The sunlight slaps me in the face as I finally pry my eyes open. My hand fumbles across the empty sheets beside me, finding nothing but cold cotton where two warm bodies should be.

"Huh?" I mumble, squinting at the alarm clock. 12:00 PM glares back at me in angry red digits. Saturday's half gone already.

I drag myself out of bed, following the sounds of laughter and explosions echoing from the living room. The wooden floor is cold against my bare feet as I shuffle down the hallway, still groggy with sleep.

The living room comes into view, and I can't help but smile. Rose is sprawled on the couch, controller in hand, her auburn hair hanging loose around her shoulders as she furiously taps buttons. Chris sits cross-legged on the floor beside her with his own controller, completely engrossed in Minecraft.

"No, no, no! The diamonds are behind you!" Chris shouts, bouncing with excitement.

"I see it, I see it!" Rose responds, her tongue poking out in concentration.

From the kitchen, Lilly glances up from where she's assembling wraps, her green eyes catching mine. Her hair is pulled back in that tight ponytail she always favors.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she says, a smile spreading across her face.

Something in my chest melts at the sight of all of them together like this, my little makeshift family. The twins and my brother, all under one roof, all happy.

"Morning," I reply, my voice still rough with sleep.

"Lunch is almost done," Lilly announces, gesturing to the spread of ingredients on the counter. "I'm making wraps."

I wander over to the kitchen, peeking over her shoulder. "They look good."

"Seth!" Chris calls suddenly from the living room. "Rose said the F-word when a creeper blew her up earlier!"

Rose shoots him a betrayed look. "Snitch!"

I burst out laughing and cross over to Chris, ruffling his hair playfully. "She was probably just surprised, buddy. Those creepers come out of nowhere."

"I know, but…"

"Let's not go repeating what she said, though, okay?" I give him a gentle nudge with my elbow. "Some words are just for grown-ups when they're really frustrated."

Chris sighs dramatically but nods. "Okay."

Lilly hands me two plates from the cabinet. "Can you give these to the gaming crew? They can eat while they play."

I distribute the plates to Rose and Chris, who barely look up from the screen as they mumble their thanks. Rose is already rebuilding whatever the creeper destroyed, her fingers flying across the controller buttons.

Back in the kitchen, I slide into a chair across from Lilly at the small table. She's nursing a cup of tea, her face pensive as she stares out the window. The sounds of the game fade into background noise.

"Any news?" I ask quietly, knowing she'll understand what I mean.

Lilly's eyes meet mine, a slight shake of her head answering my question before she speaks.

"No," she says softly. "Nothing yet."

I nod slowly, trying to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. It's been over twenty-four hours now with no sign of Evelyn, no clues, no leads, nothing but an empty house next door and a growing sense of dread.

"It'll be alright," Lilly says, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. Her touch is warm, grounding me when my thoughts threaten to spiral. "The police are still looking."

I glance toward the living room where Chris is laughing at something Rose said, completely absorbed in their game. For a moment, I'm grateful he's distracted, too young to fully understand what Evelyn's disappearance might mean.

"What am I going to do about Chris if she's really gone?" I whisper, my voice barely audible over the game sounds. "He needs someone when I'm in class. Mom's never home, and…"

"We'll figure it out, Seth," Lilly interrupts, her voice firm but gentle. "I promise."

Something in her tone, that absolute certainty, makes the tension in my shoulders ease slightly. She says it like it's already decided, like there was never any question.

Lilly's eyes soften as she leans closer. "I already have some ideas about Chris, but it's premature to discuss them right now. For all we know, Evelyn could walk through the front door any minute and everything would go back to normal."

I let her words sink in, clinging to that slim hope even though it feels more unlikely with each passing hour. "Yeah, maybe."

"Try not to catastrophize," she adds, her thumb tracing small circles on my hand. "One step at a time."

"Thanks, Lilly," I say, meaning it more than she probably realizes. "For everything. The food, watching Chris... just being here."

A heavy sigh escapes me as reality settles back in. "I should probably call my Mom, though. She needs to know what's happening, even if she can't come home."

Lilly nods, understanding in her eyes. "Of course. Do what you need to do."

I push away from the table and make my way up the stairs and down the hallway to my bedroom, phone already in hand. The door clicks shut behind me, muffling the sounds of Rose and Chris still battling pixelated monsters.

My thumb hovers over my Mom's contact for a long moment before I finally press call. It rings four times before she picks up, her voice distant and tinny through the speaker.

"What is it, Seth? I'm in the middle of something important." Mom's voice cuts through the line, sharp and impatient. I can hear papers shuffling in the background, the familiar soundtrack of her perpetually busy life.

I sink onto the edge of my bed, suddenly feeling like I'm ten years old again, afraid to bother her with my problems. "Mom, Evelyn's missing."

