Chapter 1

On the day we moved into our new apartment, the technician told us that the smart lock could only register four master fingerprints.

Dad registered his. Mom registered hers. My brother, Brandon, registered his. Even Brandon’s girlfriend of six months, Ashley, got her fingerprint registered.

When it was finally my turn, Mom shut the door in my face.

"You live on campus anyway. You barely come home, so there's no need for you to have access."

On the first day of winter break, I took three different greyhound buses and finally made it back to this "new home" late at night.

The lock screen kept flashing red. I pressed the doorbell until the battery died. I called every single one of them, but my calls were repeatedly hung up.

I sat in the cold, dark stairwell until sunrise. Only later did I find out that they had taken Brandon’s girlfriend out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate purchasing the new place.

When Mom finally came back and saw me, her only reaction was irritation.

"You’re bringing us bad luck, crouching at the doorstep like a beggar."

A month later, Dad had a severe asthma attack at home.

Standing outside the door, I could hear his weak, desperate cries for help.

"Help... open the door... medicine... on the coffee table..."

The building superintendent urged me to hurry up and open the door.

But...I didn't have a registered fingerprint.