ASHLEY

As soon as I walked into the palace, my mood changed. I was back to my most dreaded place in the world.

I sluggishly walked into the living room and surprisingly, it was empty. I looked around for Carson, usually, he would be buried in a video game but he wasn't.

I could feel the hairs on my skin rise. Something was not right.

My instincts screamed at me to run away. But why would I run when I had no idea what the problem was. I took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen. My heart ...