Chapter 2

"Mrs. Campbell."

A hand reached out and caught Mom's wrist. It was my childhood best friend, Ethan Hart, who had grown up with me and once promised we would get into the same college together.

Standing at the door of the freezer, he frowned slightly and said, "Sophie has always been competitive. She's not going to listen, no matter what you tell her right now."

He paused before turning toward the freezer. "I know this feels unfair, Sophie, but Danielle is innocent. She shouldn't have to be the sacrifice for your life. Behave just this once, okay?"

There was no response from behind the freezer door because I could no longer move. My body was like a frozen popsicle that had snapped in half, locked in the position of knocking on the door.

Blood from my forehead had glued my eyes shut, and the warm liquid had frozen solid across half of my face.

I kept my eyes locked on the crack in the door.

"Please, Mom. Open the door. Just a little more, and I'll be saved."

But soon, the light vanished.

The door slammed shut once more, and I heard Ethan sigh softly on the other side.

"Don't worry, Sophie. Once Danielle gets through this safely, I'll convince your parents to let you repeat your senior year. We can still go to the same college together."

The sound of footsteps faded away.

After everyone left, the house plunged into a dead silence, while I remained frozen in that knocking position, no longer breathing…

"You were so close, Mom. You would've found me if you'd opened the door a little further."

Floating in the void, I watched the group huddle around Danielle as they got into the car. Mom fixed Danielle's hair, Dad adjusted her seat, and Ethan helped double-check her exam permit.

All of them had relaxed smiles on their faces, and only I was left behind, locked away in the freezer, turning into a statue that would never speak again.

"Mom, Dad, you accurately predicted Danielle's death, but what about me?"

My thoughts followed Danielle all the way to the exam hall, where everyone wrote furiously, scribbling across their papers, while only Danielle seemed restless, checking the clock over and over again.

After the first day of exams, she returned to the hotel and immediately begged Mom and Dad to take her home.

"I'm still worried about Sophie. She barely ate last night and skipped breakfast this morning. We have to go back and check on her!"

Mom frowned. "Why bother? She's only gone a day without food; how could that possibly be more important than your SAT?"

Danielle was so anxious that she burst into tears. She grabbed onto Mom's clothes, only to receive a harsh slap on the face.

Mom's eyes were red-rimmed as she choked out, "Your only job right now is to do well on your exams, Danielle. Otherwise, Sophie's sacrifice will be for nothing."

While Danielle bit her lip hard, Mom continued, "Just stay here and focus on your exams. I'll go home to grab your thermal flask right now, and check on Sophie while I'm there."

Only then did Danielle sigh in relief.

Mom made the quick drive back home.

She walked into the living room, picked up the thermal flask from the coffee table, and walked over to the freezer door before softening her tone to say, "I know you're upset, Sophie, but we're doing this to protect Danielle.

"Just hang in there a little longer. Once Danielle finishes her SAT, we'll go on a trip for a few days. I'll even buy you that figurine set you've always wanted, okay?"

When she couldn't hear a single response from behind the door, her expression darkened.

Then, she lowered her voice and muttered, "When will you stop being so selfish, Sophie? Are we supposed to stand by and watch Danielle die, just to satisfy your vanity? How could you be so cruel?"

She banged against the door heavily as she spoke.

Suddenly, her hand froze mid-air. Then, she frowned and murmured, "Why is it so cold?"

With that, she turned the doorknob.

Once again, the door opened a crack to reveal a corner of my school uniform.