One night, when she was fourteen years old, she heard the creak of footsteps outside her bedroom. Her mother’s footsteps were very recognizable, either shuffling or thudding, depending on the amount of alcohol she’d ingested. These footsteps were slippery, as if someone were sliding across the floor in stockinged feet. They were soft as a whisper. Quiet as deception. They paused outside Jack’s door, and she tensed, pulling the blankets up to her neck as if that might protect her. All her childhood instincts kicked in at that moment. She made sure her feet were tucked under the covers. Investigated the movement of the shadows, seeking strangeness. She was almost certain she could hear the doorknob twisting, but within a couple of seconds, the footsteps had moved on, and she relaxed. Closed her eyes. And then…

A soft creak on the stairs. The squat, ramshackle house boasted only one story, but there was a twisting staircase that led to the attic. The place where her brothers slept. Jack disentangled from her blankets. She stood a little shakily, heart racing and mind spinning and not entirely sure what to think. She had a terrible feeling blooming in the pit of her stomach, but her brain wouldn’t allow her to consider the possibilities of what might unfold in that attic.

There was a wall inside her, protecting her from reality.

But her brothers weren’t being protected. The three of them were huddled together in one bed, and if someone crept up to them while they were sleeping, they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves. They might not even know they needed to until they were already trapped. Some giants stomped around, their heavy footfalls warning of their arrival. But others were surprisingly fleet of foot, and by the time you realized they were towering over you, you had nowhere to go.

Jack tiptoed to her door, as quietly as the giant himself. She twisted the knob, ever so gently. Poked her head outside. No one was in the hallway, and after checking that her mother’s door was completely shut, she made her way down the hall, through the living room, and toward the attic stairs.