It was close to midnight when I felt someone shaking my shoulder.
“Oliver… Oliver!”
I opened my eyes groggily.
Amelia was standing beside the bed.
She looked pale, her hair slightly messy, her breathing uneven.
In her hands, she held something.
“Oliver, wake up,” she whispered urgently. “You need to wake up right now!”
My heart started racing.
“What happened?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, gripping the object tightly.
Her voice trembled.
“I found something terrible Leo has been hiding from you.”
I sat up instantly.
“What are you talking about?”
She held up a small wooden box.
It was old, scratched, and clearly well-used.
“I found this under his bed while cleaning,” she said. “And Oliver… you need to see what’s inside.”
My chest tightened.
My mind jumped to every terrible possibility imaginable.
Was Leo in trouble?
Was he being bullied?
Was he hiding something dangerous?
Amelia slowly opened the box.
Inside were dozens of folded papers.
Drawings.
Letters.
Photographs.
I picked one up.
It was a drawing of three stick figures holding hands.
Underneath, in careful handwriting, were the words:
Me, Dad, and Mom.
My throat tightened.
“That’s… sweet,” I said cautiously.
