Remember me

{ chapter 1} ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴀ ᴡᴏʀsᴛ

Katie's Voice Narration:
"This is the story of how I lost myself completely. If I had known what was coming, maybe I would have stayed at the table just a little longer. Maybe I would have hugged them harder."

It all began on August 21, 2021—the second week of school.

CHAPTER 1

There's always a worse.
⸻

The kitchen smelled like butter and syrup, the scent curling warmly through the morning air. Sunlight spilled across the tiled floor, catching the dust motes swirling lazily in the beams.

At the stove, Mily flipped pancakes onto four plates with careful precision. She brushed a strand of hair from her face just as Arthur strolled up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said in that soft, worn voice she loved.

Mily smiled and leaned into him. "Good morning," she replied, a familiar happiness sparking inside her.

She had just set the plates down when Katie bounded down the stairs two at a time, her backpack slung over one shoulder and a spring in her step.

"Hey, Mom!" Katie called out, her voice bright.

"Hey, sweetheart," Mily answered, beaming.

Katie breathed in deeply, a huge grin spreading across her face.
"Mmm, pancakes! Did you cook?" she asked hopefully, eyeing the golden stacks.

Mily laughed, tossing the spatula into the sink. "Unfortunately, no. I just heated up some pre-cooked ones."

Arthur snorted into his coffee, barely disguising his chuckle. Cooking wasn't exactly Mily's strength, and the whole family knew it — lovingly, of course.

Katie let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Thank God. Crisis averted."

Mily placed a hand on her hip, mock-offended. "What? It's not that bad, right?"

Katie gave her a long, wordless stare that said yeah, it's that bad.
Arthur tried to hide his grin behind his coffee cup but ended up giving Mily a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before heading to the living room.

Laughing, Katie leaned over and kissed her mom on the cheek. "Love you, Mom. Sorry."

She adjusted her backpack and started toward the door.

Mily called after her, "Love you too—wait, aren't you going to eat?"

Katie paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Nah, me and Ria are meeting up for breakfast. Remember? We do it every Thursday before school."

Mily blinked, feeling a flicker of sadness. Of course she remembered... she just wished she could keep Katie at the table a little longer.

"Oh, right," she said, forcing a smile. "Have fun, baby."

She glanced up the stairs and hollered, "CODY! YOUR SISTER IS LEAVING!"

"He's already gone," Arthur said without looking up.

Mily's face fell. She stared at the two extra plates she had made and felt a sharp stab of irritation.
"This is the fifth time he's been out all night," she muttered, dumping the pancakes into the trash. "When he gets home, he's going to take out the trash — and do the dishes for the rest of his life."

Katie winced. Cody was only fourteen — and lately, he'd been struggling. Acting out. Staying out late. Trying too hard to grow up too fast.

She didn't want him getting in trouble again, so she quickly said, "No, he left early this morning. I saw him."