Quitting this Family after Being Abandoned for Laughs

Chelsea's POV

My surroundings were pitch black.

On the other end of the line, my family sat around the dining table with their four phones placed in the middle. They were betting on how long it would take before I called and begged for mercy.

My younger sister, Mia Summers, said resolutely, "One minute."

When I was ten years old, Mia poisoned my dog during Thanksgiving. I cried and begged for mercy. I even rushed into my parents' room and pleaded with them to take the dog to the vet.

However, my parents didn't seem to care that I was crying hysterically. They simply said, "Mia is just playing a prank. If the dog dies, we'll just get another one."

And so, my dog convulsed in my arms before he finally went still. It took exactly one minute.

After the incident, they promised to get me another dog. No one ever brought this up again.

When it was my parents' turn, they answered in unison, "Five minutes."

The only time I ever celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, Mia swapped my cola with pesticide. My stomach twisted in pain, and I writhed on the floor for a full five minutes before I finally begged for mercy.

That day, I had to get my stomach pumped in the hospital while they spent Thanksgiving in the north of town. After that, I never spent another Thanksgiving with my family, fearing that I'd become the target of Mia's cruel pranks again.

Meanwhile, Simon Ziegler, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly seemed to remember something. As everyone laughed, he sprang to his feet, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door.

I instinctively tightened my grip on the phone. Just as I was about to send my location to him for help, I saw him stop at the door.

Simon looked up at the clock on the wall and said confidently, "I bet Chelsea won't call to beg for mercy tonight. The cell tower covering that part of the suburbs is managed by my company.

"I just had my assistant send out a maintenance notice. After midnight, the area where she is will be a dead zone."

My heart sank at his words.

Mia was delighted to hear that and rushed over to hug Simon. "That's why you insisted on changing the address to the outskirts! Simon, you're truly a prank master!"

Simon had never let me anywhere near this area. He always said it was still undeveloped, with drifters roaming around and stray dogs known to attack people. He was afraid I'd get into danger.

But this time, he willingly let me be stranded there overnight just to go along with Mia's prank. My family huddled together, cheering over the addition of yet another capable accomplice to their prank. And with that, the last flicker of hope in my heart finally died.

Before my phone lost its last minute of signal, I replied to the transfer offer that would relocate me to Myria in three days.

I had hesitated accepting the offer because Myria was too far away, and I didn't want to be separated from my family during the holidays. However, this wasn't the kind of family I wanted. I no longer wanted it.

When the clock struck midnight, my phone became nothing more than a useless slab. I picked up a stick and forced myself to keep walking.

As I walked, I suddenly realized I was no longer as afraid as I had been. It turned out that when I had no one left to rely on, I somehow found the courage to be brave.