Chapter 2

Maintaining her favor was nearly impossible in this house.

Lily was frail. She caught colds and fevers at the slightest drop in temperature.

Every time Lily fell sick, Mom’s mood turned sour, and her affection rating plummeted.

During the winter when I was seven, Lily played in the snow and developed a harsh cough.

Mom spent the entire day sighing in frustration.

At dinner, while serving food, I accidentally spilled a single drop of broth onto the tablecloth.

Mom slammed her fork onto the table.

[Mother's affection rating dropped by 5. Current rating: minus 5.]

[Mother is considering withdrawing the host from school to perform full-time housework.]

Panic seized me. My hands shook so badly that I almost dropped my bowl.

I was only a first grader. I had just learned to write my own name.

My teacher praised my neat handwriting. I wanted to stay in school so badly.

"You can't even carry a bowl without clumsy mistakes! What good are you?" Mom snapped, eyes cold and dead. "Eating our food for free. I should pull you out today. We'll save the tuition money to buy fresh vitamins for Lily!"

The metallic clacking started in my head again.

[Tick, clack. Tick, clack.]

[Initiate life span exchange to increase affection?]

Yes! Trade five years!

I screamed in my mind.

[5 years deducted. 5 affection points added. Current rating: 0.]

[Host remaining life span: 57 years.]

The disgust in Mom's eyes softened slightly. She grabbed a rag and wiped the stain off the table.

"Hurry up and finish eating. Then wash all the family's laundry.

"You better go to school tomorrow and get perfect scores, or see what happens."

I kept my head down, shoveling plain rice into my mouth, not daring to touch the side dishes.

That night, I kneeled on the bathroom floor, scrubbing clothes in freezing tap water.

The cold turned my fingers red and purple.

As I rubbed soap into the fabric, I silently rehearsed my math formulas.

On the final exam, I scored a hundred on every test. I ran home proudly holding my report card.

Lily scored sixty.

Mom sat on the couch, pulling Lily into her arms to comfort her.

"My sweet Lily was just feeling unwell. You're the smartest girl. You'll do great next time."

I stood nearby, holding out my perfect report cards with both hands.

"Mom, I got a hundred percent."

Mom didn't even look. She brushed my hand aside.

"So what? Anyone can memorize a textbook. Stop blocking the light. Go clean the kitchen vegetables."

The ticking in my head stayed silent. Her affection rating remained at zero.

Perfect test scores couldn't earn her favor. Only my life could.

When I was nine, Lily took a liking to my notebook.

It was a special reward from school with a beautiful pattern on the cover.

I had been too careful to write in it, keeping it hidden under my pillow.

While I was out, Lily dug it out and shredded it with scissors.

When I saw the pieces on the floor, I broke down and asked her why she ruined my thing.

Lily burst into dramatic tears.

Mom charged out from the kitchen and slapped me hard across the face.

My ears rang. Warm blood trickled from the corner of my split lip.

"Why are you yelling at your sister?!" Mom shrieked. "It's a cheap piece of paper! If Lily gets sick from crying, can you afford her doctor bills?!"

[Mother's affection rating dropped by 8. Current rating: minus 8.]

[Mother is considering locking the host in the dark storage room for three days.]

The storage room had no windows, no lights, and rats scurried through the clutter.

I was terrified of the dark. I was terrified of rats.

I bit my lip, holding back tears.

Trade eight years!

[8 years deducted. 8 affection points added. Current rating: 0.]

[Host remaining life span: 49 years.]

Mom stood over me, her hand still raised.

She looked at my swollen cheek, her expression shifting slightly before she dropped her hand.

"Stop crying. It's irritating. I'll have your father buy you a new one tomorrow."

The next day, Dad brought home brand-new art supplies and sketchbook paper. He placed them directly on Lily's desk.

I could only draw with a stubby pencil on the back of discarded scrap paper.

I drew a small house. In front of it stood three figures.

Dad, Mom, and me.

I left Lily out.

After finishing, terrified Mom might see it, I folded the paper neatly and hid it deep inside the inner lining of my jacket.