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Chapter 9 The Family I Always Wanted

Author: Forrest Bing
I opened my eyes and found myself standing on a dirt road in the countryside. Mom and Dad's car had just started moving, and I ran after it.

Mom saw me in the rearview mirror and told Dad to stop. She pushed open the car door, scooped me into her arms, and said, "Mal—no, my sweet girl. I won't go anymore. I'll stay and sleep with you tonight."

That night, she really did stay. She held me in her arms and told me stories for a long, long time. But when I woke up again, I was already back at our
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  • ARIS Ruled Me a Liar   Chapter 9 The Family I Always Wanted

    I opened my eyes and found myself standing on a dirt road in the countryside. Mom and Dad's car had just started moving, and I ran after it.Mom saw me in the rearview mirror and told Dad to stop. She pushed open the car door, scooped me into her arms, and said, "Mal—no, my sweet girl. I won't go anymore. I'll stay and sleep with you tonight."That night, she really did stay. She held me in her arms and told me stories for a long, long time. But when I woke up again, I was already back at our home in the city.I asked Mom quietly, "Am I sharing a room with Maggie?"Margaret immediately pouted. "She's not sleeping in my room!"Mom crouched down and patiently reasoned with her. "Maggie, your sister used to live in the countryside, and she was very lonely. Would you be willing to share a little of the warmth of our home with her?"Margaret thought about it for a long time before finally nodding.That night, I got my wish. My sister and I slept in the same bed.Mom taught me how to

  • ARIS Ruled Me a Liar   Chapter 8 If Mom Had Loved Me

    Mom finally realized that all the strange things that had been happening around her and Margaret were connected to me. My resentment had run too deep, and I was seeking revenge.She had someone make a memorial urn for me. It read, "In Loving Memory of Our Beloved Daughter, Mallory Fallow," and she placed it in a spot in the living room she believed was right. She set out candies in front of it and prayed for me every morning and evening.As she bowed, she kept murmuring, "Mallory, I've realized how wrong I'd been. Please rest in peace and move on. Quit scaring us."Margaret began paying respects to me as well. After everything I had put her through, she had been on edge all day, and she often woke from nightmares in the middle of the night.She reverently knelt before my urn. "Mal, I know what I've done wrong. I shouldn't have used ARIS to deceive you. I shouldn't have fought with you over everything or kept the best things for myself."I was too selfish. You always saved the thin

  • ARIS Ruled Me a Liar   Chapter 7 The Curse They Created

    Mom began cursing under her breath as she frantically stuffed more and more things from the storage room into garbage bags, as though she wanted to erase every trace that I had ever existed from this world.As she cleaned, she continued shouting at the empty air. "That fortune-teller was right back then. You were a jinx from birth, a walking disaster. Having you around was bad luck."When your grandmother died, we should have sent you to an orphanage. We never should have brought you home. Now, thanks to you, your dad's doing time, his career is ruined, and you destroyed the perfectly good family we had. You really are a curse!"My spirit trembled with rage. 'Did I do anything wrong? You played favorites and lied to me! Why couldn't my death earn me even a little sympathy? Why do you still have to call me a curse?'I was so furious that I wanted to confront her face-to-face, but I had no physical body. I couldn't touch or move anything.Then, I noticed the ARIS unit sitting in the

  • ARIS Ruled Me a Liar   Chapter 6 The Hope She Threw Away

    The autopsy report came back.The cause of death was viral encephalitis, triggered by exposure to the cold combined with prolonged sleep deprivation and exhaustion. The initial symptoms had been headaches and nausea. The illness had come on suddenly and progressed rapidly.If I had been taken to a hospital in time, I could have been cured.…Inside the interrogation room, Dad covered his face with both hands, tears streaming through his fingers. "I shouldn't have left Mallory back in our hometown and waited until she was nine to bring her home. I let us become so distant… Why didn't I believe her when she called and said she was feeling sick…"Mom's lips trembled. "That poor child… She just wasn't blessed with a good life…"The officer then read out the official determination.As the legal guardians of a minor daughter, my parents had a statutory duty to protect me and seek medical assistance when necessary. They had known I was asking for help, yet they relied on ARIS' assessme

  • ARIS Ruled Me a Liar   Chapter 5 When Even the AI Turned Away

    Dad heard the scream and rushed over. The moment he stepped into the room, he saw me lying on the bed.After four days of scorching heat in the stuffy, unventilated storage room, my body had already undergone severe decomposition. Dark, nearly black fluid had seeped into the sheets.The stench hit him the instant he entered. Dad clamped a hand over his mouth, barely managing not to vomit on the spot.…From the hallway, Margaret called out, "What's wrong, Dad? Why did Mom scream?"Curious but repulsed, she edged closer, trying to see what was inside. He immediately barked, "Don't come over here! Go back to your room and shut the door!"His harsh tone frightened her into tears, and she ran back to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.Dad forced himself to steady his breathing. First, he carried Mom, who had collapsed at the doorway, to the sofa in the living room. Then, he shakily dialed 911.The ambulance arrived quickly. A doctor stepped inside, took one look, and

  • ARIS Ruled Me a Liar   Chapter 4 They Came Home to My Corpse

    I drifted all the way to the seaside in Harbor Isle and watched my parents and sister.They were staying at a beachfront hotel in a luxurious suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. My sister wore a pretty swimsuit and dug for shells on the beach. Dad held up his phone to take pictures of her while Mom stood beside her, applying sunscreen.They even went out for an extravagant seafood feast.Dad lovingly placed a serving of cheese-baked lobster in front of my sister. "Your mom never wants to make this at home. Since we're out here, our precious girl has to eat her fill!"Mom gently handed her a glass of chilled coconut water. "Does it taste good, sweetheart?"My sister took a long sip, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled. "It's so refreshing!"I floated beside them, watching the warm, happy scene unfold before me.The love and attention my parents were giving her were things I had never received. I had never been on an airplane. I had never eat

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