Chapter 4

Carter and Tiffany, who were desperately holding London back, stopped dead in their tracks.

"Oh, no. She's a copycat! She really copied London and jumped into the lake!"

Tiffany stomped her foot.

Panic-stricken, she rushed to me.

Tears welled up in London's eyes.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Just stop for a minute!"

Carter was beside himself.

"If you keep this up, Kylie is only going to copy you! Get Kylie out of the water now!"

I was hauled onto shore by several pairs of hands.

Blood streamed from my mouth and nose.

Someone started chest compressions right away while another tried to clear water from my lungs.

Amid the confusion, London was completely forgotten.

London stood there, biting her lip.

A gasp tore through the air.

"Oh, no! London jumped off the balcony!"

"What?"

In the bushes not too far away, London lay with her eyes shut.

She was motionless.

London was rushed to the ER right away.

The doctor pointed out that London was lucky to land where she did.

The shrubbery was dense enough.

There was even a kids' trampoline right next to the bushes.

She had only jumped from the second floor.

The only damage was soft tissue bruises.

However, the doctor offered a word of caution.

It was important not to assume she was only putting on an act. The family needed to keep an eye on her mental well-being.

Once back home, London couldn't stop weeping.

"I know why Kylie tried to jump into the water.

"I have depression, and she has a copycat disorder. If I tried to kill myself, she'd copy me, and everyone would blame me for her attempt.

"But I never meant for you to follow suit. I am ready to end everything, but you keep pushing me. I honestly can't go on anymore!"

She grabbed the sleeping pills off the table and tried to shove them down her throat.

Bentley was there to snatch the bottle out of her hands.

When he turned around, he realized that I had picked up a bottle of pills as well.

"That's enough!"

The pills were knocked out of my hands.

"Stop copying! Is there no end to your antics?"

I bent down to gather the pills scattered across the floor.

Smack!

Tiffany's tolerance had reached a limit.

"How long are you going to keep up with the act? I've consulted a doctor, and mimicry isn't even a medical condition!

"You've been faking it.

"You're doing this just to stress London out and herself push her toward suicide."

Dropping to the floor, I looked up at her.

"Mom, I can't help myself. I'm compelled to copy what I see."

"Is that so?"

Bentley rose to his feet.

He pushed a tablet in front of me.

The footage showed a girl with a rope around her neck.

Before the livestream camera, her feet were suspended in the air, and foam spilled from her mouth.

"Here. Copy this."

I watched the girl in the video, my heart thumping out of my chest.

"Go ahead! Do it then."

Bentley shoved a length of rope in my hands. "Go on."

I stared at the screen, not moving a muscle.

"See? You're faking it.

"You stop copying when it comes down to it."

As I stood frozen, Carter and Tiffany let out a sneer.

"Forget about her, darling. I'll take you to the mall and replace every old piece in your wardrobe, alright?"

"I'll come along too."

"Me too. You love it when I pick out clothes for you."

Bentley raised his arm to volunteer himself.

At last, London's tears turned into a smile.

She turned to me with a smirk.

The family walked out together with London.

Tiffany's voice drifted to my ears.

"Terry's not going to hold this against us when he gets back, will he?"

"We have to show her who's boss, or she'll keep faking it! Just leave her. I doubt she'd actually go through with killing herself."

"Once Gramps and Nan figure out it's all an act, they'll hate her just as much as we do."

They had no idea.

The only reason keeping me from copying the video was simply because I couldn't figure out how the knot was tied.

I observed for a bit until it clicked.

The rope was now coiled around my throat.

I dropped my weight down.