Chapter 1Right before clocking out on Thanksgiving Day, my sister Savannah Brooks dropped a moving announcement in the family group chat.
I followed the address she sent. Five buses later, I stepped off into the middle of nowhere. Nothing but abandoned woods stretched in every direction.
Savannah's voice sparkled with triumph over the phone. "Gotcha! Prank successful. The last bus just left—what are you gonna do now?"
I stood there frozen while my parents burst out laughing in the background. "She actually bought that. Jesus, I have no idea which side of the family she gets that dumbass streak from."
"We're having Thanksgiving dinner. You can walk back yourself."
Then they started arguing over whose genes were to blame, pushing the insult back and forth like a hot potato.
Desperate, I used my last bar of battery to call my boyfriend Derek Sullivan. He picked up, and I heard that same familiar noise behind him. His laugh drifted through the speaker, light and mocking.
"Natalie, your parents already said it—get yourself home."
"It's not like this is your first prank. Come on. Don't be such a baby about it."
The line went dead.
In the past, I would've called back crying, begging someone to come get me. But this time, staring at the distant glow of lights in far-off houses, I just felt tired.
My sister loved prank games, and my whole family loved playing along. Two years ago, she ground up a peach pit and dumped it in my water. Sent me into a full-blown asthma attack. Last year? She swapped my shampoo with hair removal cream. I walked into my job interview with bald patches. This year? They know I can't stand the dark, so they teamed up to dump me in the middle of goddamn nowhere.
Back at the house, they were probably gathered around the dinner table, betting on exactly how many minutes it would take for me to break.
I didn't cry. I didn't scream.
I turned my back on home and walked straight into the dark. This game? I was done.
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It was so dark, I couldn't see an inch in front of my face.
On my phone's security camera feed, my family sat circled around the dinner table. Four phones were placed in the center. They were betting on how many minutes before I called, begging.
Savannah spoke with absolute certainty. "One minute."
When I was ten, on Thanksgiving, Savannah poisoned my puppy. I ran crying into my parents' room, screaming for them to take him to the vet. They watched me sob my heart out and didn't blink.
"Savannah's just playing a prank with you. If the dog dies, we'll get another one."
My puppy died in my arms. From convulsions to his last breath. Exactly one minute. After that, no one ever mentioned the replacement they'd promised.
When it was my parents' turn, they answered together. "Five minutes."
The one and only time I got to sit at the table for a holiday meal, Savannah swapped my soda with bleach. I was on the floor clutching my stomach, writhing in pain. It took five full minutes before I finally broke and begged for help. I spent that night getting my stomach pumped. They went downtown to check out the Thanksgiving lights.
After that, terrified of Savannah's pranks, I never spent another Thanksgiving with my family.
Derek used to feel sorry for me. Even with his demanding job, he always took time off to stay by my side. And now.
He'd been silent the whole time. Then, like he'd just remembered something, he shot up from his chair and grabbed his coat.
My fingers tightened around my phone. I was just about to send him my location when he stopped dead at the front door. He glanced up at the clock on the wall and spoke with absolute confidence. "I bet Natalie won't call tonight to beg."
"Because… my company owns that cell tower. I just had my guys schedule a maintenance shutdown. After midnight? Natalie's phone is gonna be a brick."
My heart dropped.
Savannah shrieked with delight and threw her arms around Derek. "No wonder you pushed so hard for the middle of nowhere! Derek, you are an absolute prank master!"
He used to forbid me from going anywhere near that area. He told me it was undeveloped, crawling with homeless encampments and wild dogs. He said he couldn't stand the thought of me in danger. Now, just to play along with Savannah's game, he was perfectly fine leaving me out there overnight.
The whole family cheered, celebrating their newest star player in this long-running game. They all hugged each other, a perfect team. That was the moment the last flicker of hope inside me died for good.
I had one minute of signal left on my phone. I opened the email and confirmed my acceptance of the job transfer to Milan, scheduled to depart in three days.
I'd been hesitating because the distance meant I couldn't have family reunions. But this wasn't the kind of reunion I wanted. I didn't want this family anymore.
When the clock hit midnight, my phone turned into a useless brick. I picked up a sturdy stick and forced myself to keep moving.
Somewhere along the way, the fear started to fade. Turns out, when you have absolutely no one left to lean on, you learn how to be brave on your own.
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Chapter 2
By the time the sky started to lighten, I was dragging my soaked pant legs and muddy shoes onto the first bus of the morning. I borrowed a charger from the driver.
I hadn't been home all night. When my phone powered back on, the family group chat had exploded. Over a hundred messages. There were photos Savannah shared of the Thanksgiving feast. Cash gifts sent by Mom and Dad. Pictures of Derek's famous home-cooked dishes.
The only direct message I got was from work.
[Take the next few days off. You're about to be gone for a decade—go be with your family. Wheels up in two days.]
I stood outside the front door for a long time. In my hand, I was holding five Disneyland tickets. I'd worked a month of overtime to buy them as a Thanksgiving gift for the whole family. I'd imagined all of us going together. That wasn't going to happen now. I pulled out the one with my name on it and slipped the other four under the door.
The next second, the door flew open. Savannah grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. Derek dumped a bucket of ice-cold water right over my head.
I crashed to the floor, soaked to the bone.
