Chapter 4

Some people said it took three days to die unnoticed. Others said a week. Some said it depended on when the neighbors started noticing the smell.

Back then, I thought that it would never happen to me. After all, I had my parents and my brother. They would surely notice if something went wrong with me.

But now I knew that they wouldn't. They would only think I was throwing a tantrum, being dramatic, or faking it... until I died.

They would never believe me.

The next morning, Mom got up and made breakfast.

The sizzle of frying eggs came from the kitchen, and the familiar aroma drifted through the house. It was the smell I used to love most.

"Jenny, get up. You're going to be late," Mom called out from the kitchen.

But there was no response.

"Jenny!"

Still, silence.

"Seriously, every day with this," Mom muttered as she walked out of the kitchen with a plate of fried eggs. She glanced toward the end of the hallway but didn't bother walking over.

"Ade, go wake your sister up."

Adrian walked out of his room and replied nonchalantly, "Why should I? She'll get up on her own."

"Just go tell her to get up," Mom said again.

"No," Andrian refused without even casting a glance toward my room.

Mom stood by the dining table, looking at the bowl of oatmeal she had prepared for me. She picked up her phone and sent me a message.

"Are you getting up or not? If you're late, don't blame me."

When there was no reply, she sent another.

"Jenny, you're really pushing it."

But there was still no response.

Mom slammed her phone onto the table. "You are really testing my patience."

After tidying up, she left for work.

The house fell silent, leaving me alone in the darkness of my room.

My phone was on the floor. The screen cracked in one corner. Messages kept coming in—from Mom, my teacher, and classmates asking about homework. None of them knew that the owner of this phone would never reply again.

At ten that morning, my teacher, Linda Andersen, called Mom.

She asked, "Mrs. Lupton, may I ask why Jenny didn't come to school today?"

"What? She didn't go to school?" Mom was a bit shocked.

Ms. Andersen replied, "No, she didn't show up today."

"That girl..." Mom's voice was filled with anger. "She was upset with me last night and locked herself in her room. I thought she'd gone to school on her own this morning."

"You should go home and check on her."

"Alright, got it."

After hanging up, Mom didn't return home. Instead, she told her coworkers what had happened and continued with her work.

It wasn't until noon that she finally drove home.

As soon as she stepped inside, she called out, "Jenny, come out here. You'd better explain this."

She walked to my bedroom and pushed the door open. The light was off, and the curtains were drawn, leaving the room completely dark. She reached for the switch, and the light came on.

I was still lying on the bed in the same position as yesterday. I hadn't even changed clothes. The swelling in my face had gone down a little, but my lips had turned an even darker shade of purple, almost black.

"Jenny?" Mom's voice trembled. She finally realized that something was wrong.

I had never skipped school because I knew it would only get me into more trouble. So I always got up on time, even when I felt miserable.

But this time... I never got up.

Mom walked over to the bed and reached out to shake my shoulder. "Jenny? Don't scare me..."

My body rolled slightly, and it felt rigid and cold like stone.

Mom jerked her hand back. When she saw my swollen face, purple lips, and curled fingers, her eyes widened in horror. "Jenny!"