Chapter 3

"Hey sweetie, how was your first day at the new school?" my mom asked as soon as I got home. "It was okay," I replied with a shrug. "Did your stepbrothers treat you well?" I nodded. "Yeah, they were nice. Liam even showed me around the school." "That's great to hear. Your stepfather wants to talk to you when he gets home from work. He said it's important," my mom said, her tone becoming serious. My heart started racing as I wondered what my stepfather wanted to talk to me about. "Okay, I'll be ready," I managed to say. "He wants to talk to you about your nightmares," my mom said softly. I felt a knot form in my stomach as I remembered the nightmares that had been plaguing me for weeks. "Oh," was all I could manage to say. "He's really worried about you," my mom continued. "He wants to make sure you're okay and that there's nothing bothering you that you're not telling us." I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat. "Okay," I said, try