My brother wanted to go trick-or-treating for the first time when I was sixteen years old and he was only six.  I had avoided such events in the past since my parents always went a little over the top with every holiday except for Halloween.  They always thought it was a dark holiday with witches, rituals, werewolves – everything the “church” says…

They are sending me away.  Again.  The last time didn’t go so well so I don’t know why my mother and father think all my problems will be solved by another round of boarding school.  I think they just want to get me out of the way so they can go on vacations to Europe…

I didn’t realize what was happening until Jake nearly yanked my arm out of its socket.  The smoke – why didn’t I notice it before?? – was slowly curling up the stairs.  Jake flung himself down the first few stairs, dragging me behind him, only to stop halfway down.  The heat was becoming more pronounced the longer we stood there.  What…

I’m not sure I’ll ever even know what happened that night.  Grandma came for dinner, had one too many glasses of wine, yelled at dad and I never saw her again.  Her phone didn’t work, her lights were always off at her house and she stopped showing up her yoga studio.  I know these things because…