Savannah squealed. "I bet she cries first."
Derek let out a short laugh. "I bet she throws a fit first."
Mom and Dad looked at the soaking wet mess I was and couldn't even stand up straight. "Oh, check out that face! Loser owes three flicks to the forehead."
Finally, four sets of eyes landed on me.
I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I forced myself up, ignoring the scrapes on my palms that were starting to bleed. I lifted my hand and stopped it right in front of Savannah's forehead.
"You all lose. Three flicks each."
Savannah squeezed her eyes shut and let out a piercing shriek. Derek shoved me hard. "Natalie, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Mom and Dad crowded around Savannah, shielding her like a wounded cub. "Why do you have to take everything so seriously? It's just family messing around. You're the only one who makes a federal case out of everything."
I hadn't actually planned on flicking her. I just wanted to see if they'd think it was so funny if Savannah was the one about to get hurt. Now I had my answer.
The four Disneyland tickets fell at our feet. Soaked through, already shredded under someone's shoe. Savannah followed my gaze. She thought that was why I'd frozen up.
"A few stupid tickets? Please. Mom and Dad already took me ages ago. Stop acting so high and mighty! You're just a sore loser."
My hand hung there in the air, frozen. I'd spent my whole life trying to be the daughter who could make them laugh, the way Savannah did. Last month, they'd casually mentioned wanting to take a family trip to Disneyland. I held onto every word. I remembered. Turns out, they'd already gone. Turns out, their definition of "family" never actually included me.
Mom and Dad glared at me. "You scared Savannah. Apologize to her. Now."
Derek stepped in, his voice all calm and reasonable. "Natalie, our engagement party is the day after tomorrow. Don't make things ugly with your family. It won't look good for you."
He made it sound like he was on my side, but every single word defended Savannah.
Staring at those four people lined up against me, I almost wanted to laugh. I'd come home planning to talk to Derek, to call the whole engagement off. But now, I decided I'd use that engagement party to finish a prank of my own. One I'd tailored just for them.
I gripped the hem of my shirt and gave Savannah the apology she wanted. "I'm sorry. I was wrong."
She lifted her chin. "That's more like it."
Then she turned to Mom, Dad, and Derek with a secret little smirk. "The engagement party is going to be my masterpiece. Tell her to just wait and see."
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Chapter 3
I knew something was off the moment Derek suggested letting Savannah plan the engagement party. I just couldn't prove it.
Mom and Dad swore up and down. "Natalie, an engagement is just as important as the wedding. You only get one. We'd never let Savannah mess around with something this big."
Derek backed them up. "Savannah just wants to help take the stress off you. She wants you to be the most beautiful bride-to-be there."
I finally let my guard down.
While the whole family was out shopping with Savannah, I dug through a drawer and found the USB flash drive. It had a label on it: [Natalie's Happy Memories.]
I plugged it into my computer. The second the first video file opened, a low snickering sound crept through the speakers. Hearing those voices sent a cold sweat crawling down my back.
In the video, my parents and Savannah took turns coaxing twelve-year-old me to finish a slice of birthday cake. My mouth was full of a black-and-white paste. I remember asking so carefully, "Mom, Dad, what's this cake made of? I really can't eat any more."
When I finally managed to swallow it, ten-year-old Savannah's face turned red from holding in her laughter. Then she exploded. "It's dog shit and worms, you idiot! My sister's so desperate she'll eat literal garbage!"
I watched my twelve-year-old self shove my fingers down my throat. Mom and Dad were laughing so hard they couldn't even hold the camera steady. The whole screen shook.
Another clip autoplayed. Me waking up with a snake in my bed, fainting cold on the floor. Me trapped in a broken elevator, terrified to the point of humiliation. My private journal about a crush on a popular guy, plastered across the whole school. I got called "Toad Girl" for three solid years.
Every ugly, humiliating, degrading moment. Savannah had cut them all together into a greatest-hits compilation, complete with goofy sound effects. She was planning to play it at my engagement party. In front of every relative and friend we knew.
My parents knew. Derek knew.
My hands went ice cold. My stomach heaved, and this time I couldn't hold it back. I barely made it to the bathroom before everything came up.
Once the nausea passed, I dragged myself back to the computer. I deleted the videos one by one and replaced them with a different file. The one I'd prepared myself.
When the family came back from shopping, Mom waved me over. "Your dress is here. Come try it on."
I reached for it carefully. Savannah rolled her eyes. "Oh, give me a break. Are you seriously that paranoid? Like everyone's out to get you."
I didn't answer her. I just looked at my parents. "Mom, Dad. Do you actually want me to be happy?"
They blinked, then smiled. "Silly girl. What kind of question is that? We might play games, but that doesn't mean we don't love you."
They took my hands, acting completely innocent about the ambush planned for the next day.
Derek came over and put his hand on my waist. "Alright, that's enough. You know how Savannah is. Don't let her get to you. Once I'm officially her brother-in-law, I'll keep her in check."
He brushed it all off in a few sentences. I pretended not to notice the sly glances passing between the four of them, all lit up, buzzing at the thought of my upcoming humiliation.
I calmly pulled Derek's hand off me. "Thanks, Mom and Dad. And you too, Savannah. As my most beloved family, I've got a gift for all of you too. You'll get it at the engagement party."
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