The house smelled like cinnamon rolls and roasted chicken.
Lily dropped her schoolbag by the door and stretched her arms with a sigh. "Home."
Jason kicked off his shoes beside the bench and groaned, "I'm starving."
Their mum's voice floated in from the kitchen. "Wash up, both of you. Dinner's almost ready."
Lily spotted Belle crawling on the living room rug, one sock on, hair wild, dragging her bunny behind her. She scooped her up, laughing. "What happened to you?"
"Party," Belle announced solemnly.
"Without me? That's betrayal."
Jason passed them with a smirk. "She's your twin in chaos."
The dining table was already set—plates, salad bowl, warm dinner rolls in a basket. Everything looked perfect. Except…
Their dad wasn't home.
Lily noticed it first. "Where's Dad?"
"He's… running late," their mum said quickly, too quickly. "He had something to finish at the office."
Jason shrugged. "He's always working lately."
Their mum didn't respond. She stirred the gravy with too much focus, lips pressed together.
They sat down anyway, the three of them. Belle in her booster seat. Jason digging in like a starved wolf. Lily kept glancing at the front door.
Midway through the meal, her mother's phone buzzed. She checked it, face tightening for a split second. Then she put it down without a word and forced a smile. "How was school today?"
Jason launched into a dramatic retelling of how Coach made them run laps, but Lily was distracted. Their mum kept checking the clock. Her smile twitched when Belle threw mashed potatoes on the floor. The sparkle in her eyes was dimmer than usual.
Lily ate slowly. It wasn't like their dad to miss dinner.
"He'll be home soon," their mum said quietly, as though Lily had asked. "Finish your food."
When the dishes were cleared, and Belle had smeared chocolate pudding in her hair, their mum gave a soft sigh and stood up. "You two handle cleanup tonight. I need to call your father."
Her voice was calm, but her shoulders looked tired.
Jason tossed Lily a rag. "Let's go, Cinderella."
They washed dishes in silence, the clinking of plates loud in the quiet kitchen. Lily glanced toward the hallway, where she could just barely hear her mum's muffled voice through a door.
"She sounds… worried," Lily whispered.
Jason shrugged. "Probably just work stuff. Dad's been dealing with boring grown-up things all week."
Lily didn't reply. Something in her chest felt off. Like standing on a rug that might be yanked away.
Upstairs, Belle was already half-asleep when their mum came to tuck them in.
Jason climbed into bed with zero fanfare. "Wake me if there's a zombie apocalypse."
Their mum lingered in Lily's room.She sat beside her on the bed and ran a hand through her hair.
"You're quiet tonight."
"I was just thinking," Lily said.
"About?"
"…I don't know."
Her mum smiled, but it wobbled a little. "You have the biggest heart, Lily. That's something the world needs. Don't ever lose that."
"Okay," Lily whispered.
She leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight, baby girl."
Her father didn't tuck her in that night.
That had never happened before.
Lily stared at the ceiling long after the light was off. She listened for his footsteps in the hallway. For his familiar, "Goodnight, sunshine."
But they never came.
Downstairs, she heard the front door open. She almost leapt out of bed until she heard her parents' voices. Not loud or angry but tense. Like secrets.
"—no, we still have time—"
"Are you sure? If they're even considering it—"
"I'll meet them myself. I can fix it. I just need them to believe I'm serious."
A pause. Then her mother's voice, barely above a whisper:
"Just promise me they'll be safe."
Lily turned over and pulled the covers up.
She didn't understand what any of it meant. Maybe it really was work stuff. Maybe it wasn't.
But deep down, something told her that things were shifting.
That something was coming.
She just didn't know what.
"Why are you up, pretty one?". Startled, Lily turned at the direction of the voice. It was Maggie - one of the maids.
"I couldn't sleep, daddy's back but he didn't tuck me in. I'm scared" Lily whispered.
"No need to be scared, come I'll tuck you in. Daddy will give you a kiss in the morning."
Lily returned to her bed. Soon enough, her eyes grew so tired her curious mind couldn't keep up and she was soon dreaming peacefully.
She didn't know though that tonight would be the last night she'd ever sleep without fear.