Punished for a Lie, Freed by Death

It took me two hours to dig through the house and find a pack of ibuprofen that might or might not have been expired. I swallowed the pills with water, hoping they'd ease the pain that felt like it was drilling through my skull.

I had just crawled back onto my small cot in the corner of the living room when my sister, Kayla Bennett, came home.

She saw me lying there with my pale face and closed eyes, frowned, and strode over in a few quick steps. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, she dragged me bodily into the spare bedroom.

The room had been turned into a memorial for our parents and Dylan Bennett, with their framed photos displayed on a small table. I'd knelt on the small rug in front of those photos thousands of times over the past eight years.

Enduring the searing pain in my scalp, I numbly dropped to my knees. Only then did Kayla release her grip, her voice cold as ice.

"Today is the anniversary of Mom's, Dad's, and Dylan's deaths. I spent all day at their graves, and you dare to lie around the house resting.

"If it weren't for you, they'd all still be alive! You'll spend your entire life making up for what you took from them!

"They've been dead because of you for eight years now. Tonight you're going to kneel here and say ‘I'm sorry’ 800 times."

But I knew she'd spent the day at that supposedly mortgaged villa, celebrating Dylan's birthday with the very parents she claimed had died because of me.

Fighting back the nausea caused by pressure on my brain, I asked hoarsely, "Why haven't you ever taken me to visit their graves all these years?"

Kayla paused, then spoke again with disgust, "Someone like you would only dishonor their memory.

"Nathan Parker, don't think you can use visiting their graves as an excuse to stall for time. If you don't apologize 800 times, you won't be allowed to sleep!"

I closed my eyes, my mind filled with the truth I'd overheard earlier.

They hadn't prepared any graves at all because they thought it was morbid. All these years, when Kayla said she was visiting our parents' graves, leaving me to kneel at the memorial until she returned, she was actually going to spend time with Dylan.

They called this my punishment, all because I'd demanded they send Dylan away after I learned about my true identity over the phone. That demand had driven Dylan to attempt suicide.

So, I carried the guilt of causing our parents' deaths for eight whole years, letting Kayla vent all her hatred on me.

A powerful force struck the back of my head, pulling me from my memories. Kayla pressed my head down, forcing me to bow repeatedly against the floor, her voice full of rage.

"I told you to bow, didn't you hear me? Nathan, do you think suffering this little bit means you've paid for what you did?"

Blood quickly seeped from my forehead, but I didn't feel much pain. Perhaps it was the ibuprofen kicking in. Before I could find any relief in that small mercy, a familiar numbness spread through my limbs, making me collapse uncontrollably.

Kayla stared blankly at me, lying on the ground, my breathing growing shallow. It took her a while to snap out of it, and she lifted me, somewhat panicked.

"What kind of episode are you having? Fine, I'll take you to the hospital first."

Just as we stepped out of the spare bedroom, her phone rang. The custom ringtone made her stop involuntarily. After a moment's hesitation, she set me down and hurried outside to take the call.

I lay quietly on the couch for a while, but eventually couldn't help myself and threw up acidic bile all over the floor. I'd heard that ringtone many times before, but only today did I realize it was the special one Kayla had set for Dylan.

While I was still dizzy from vomiting, Kayla came back with a dark expression. Seeing that I'd gotten sick on the designer bag lying on the couch, her eyes flared with even more anger, and she slapped me hard across the face.

"How dare you dirty the gift Dylan gave me! I shouldn't have gone soft on you!"

The next moment, I was dragged back to the memorial in the spare bedroom. Kayla forced me to bow while apologizing until she counted 800 times, only then releasing me when I could barely keep my eyes open.

"You stay here and kneel properly. I'll let you out when I'm good and ready."