It was 2:00 in the morning when you woke up on your couch. The Netflix 'Are you still watching?' screen was the only light in the room. You rubbed your eyes harshly, trying to clear out the bleariness, and somehow managed to find the energy to stand up, turn off the television, and make your way to your bedroom.

You sighed to yourself. Another late night, just what I needed. Summertime had managed to change your sleep schedule drastically in the span of just two months, and now with school approaching quickly and a multitude of AP classes on your shoulders, your lack of sleep was just another stressor.

You tiptoed around for a few minutes, plugging your phone in and going to the bathroom to brush your teeth and relieve yourself before you passed out again. You made your way to bed quickly, happy that you were at least still tired. You fell into bed and, almost immediately, fell asleep.

---

You woke up at six to police sirens and your mother shaking you awake.

"Honey. Honey! Get up, the police are here, get up!"

"Mom, jeez, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"To the neighbors, yes, early this morning. I heard you come upstairs at about the time the officers say it all happened, they want to know if you saw anything."

You groaned as you stood up and slouched your way through the house to the kitchen. There was an officer at your kitchen table, looking over her notes while she waited for you. Her attire was a bit odd for the season, but you assumed it was for the uniform—her dark hair was left down, and she wore a long-sleeved button-down shirt.

When you sat down across from her, she looked at you and smiled. "Good morning. Your next door neighbor was attacked early this morning. Did you see or hear anything?"

You shook your head. "No, Ma'am, I was asleep on the couch for most of the night. I woke up at 2:14 AM, so maybe there was a noise next door that woke me, but I can't gove you anything definitive. Sorry."

She just smiled again, though the slump in her shoulders told you that maybe she did not want to smile and was just doing it to be polite. "That's quite alright. Thank you both for your cooperation, and have a nice day." She stood up quickly and shook your mother's hand, then nodded to you.

"You too!" Your mother chirped as she saw the officer out the door. When it was shut, she turned around and leaned against it.

"Sorry for waking you up, sweetie. It's j—"

"It's perfectly fine, mom, it was important," you consoled her. "Don't worry about it. Did dad leave for work already?"

She smiled wearily at you. "Yeah, he was still snoring when I heard you walking around."

"Sorry for waking you up, I was trying to be quiet."

"It's quite alright, dear."

You stood up and went to make yourself a cup of coffee. It had been a bit of a stressful morning, and you'd need the energy to stay awake for the rest of the day.

At least it'll help with my sleep schedule.

As you brewed the cup, you turned to your mother, who had come back to the kitchen and began rummaging through the fridge for something.

"Mom, do you know what happened to the neighbor?"

"Not much. I overheard something about a break in, one of them mentioned 'minimal blood loss,' but I have no idea what that means."

"Clearly it's a mafia execution," you said, trying to cheer your mother up a bit. She never had the stomach for bad things happening, and this was no exception. She just snorted.

"Drink your coffee, dear." She walked over and kissed you on the forehead before she gave you a hug. You smiled and hugged her back tightly, grateful for the affection.

Your mother pulled away and looked at the oven clock. "Oh, dear, I need to get ready for work. Are you going to be okay at home today? You can uber to a friend, if you need to."

"I'll be alright, mom, thanks for worrying. I'll just keep the doors locked."

"Alright, sweetie. Get your homework done, I should be home around five or so."

You chuckled. "Alright mom. You should get ready."

She shot you one last smile before she went off to get ready.