Earthquake Choice: They Rescued the Wrong One

The earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks. My crushed leg had gone numb from blood loss.

I could hear people shouting and crying all around me.

Through a gap in the rubble, I saw my parents stumbling toward me. Before the rescue team could even explain the situation, they blurted out, "Save the child in pink!"

That was when I knew that they had been reborn too.

In my previous life, my brother, Bryan Caldecott, and I had swapped clothes for fun before the earthquake hit. When the building collapsed, we both ended up trapped under a massive concrete slab.

There was only enough time to save one of us.

When my parents learned what had happened, they broke down, sobbing that they loved us equally and couldn't possibly choose.

With the aftershocks still shaking the ground, they had to make a choice immediately, or both Bryan and I would die.

Ever since Bryan was born, I'd always come second. The words I heard most from my parents were, "Renee, you're the older sister. Just let your brother have his way."

So, I'd already expected them to give up on me.

When they actually picked me, I was stunned. And for a moment, I felt a quiet rush of joy.

It turned out that they did love me, and I actually mattered to them.

I gritted my teeth and endured the agony, determined to survive.

When the rescue team finally pulled me out, I threw my arms around my parents, but they just stared at me in disbelief.

Their lips trembled as they kept asking the same question. "Why are you the one in blue?"

Confronted by their hysterical questioning, I backed away, confused and afraid.

I had never seen my parents fall apart like this before.

They frantically dug through the rubble with their bare hands.

When they finally found Bryan's lifeless body, something in them hardened toward me. They took me home, but they never looked at me the same way again.

A sharp spike of pain dragged me back to the present.

The rescue team captain was surprised by how quickly my parents had made their decision. He asked again, "Are you sure? If we rescue the child in pink, the one in blue won't survive."

A flicker of hesitation crossed my parents' faces, but cold resolve quickly won out. "We're sure. Please start digging."

Underneath the debris, Bryan heard them and started squirming desperately, dislodging heavy rocks that came crashing down on me. But that physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in my chest.

After talking things over with the captain, Mom came over to where I was trapped and tapped on the concrete.

"Renee, listen to me. We aren't abandoning you. Your dad and I have come up with a plan. While they're pulling Bryan out, you just need to keep dragging yourself toward the opening with everything you've got.

"Even if it costs you a leg, you'll survive! And even if it doesn't work... you've always been our good girl. You understand why we're doing this, right?"

I suddenly remembered how, in my previous life, my parents would often lock themselves in their room, obsessively scribbling notes and calculating something.

I later realized that they'd been calculating the odds of Bryan surviving. No matter how accomplished I became or how devotedly I cared for them, they remained consumed by guilt over his death.

When I didn't answer, Mom assumed I was refusing. She desperately pounded on the concrete.

"Say something, Renee! Tell me you agree! We've given you everything we have. Please, just have a little pity on us and say yes!" she begged, her voice cracking.