Chapter 2

A flicker of hope came back. