Your house was quiet. It always was. Even though it's your birthday, the house is still as silent as ever. Your mother didn't seem to realize. After everything that happened to her, you weren't surprised. She must be on some new medications, or something. As you walked by the calendar that was still stuck on April of last year, you wished that this house wasn't so dead.

You heard your mother talking to someone. You knew exactly who, or what, she was talking to. Gabe. She always seemed to love talking to him. You knew he wasn't there, and you did you best to ignore him. You hated what he was doing to the family.

As you stood in the kitchen, you heard Gabe's voice.

"Happy birthday." He says. You didn't reply. You didn't want to. Ignoring him made it easier.

"You can't ignore me forever, y'know~" He grins, stepping closer.