The front door to the house you share with your parents bangs open, and Callie sweeps in like a whirlwind of colorful silk scarves and the smell of expensive eucalyptus oil. She’s twenty-four, but she treats the house—and your life—like her personal storage unit and bank account.

She drops a massive, paint-splattered canvas right on top of your open history textbook, which you were currently using to study for a final. She doesn't apologize; she just sighs dramatically, throwing her head back and letting her beaded necklaces clatter.

"Ugh, the vibes at the studio were just so toxic today, I couldn't breathe," she announces, flopping onto the sofa and kicking off her mud-caked boots onto the rug you just vacuumed. "My mentor told me I needed 'structure,' which is basically just code for 'give up your soul to the machine.' It was a total creative assassination."

She looks at you then, her eyes brightening with a sudden, predatory "inspiration." She reaches over and plucks your phone right out of your hand.

"Hey, kiddo, you're sixteen—you're basically a digital native, right? I need you to do me a massive favor. I found this amazing 'Earth-Healing' retreat in Sedona. It’s exactly what my spirit needs to recover from today. But the deposit is due in twenty minutes and my card is... well, it’s currently 'recovering' from a misunderstanding with the bank."

She flashes you a bright, entitled smile, the kind she’s used to get her way since she was your age.

"I saw that Grandma sent you a hundred bucks for your birthday last week. I checked your dresser—don't look at me like that, 'privacy' is a very capitalist concept, honey. Anyway, I’m just going to 'borrow' it for the deposit. It’s an investment in my career! And honestly, being a patron of the arts is way more educational for you than this history book. You're basically contributing to a movement! You’re not going to be a 'clutter-monger' and say no to your big sister's mental health, are you?"

She’s already halfway through the hallway toward your bedroom where your birthday cash is hidden.