“Get out of my house!” Max exploded, charging toward them. He’d never punched anyone before, but if he was ever going to, it was now, in this moment, with his mother pluming smoke and stealing his father’s jokes. These lunatics, whoever they were, were not going to stand here and explain pain to him.

“Leave! Now!” He pointed a straight arm toward the door, and his mother let out a murderous cackle. Her head was thrown back, black waves falling all around her, perfectly styled. Her skin was radiant, and her hair luscious. The faint lines that sprayed from her eyes and crossed her forehead were Photoshopped away, making her body look ten years younger while her voice was a gateway to Hell.

She turned toward her visitors. “You may leave.” She sounded feminine again. Not his mother’s pattern of speech, but at least it wasn’t his father’s.

“Of course.” The girl nodded.

“Your enlightenment is an inspiration,” said the man.

“You cannot achieve enlightenment. You must be enlightened. And your time is coming. Soon,” Mom bestowed.

The peons took their orders and exited the room. Max listened as they marched down the hall, creaking on familiar floorboards and slamming the front door. Finally, a car drove off.

“This has gone too far,” Max spat through clenched teeth.

“I thought you missed your father.”

“Mom, how could you do this?” He appealed to the woman who raised him. She was in there, somewhere, and she was torturing him.

“I thought we were past pretending I was your mother.” Smoke gusted from her lips. “Mommy’s gone, but you can join her if you want, her and your father. Dying’s the easiest thing you’ll ever do.”

“My mother’s not dead!”

“You sure about that?” Her lips pulled at the corners.

He cradled the back of his head, pressing his bent elbows to his temples, chaos raging inside him. Then the sound of brakes in his driveway pulled his attention. He spun toward the window.

The peons were back.

Or it could be Vera.

Only, when the car door shut and he heard his sister squeal, all the blood left Max’s brain.

“No!” he hollered, spinning toward the door.

Footsteps charged into the house, along with the sound of a bag plopping on the carpet.

“Chloe, stay away! Get back in the car!” he hollered.

“What? Is Mommy awake?” she cheered, stomping down the hall.

“I said get out!” His head swirled with panic, and he reached for the wall to steady himself, but before his vision could clear, his sister was standing beside him.

“I wanna see Mommy!”

She pushed past his legs, and as his dizziness broke, he caught his sister’s face as she spied the smoke rising from the creature.

“Mommy?” Chloe’s head jerked back, puckered lips falling open.

“Come to me, sweetheart,” the voice hissed, arms extended.

“Don’t.” Max clamped his sister’s arm, probably too hard, but he would break her bone if it meant keeping her away from that.