Chapter 3

Mom brought Esther and Emily to a fancy restaurant.

"Let's bring some food back for Elmer," Esther said, looking at Mom and asking her for permission. Mom smiled and nodded.

"I'm relieved to see how well the three of you get along. You really look out for each other."

Esther and Emily pulled their lips into a thin line. I knew that their feelings for me were mostly out of guilt and nothing more.

When we were younger, Mom had always taken Esther's and Emily's studies very seriously. However, they were both quite playful and often sneaked out of the house to play.

When Mom came home and saw that I was the only one left in the house, she asked me darkly, "Where are your sisters?"

"They're playing outside," I replied, proudly showing off the small flower brooch that I had made for her. "Mom, Happy Mother's—"

I hadn't even managed to finish my wish when she tore my clothes off my body and began lashing at my frail body with a leather belt.

"Why didn't you keep an eye on them?"

She lashed at me again.

"Didn't I tell you about the dog that had to fulfill its purpose? What does it mean to be a dog?"

I sobbed and replied, "I-It means to be made a sacrifice… S-So that the lions are taught to be obedient…"

She lashed at me a third time.

"And who's the dog?"

"M-Me, Elmer Kingston…"

Mom continued whipping me with the belt until Esther and Emily finally came home with a jump rope in their hands. They got a huge shock when they saw me lying in a pool of blood on the ground.

"Mom! You… You can't hit Elmer like that… Please…"

Esther was the first to apologize, falling to her knees and grabbing the leather belt from her. However, Mom just gave her a hard look and continued whipping me on the back.

"Did I not tell you and Emily that I would punish Elmer every time you did something wrong? Did you not understand a word I said?"

Esther began to cry and beg Mom for mercy, promising that she would study hard and never dare to sneak out to play again.

When Emily heard that, she hurriedly snipped the jump rope in two and also promised tearfully that she would study hard from then onward.

It wasn't until then that Mom finally dropped the leather belt, smiling in satisfaction when Esther and Emily returned to their desks.

However, Mom's demands only got higher and higher.

If they failed to get full scores in their exams, Mom would beat me up with a stick. If they took a minute too long on their break between studies, she wouldn't let me sleep at night. And if they accidentally tore a hole in their clothes, she would cut up all my clothes and tie me to the front door.

I was on the verge of having a mental breakdown. I cried and asked her why she was doing this to me. It was Esther and Emily who made the mistakes, so why was I the one getting punished instead?

Mom then replied that Esther and Emily were both smarter than me, and she couldn't afford to hit them in case it affected their intelligence. Therefore, I had to be made the scapegoat to force them to study harder.

She told me that they would be my pillars of support in the future.

I then stared at the failing exam grades on my desk and felt a little dazed. Was I really made the "sacrificial dog" just because I wasn't as smart as they were?

…

Just then, Esther and Emily brought up the same topic at the dinner table.

"Mom, you should just punish us next time if we make any mistakes. Please don't hurt Elmer anymore.

"He's always had a weak body. Also… Elmer's sensible and understanding enough."

Mom was stunned for a second. Then, she smiled extremely gently at them and said, "Silly girl. I could never bring myself to beat you."