The next morning, Lauren woke up to an unusual silence. The sun peeked through the curtains, glaring directly into her face. She groaned, burying herself under the blanket to escape its accusing brightness.
Something felt off.
No Sophie screaming for pancakes. No Larry barging into her room with that insufferable smirk and a sarcastic remark ready to go. Suspicious.
Lauren sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she tried to make sense of the eerie quiet. Usually, mornings in the house were chaotic at best, downright maddening at worst.
Padding out of the bedroom, she walked into the living room and froze. There was Sophie, sitting cross-legged on the couch, her tablet balanced on her knees. Her sweet, too-innocent smile set every alarm bell in Lauren’s head ringing.
“Morning, Soph
