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I Gave Up My Life To My Brother
I Gave Up My Life To My Brother
Author: Wayne Wyeth

Chapter 1

Author: Wayne Wyeth
I stood outside the door for two hours.

Blisters burst and formed on my body continuously until they stuck to my clothes. Every breath I took hurt.

My parents finally came back.

My older brother, Dylan Jeater, was bandaged tightly. My father, Robert Jeater, carefully carried him to bed.

My mother, May Jeater, walked straight up to me and slapped me hard across the face. It stung.

“Are you happy now?!

“The doctor said Dylan’s condition just took a turn for the worse. He might not even make it to sixteen now!”

My ears rang, and my face swelled up.

I was stunned. I instinctively wanted to say that this was not true. Dylan was going to live to be a hundred. I had given my life to him!

Before I could say anything, Dylan struggled to sit up.

He grabbed the family photo from the bedside table and tore away the half with his image on it.

“Are you happy now?” he said hoarsely. Tears streamed down his face and mixed with the ointment.

“Great! Once I’m dead, you’ll be Mom and Dad’s only son. Then, they’ll just indulge you forever, won’t they?!”

“No, Dylan, that’s not what I meant…”

I tried to get closer to him to hand him the wristband. “Dylan, please put it on. I’m sorry… I’m not afraid of the pain anymore…”

“Don’t come near me!”

He grabbed the torn photo and threw it at me. “I hate you! I hate all of you! Why did it have to be me with this disease?! Why me?!”

Mom held him tightly. Her voice broke as she tried to comfort him.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’m right here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you…”

Dad took the wristband. He wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Ches, go stay at Mrs. Lance’s place for a while. Dylan is emotionally unstable right now. You need to leave.”

He left no room for argument.

Lily Lance was my neighbor.

I knocked on her door like I had done many times before. I had lost count of how many times I had done this.

The first time it had happened, my parents learned that an expert had come from the capital, so they took Dylan there overnight.

After school, I waited by the door until dark. I caught a high fever from the cold. In the end, Lily found me. That was how I had narrowly survived.

The last time I went to her place was when my kindergarten had a parent-teacher meeting. I told my parents that they did not need to go, and I could handle it myself.

Dylan broke down crying. “Are you trying to rub it in just because I can’t go to school?”

After that, I ended up knocking on Lily’s door again.

The door opened. Lily looked at me and sighed. Then, she took me inside. “Joy, bring the medical kit!”

Joy was Lily’s daughter. When she came out of her room and saw me, her eyes widened.

“Ches? Why are you here? Did they kick you out again?!”

She clenched her fist. “How can your parents do that? They only care about Dylan! That’s so unfair!”

I retorted, “No, it’s not! Dylan’s sick! We all have to take care of him. Besides…”

I pulled up my dirty sleeve to reveal the layered scars of burst blisters.

“See? Dylan’s injuries get transferred to me. Mom personally treats every single one for me!

“She’s not being unfair at all! It doesn’t matter if I’m in a little pain as long as Dylan’s happy. That’s all that counts!”

Joy looked at my wounds and shook her head.

Lily came over with the medicine. Her hands were warm and gentle. They were similar to Mom’s hands, yet were a little different.

Mom’s hands were also warm, but they always felt hurried.

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  • I Gave Up My Life To My Brother   Chapter 9

    The dinner table fell silent instantly.The cup in Mom’s hand crashed to the floor and shattered.She did not pick it up. She just stared at Dylan with tears streaming down her face.Dad turned his face away. His shoulders trembled slightly.Dylan, however, acted as if he had not seen any of it. He closed his eyes and pressed his palms together. Then, he said very earnestly, “I hope that Ches is in a very good place where everyone loves and adores him. I hope he’s healthy. I hope he can speak up whenever he’s hurt or whenever he wants to cry. I hope he doesn’t have to hold it in anymore.”His voice grew softer and softer until finally it turned into sobs.Everyone was quiet.All that could be heard was the crackle of the burning candles.I floated above the dining table as I watched Dylan cry and my parents’ pained faces. My heart ached with a dull, suffocating pain.“Dylan, my silly brother, all I wanted was for you to live a good life.”After the birthday, Dylan made a de

