When I returned home, it was late.
I washed up quickly and headed to bed. I had terrible nightmares the entire night.
I woke up the next day to birds chirping outside the window, welcoming a brand-new day.
Six more days were left until I completely lost my memories.
I got out of bed with a slight headache and a fever. I headed downstairs groggily to get some medicine.
At the bottom of the stairs, I saw Raven toppling a huge Lego set I placed in the living room. Pieces of bricks were scattered all over the floor.
Raven stood there smugly with provocation in her eyes. "Oh, my, Rachel. I'm sorry. Your set is too bulky. I accidentally broke it."
I looked at the aftermath of the destruction in a daze. I had spent three months painstakingly putting them together piece by piece.
My eyes reddened.
It was a gift from Mom. It was also the only one.
Raven and I were twins. I was born five minutes earlier than her.
When we were born, our parents' business was just starting to grow. Since they did not have the energy to care for both of us, they decided to send one of us to our grandmother in the countryside.
I was the one sent away. My grandmother was the one who raised me.
For the past 18 years, I barely met my parents a few times. In order to console me, Mom bought me this huge Lego set on my eighth birthday.
I was overjoyed. I built the set diligently, placing it in a place where I could see the first thing when I woke up every morning.
I was naively waiting for the day when I could reconcile with my parents once again.
However, that day did not come.
Grandma passed away three months ago. It was only then that Mom and Dad finally realized that they had a child that they abandoned by the countryside.
They were forced to take me home.
I happily brought the Lego to my new home, but Mom denied that she had given it to me.
She furrowed her brows in disgust and spat, "Why did you bring such a bulky toy? It'll take up space…"
I was stunned. I looked at this mother of mine who was almost like a stranger to me.
At that moment, I suddenly realized that the warmth of the family that I have craved for the past 18 years would never happen to me.
I froze on the spot, not saying anything.
Mom, who was busy in the kitchen, heard Raven apologizing. She popped her head out to have a look.
Then, she said to Raven, "Raven, ignore her. That thing isn't expensive at all. You don't have to apologize to her."
Dad, who was reading the papers, nodded. He peeked out from the side of the papers scornfully.
"Your mother's right. This is what you'd expect from a country bumpkin, treating such cheap things as if they were precious. It's embarrassing to place it in the living area."
Then, he returned to his papers, ignoring me completely.
Raven buried herself in Mom's arms, apologizing coquettishly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it."
"There's nothing to apologize for. Just get the housekeeper to clean it up," Dad chimed in without even looking up.
The three of them left the living area, leaving me alone standing there. It seemed that they had forgotten I was also their daughter.
I was the same age as Raven. I looked like her and even sounded like her, but why did they like Raven more? They completely ignored me.
My head felt heavy, so I did not want to say anything. I dragged myself to the kitchen and found a sachet of flu medicine and drank it down with some warm water.
Raven was back on the couch, lazily dangling her slippers off her feet. She was chuckling to herself while messaging someone.
Suddenly, she played a voice message out loud.
I heard Jason's voice.
"Raven, don't get mad. It's Rachel's fault that she doesn't listen. She didn't place the Lego set properly. Don't worry. I'll get her to apologize to you."
Jason's voice reverberated throughout the entire living area. Raven looked at me smugly while putting the phone close to her mouth.
She responded with another voice message. "Don't worry about it, Jason. I'm not angry. I don't need Rachel to apologize to me."
I looked at Raven's condescending face and my heart sank.
Luckily, I chose to give up treatment. In less than seven days, I would no longer need to remember all the things that upset me. I would no longer be in pain because of Raven's provocation.
For the first time ever, I was looking forward to that day.
