CHAPTER FIVE
Four years ago …
It was pretty rare for the entire House family to be gathered together in one room nowadays. Sure, we were a pretty tight knit family who all lived in the same mansion together, but as we grew older, our lives had taken us in different, sometimes competing directions. It meant we didn’t always get to spend as much time together as we wanted, though whenever we got together for family reunions, we always tried to make the most of them.
But we weren’t all gathered here tonight for a happy family reunion. No, the reason we were all gathered in the massive living room of the House family mansion tonight was for a far more serious—and far less happy—reason: Namely, me.
I stood alone in the center of the room, arms at my sides, trying not to look anxious. It was
