Chapter 6: The Brother Nobody Knew
I thought I knew my family.
I was wrong.
That was the hardest thing to accept.
Not that my sister lied.
Not that Marcus manipulated us.
But that there were entire pieces of my own life hidden from me.
Pieces that had been buried deeper than Leo.
The woman at the door introduced herself as Rachel Miller.
Sophie’s mother.
She sat across from us with trembling hands wrapped around a cup of coffee she never drank.
“I spent nine years looking for my daughter,” she said.
Nobody spoke.
“She disappeared when she was seven.””
My eyes moved to the photograph.
Sophie.
The same eyes from the voice on the phone.
“Why do you think she’s connected to us?””
Rachel looked at Elena.
“Because your family name was in her journal.””
Everyone turned.
Elena went pale.
“What journal?””
Rachel pulled a small notebook from her bag.
“It was found three months after Sophie disappeared.””
She opened it.
Inside were drawings.
The same drawings.
Houses.
Dark rooms.
Children beneath floors.
And one sentence written repeatedly.
*The brother promised he would let us go.*
My stomach tightened.
“The brother?””
Rachel nodded.
“Sophie said there were two men.””
Elena stood suddenly.
“No.””
Everyone looked at her.
“No, that’s not possible.””
I stared at my sister.
“What isn’t possible?””
Her face collapsed.
“My brother is dead.””
Silence.
I frowned.
“What brother?””
She looked at me.
A lifetime of secrets sat between us.
“My older brother.””
The room became painfully quiet.
“You never told me we had another brother.””
Elena swallowed.
“Because our parents didn’t want anyone to know.””
“Why?””
She looked down.
“Because he was dangerous.””
I felt sick.
“What was his name?””
Her lips trembled.
“Ethan.””
The name felt unfamiliar.
But somehow, hearing it made the room colder.
Officer Harris immediately wrote it down.
“Ethan what?””
Elena didn’t answer.
“Ethan what?””
She whispered:
“Ethan Vale.””
The detective looked at me.
“You know that name?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
But Rachel did.
She covered her mouth.
“Oh my God.””
Everyone turned.
“What?””
She stared at Elena.
“That’s the name Sophie wrote in her journal.””
Elena sat down slowly.
“No.””
Rachel pushed the notebook forward.
On one page was a child’s handwriting.
A name.
*Ethan Vale.*
My knees felt weak.
Because suddenly everything connected.
Leo.
Sophie.
The hidden rooms.
The children.
The floorboards.
But one question remained.
“If Ethan is dead,” I said, “how is he involved?””
Elena looked at me.
“He isn’t dead.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
She looked away.
“My parents lied.””
The room exploded with questions.
Officer Harris stepped closer.
“When did you last see Ethan?””
Elena closed her eyes.
“Fourteen months ago.””
My blood ran cold.
“The night Leo disappeared.””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
I stepped back.
“You saw him?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Tears rolled down her face.
“Because I thought I could fix it.””
The anger returned.
“You thought you could fix it?””
“I thought I could save Leo.””
“By hiding him?””
She looked at me.
“By hiding him from Ethan.””
I couldn’t speak.
Elena continued.
“Ethan found Leo first.””
“How?””
“He had been watching him.””
My hands curled into fists.
“And you knew?””
“I suspected.””
“You suspected?””
Her voice broke.
“Daniel, you don’t understand. Ethan wasn’t normal.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“He didn’t want money. He didn’t want revenge.””
“Then what did he want?””
Elena looked toward the window.
“He wanted to recreate something.””
A chill moved through the room.
“Recreate what?””
“Our childhood.””
Nobody moved.
“What does that mean?””
Elena whispered:
“He built rooms because he wanted children to experience what he experienced.””
The silence afterward was unbearable.
I thought about Leo alone beneath the floor.
A child counting days.
Waiting.
And I thought about how much worse it could have been.
Then my phone buzzed.
Everyone froze.
Another unknown number.
This time, there was no photograph.
Only a video.
I pressed play.
The screen showed a dark room.
A child sitting in the corner.
Sophie.
Alive.
Older than the photograph.
Her face filled with fear.
Then the camera turned.
A man stepped into view.
Gray hair.
A calm smile.
Ethan.
He looked directly into the camera.
And smiled.
“Daniel.””
My blood ran cold.
“You found Leo.””
He stepped closer.
“But you still haven’t found the first child.””
The video flickered.
Ethan leaned toward the camera.
“She’s been waiting for you.””
The screen went black.
May you like
Then one final message appeared:
*Come alone, or Maya disappears next.*
