Chapter 3

Dad bent over and grabbed me by the back of my collar.

"Get up!" He pulled me up hard.

He was surprised by how light I was. Raising his arm up high, he almost managed to lift me completely off the ground.

However, I didn't brace myself with my hands on the ground like any living person would.

I didn't struggle because of the pain, either.

My stiff upper body was lifted up by him while my knees remained bent, my head bowed and hanging heavily by its side.

I looked like a ragdoll strung up with a piece of string.

I floated to him and waved my hands profusely.

"Daddy, I'm dead."

"Look closer."

"Please, I'm begging you. Touch my nose."

He couldn't hear me.

Dad furrowed his brows before shaking my shoulders once more.

"Helen?"

I bowed my head, not responding to his call at all.

The table shook, and an empty bowl slid halfway across the table surface.

The anger on Dad's face slowly gave way to doubt and confusion.

"Did she fall and hit herself somewhere?"

The sound of flowing water in the washroom stopped, and Mom's voice sounded from behind the door.

"Where could she have hit herself? I only pushed her gently."

"Then why is she unresponsive?"

"She's putting on an act!" Mom said firmly.

"She was just putting on a "poor me" act when she saw you back home and was waiting for you to stand up for her."

Dad didn't release his hold as he looked down at the dining table.

Half of Hailey's leftover cupcake was still in the box, with some saliva on the edges.

Dad picked up the cupcake and waved it in front of me.

"Helen, wake up."

"Clean up the mess on the floor, and I'll give you this half of the cupcake."

The cupcake was so close to my lips.

The icing on the cupcake had gone cold, and there was a small piece missing from the edge.

When I was alive, I seldom got to eat even Hailey's leftovers.

I instinctively opened my mouth, but I could no longer smell its fragrance.

My body that was on the floor didn't lift up its head.

Dad waited for a few seconds, and Hailey suddenly rushed out of the washroom.

Her hair was still wet, and she was all wrapped up in a towel, but that didn't stop her from snatching the cupcake away.

"That's mine! I won't give it to Helen even if I can't finish it!"

She held the cupcake protectively in her hands and glared at me, still kneeling on the floor.

"She already stole my meatball. Why would I let her have my cupcake?"

Dad said irritably, "There's just half of it left. Didn't you say you didn't want it anymore?"

"I want it now!"

Hailey opened her mouth and gobbled up the cupcake in three bites.

She ate so quickly that some cupcake crumbs fell out of her mouth.

Some of it landed on my shoulder.

Mom walked out of the washroom, wiping her hands dry while pulling Hailey into her arms.

"Alright, now. No one is snatching your food."

"I'll buy you another box tomorrow."

Dad was still staring at me.

"Something is really wrong with her."

With that, he reached out to part the hair on the back of my head.

The hair was stuck together by the blood.

A little bit more, and he would be able to see the wound hidden underneath.

I held my breath, although dead people didn't need to breathe at all.

[Dad, just take a look.]

[Just take a closer look.]

His finger touched my hair.

"Don't touch her!" Mom suddenly yelled, and Dad's hand froze in midair.

"If you help her up, she'll know that playing dead works," Mom said as she looked coldly at me.

"If we were to allow her to play dead over a meatball, will she try to threaten to jump off a building next?"

"If it really hurt, she would be crying."

"She's not crying or kicking up a fuss because she's waiting for us to beg her."

Dad hesitated.

Hailey wrapped her arms around his arm and cried indignantly.

"Daddy, why are you all just looking at Helen?"

The doubt on Dad's face dissipated upon hearing Hailey's cries, and he let go of my collar.

My corpse swayed to one side.

The back of my head peeked out from the corner of the table, but as I was blocked by the back of a chair, I slowly returned to my original kneeling position.

Dad stood up and waved his hand irritably.

"Fine, just let her be."

"Kneel for as long as you want."

He turned his attention to Hailey and started coaxing her.

No one turned back to look at me.

If he had parted my hair just a little bit more…

If Mom hadn't said so much…

If they were willing to give me one more second of attention, away from coaxing Hailey…

Then they would then realize that I was already dead.

But in this family, each time there was a choice to be made, I would never be their choice.

I heard sounds of them washing up and chit-chatting.

Hailey was playing with water in the washroom, Mom was washing Hailey's back while Dad was watching television in his bedroom.

What a heartwarming scene, aside from that corpse kneeling on the ground at the corner of the dining table.