  • I Gave Up My Life To My Brother   Chapter 8

    But every time I touched Dylan, my hands passed right through him.One time, Mom teared up when she saw the faint ring mark on his wrist.She then said in an eerily calm way, “Dylan, we don’t blame you.” But when Dylan heard this, he broke down crying and covered his head.“It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! Why did I have to get this disease? Why did I have to transfer the pain to Ches?!“If it weren’t for me, Ches wouldn’t have died! I’m the one who should’ve died!”Mom held him tightly as they cried together.Dad wanted to hold Dylan, but his hand stopped midair.Tears welled up in his eyes. His lips quivered as he said in a choked voice, “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have bought that stupid wristband…”Dylan cried even harder. “Ches…”He called out my name repeatedly. He said in a hoarse voice, “I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry…“Please come back! Let me give your life back to you! I don’t deserve to live!”I floated in front of him and crouched down.I wa

  • I Gave Up My Life To My Brother   Chapter 7

    In the end, my body was taken away.Mom collapsed on the floor. Her gaze was vacant.I floated out of the hallway behind the stretcher. The sunlight outside was very warm. I could feel the heat without a single sting of pain.How wonderful! I did not feel hurt anymore.At home, everything fell apart completely.There were endless investigations, interrogations, negotiations with the wristband company, and countless legal issues that no one could clearly explain.Dad locked himself in the study, smoking one cigarette after another until the ashtray was piled high.Mom sat in the storage room all day, holding my old clothes. She did not say a single word. Her gaze was dazed and vacant.Dylan hid in his own room. He pulled the curtains tightly shut, refusing to let any light through.Overnight, the spoiled, lively boy he had once been disappeared, replaced by someone silent and withdrawn.He no longer acted like a spoiled child with Mom and Dad or made any requests. He could not

  • I Gave Up My Life To My Brother   Chapter 6

    I wanted to tell Mom that all those years of pain from the sun burning me, from the blisters bursting open, from my skin tearing when it stuck to my clothes, really hurt so much.But I had never blamed any of them. Grandma, who was at the doorway, heard the crying and wailing. Her vision went dark, and she collapsed.“Mom!” Aunt Deborah screamed and rushed to her. She and the people nearby scrambled to hold her up.The hallway erupted into chaos.The relatives were all in shock. Some looked conflicted and averted their eyes.Those who had called me insensible were left utterly speechless. I looked at them, and my heart ached.I had felt overjoyed in the past when they had praised me for being good.Dylan stood rooted in place. His fingernails dug into his palms as he stared intently at my pale face and at the wristband on my wrist.Lifespan transfer…He was the recipient, and I was the donor.He knew what those words meant.The wristband did not malfunction. It was not a

  • I Gave Up My Life To My Brother   Chapter 5

    She stumbled forward and threw herself at me. Her knees hit the floor with a loud thud.When her fingers touched my body, she jerked her hand back. “C-Ches?”She shook my shoulder and said in a trembling voice, “Wake up! The floor’s cold…”I floated above her as I watched her shake my lifeless body. I felt sad seeing that. I wanted to hug her and tell her that I neither felt cold nor pain anymore. But when I touched her, my fingers passed right through her. In the past, I wished Mom would hold me like that and cry for me too. I wished for her warmth.I had finally gotten it, but I could not feel it anymore.Her fingers moved to my neck and paused for a few seconds.There was no pulse there.Then, she touched my face and tried to pry open my eyelids. She was desperate for even a single breath from me.Everything was cold. Everything was still.“No… No, that’s not possible…”She shook her head and mumbled to herself, “Ches, you’re just pretending, right? I’m so sorry. I s

  • I Gave Up My Life To My Brother   Chapter 4

    Mom’s smile faded. She pointed toward my closed bedroom door and said, “He’s in his room, throwing a tantrum.”She said loudly, “Ches, come out! It’s New Year’s today. I’m not going to punish you anymore.”I shouted, “Mom, I’m right here! I’m not in pain anymore. Dylan got better, too!”But no one could hear me.In the room, my tiny figure was curled up on the cold floor.Mom frowned. “Chester, do you hear me? Come out!”Dylan slid down from Grandma’s lap and called out, “Chester, come out! I don’t blame you anymore. Grandma misses you.”After a few seconds, Mom’s face darkened.“Forget it, Mom. Don’t bother with him. That kid just keeps getting worse. He’s spoiled rotten.”Grandma looked at the closed door and shook her head. “Chester used to be so good and sensible. How did he turn out like this? Dylan’s so ill, but he still won’t cut his own brother any slack…”My heart tensed and felt heavy.Was Grandma disappointed in me, too?In the past, she used to feel sad for me

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