Chapter 4

I haven’t always been in love with Scott. When we were all young, he was just my older brother’s best friend. Back then, Scott was often around my house, eating hot dogs, hiding bugs in my room, and annoying me in any way he could dream up.

Of course, Scott was never entirely carefree.

I hate this part of Scott and Ashley's story. I try not to think about it often, because it makes my heart ache for them. When they were young, their older sister went on a hike in the mountains with friends, and she didn’t come back.

I don’t know the details. Ashley never speaks about it. But I know their parents both threw themselves into their respective jobs—so much so that they shipped Scott and Ashley off to Cobblestone Academy.

That was where Aiden and I came in.