A beat of silence follows, then a long sigh. "What do you mean 'missing'?"

"She didn't show up yesterday morning to watch Chris. Her car's at her house, but she's not there. Her bed wasn't slept in." The words tumble out faster now. "I filed a police report yesterday, but they haven't found anything yet."

"Have you called her mother?" Mom asks, her tone shifting slightly from annoyed to concerned, though still maintaining that professional distance she always keeps.

"I left her a message, but you know how she is. Always working, just like…" I catch myself before finishing that sentence. No point in starting that argument again.

Mom clears her throat. "I see. Well, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Evelyn's a responsible adult."

"Mom, this isn't like her. She wouldn't just disappear without saying anything, especially not when she's supposed to watch Chris."

"I understand you're concerned, Seth, but I can't just drop everything and come home." There's a defensive edge to her voice now.

I press my palm against my forehead, fighting back the frustration building inside me. "I'm not asking you to come home. I just thought you should know that the person who's been raising your children is missing."

There's a long pause on the other end of the line. I can almost picture Mom at her desk, pinching the bridge of her nose the way she does when she's thinking.

"Noted," she finally says, her voice deliberately measured. "You'll need to stay home with Christopher until Evelyn returns."

"Mom, I don't think you're getting it," I say, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm. "I think something bad happened to her. This isn't just her taking a day off."

"Let's wait and see what the police say before jumping to conclusions," she responds, the lawyer in her taking over. "These situations often resolve themselves."

I sink back onto my bed, suddenly exhausted by the whole conversation. "Alright," I sigh, knowing there's no point in pushing further.

"I have a meeting in five minutes," she continues, already moving on. "Keep me updated if you hear anything.”

"Right," I mutter. "Wouldn't want to disrupt your schedule."

Mom either doesn't hear the sarcasm or chooses to ignore it. "I have to go. Take care of your brother."

The line goes dead before I can respond. I stare at my phone for a long moment, fighting the urge to throw it against the wall. Instead, I let myself fall backward onto my mattress, staring up at the ceiling.

"Typical," I whisper to myself. Even a missing person can't compete with Mom's precious career.

A soft knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. I push myself up on my elbows as Lilly pokes her head in, her expression questioning.

"How'd it go?" she asks, though her tone suggests she already knows the answer.

I let out a hollow laugh. "About as well as you'd expect. She's concerned, but not enough to actually do anything about it."

Lilly slips into the room, closing the door softly behind her. She crosses to the bed and sits beside me, her weight making the mattress dip slightly.

"I'm sorry," she says, her hand finding mine. "That must be frustrating."

"I'm used to it," I reply with a shrug that feels anything but casual. "At least she didn't try to tell me how to handle it. Just said I need to stay home with Chris until Evelyn comes back."

Lilly's fingers intertwine with mine, her thumb tracing soothing patterns across my knuckles.

"You know," she says softly, "my mother was asking if you still wanted to bring Chris over for dinner this weekend."

I raise an eyebrow, having forgotten about that plan.

Lilly continues, her voice gentle but firm. "I think it might be good for Chris to experience dinner with a full family for once. Mom's cooking, Rose and I will be there, our other Mom too, of course. A proper home-cooked meal."

Something warm blooms in my chest at her words. The image of Chris sitting at a table surrounded by people who actually show up, who make time for each other, who talk and laugh together, it hits me harder than I expected. All the things I've never been able to give him with our absentee mother and non-existent father.

"That would be..." I swallow against the sudden tightness in my throat. "I think that would be wonderful."

"Would tonight be alright?" Lilly asks, her eyes meeting mine with quiet intensity.

"Yeah," I nod, finding myself eager for this slice of normalcy amid the chaos. "That sounds perfect."

Lilly pulls out her phone, her fingers dancing across the screen as she texts her Mom. I watch her face, the slight concentration in her brow, the way her lips purse when she's focused. She sets her phone down on the nightstand when she's done, then turns back to me.

For a moment, she just looks at me. Her green eyes search my face, and I feel exposed, like she can see every worry and fear I've been carrying. Without a word, she leans forward and presses her lips to mine.

I kiss her back, my eyes closing as I let myself sink into the feeling. Her lips are soft, warm, grounding me in this moment when everything else feels so uncertain. She presses against me gently, pushing me back until I'm lying on the bed with her above me.

When I open my eyes, hers are there waiting, beautiful and loving and so overwhelming I almost can't breathe. But it's exactly what I need right now, something powerful enough to drown out the anxiety that's been humming through my veins since yesterday morning.

I reach up, pulling her face down to mine again. Our lips meet with more urgency this time, like I'm drawing strength from her. My fingers tangle in her hair, loosening that perfect ponytail as we kiss deeper, longer. She becomes my anchor, my escape.

"You don't have to carry all this alone," she whispers against my lips. "I'm here for you."

"I know.”