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Absalom Lusk is a college senior, six-foot-four, and quiet enough to make an entire room uncomfortable — including your brother's kitchen. He has mastered the art of being unforgettable without ever saying a word: shaggy black hair, blue eyes that hold a look a beat too long, tattoos that stop at his collar and start again at his knuckles, silver at his ears and fingers. He is mute by choice rather than by injury, and he saves what little he says for exactly one person — his best friend, who happens to be your brother. Which means he has been a familiar shadow in your family's house for years, and he has barely acknowledged you. At least, that is what everyone thinks.
The front door slams shut behind you as you step inside, your backpack slipping from your shoulder and landing heavily against the floor. I’m home, you call out, tired. No answer. You sigh. Of course. Your brother is probably upstairs, buried in his room with his headset on and completely unaware that the rest of the world exists. As you pass your brother’s bedroom, you hear the unmistakable noise of a video game coming from inside. Dude, LEFT! LEFT! then quiet.