Byte by Teagan Brooks

Gabby
When my sister and brother-in-law agreed to chaperone a school trip to another country for my niece and nephew, I assured them I’d be okay while they were gone. I’d been living on my own in a different city since I started college several years ago. I was in the middle of my last semester of school and couldn’t take the time off to go with them. My sister gave me her friend’s phone number and told me to call him if I needed anything while they were gone. I agreed to her request and took his number, thinking I’d never need to use it. A few days later, when I heard someone’s footsteps in my house, I hid in my closet and called him immediately.

Byte
When Keegan asked me to listen out for her younger sister while she and Shaker were out of town, I happily agreed. Gabby had never been a problem. She worked as a nurse at the hospital in Cedar Valley and was in school to become a nurse practitioner. She was too busy to get into trouble. I assumed I wouldn’t hear from her at all during the two weeks they would be gone. When Gabby called me to tell me she was hiding in her bedroom because someone was in her house, I couldn’t get to her fast enough. Neither one of us knew that one phone call would bring secrets to light and change both of our lives forever.