Chapter 1

I used to be the life of our family.

Until my sister, Lily, was born. Suddenly, every creative, hyperactive thing I did became a "threat" to her safety.

For Lily’s first birthday, I spent a whole month building a mechanical musical castle for her. It had over a thousand tiny custom gears and parts.

But when I turned it on, the flashing LED lights and the whirring of the gears terrified her. She burst into tears.

That night, my dad smashed my castle to pieces. And my mom slapped me across the face for the first time in my life.

The very next day, I was shipped off to "New Life Academy," a notorious, high-security reform school.

I still remember the freezing coldness in my dad’s eyes when he looked at the director.

"Dr. Vance, my son is out of control. Make him normal. Whatever it takes."

"As for your compensation, I’ll donate three million dollars to your academy today. And I’ll personally cover all your son's future tuition and research funds."

Three years later, they came to the academy to bring me home.

They looked at me—dressed in a stiff, pressed white button-down and black slacks, hands folded perfectly over my stomach, walking with strides so precise they could have been measured with a ruler. They looked absolutely thrilled.

My dad smiled and opened his arms wide. "Tyler, buddy. Dad’s here to take you home."

I took a sharp step back, bowed at a perfect thirty-degree angle, and spoke in a flat, monotone voice.

"Protocol Three of the New Life Academy: Unnecessary physical contact within three meters of strangers is strictly prohibited."