeping tea” every night… until one night I pretended to drink it and discovered the secret hidden inside our house.

When the door lock shattered behind me, I climbed onto the window and jumped.

I landed in the grass, twisted my ankle, but I kept running toward the gate.

Behind me I heard Daniel shouting my name.

I ran into the street.

And for the first time in a long time… I truly breathed.

In the distance I heard sirens.

I didn’t know if they were coming for me… or if Daniel had already prepared another lie.

But one thing he no longer had was this:

I was no longer asleep.

I had seen the room.

I had seen the documents.

And I had heard the words “just like Mom.”

And even though my hands were still shaking, I knew that the secret of that house would no longer stay trapped between its walls.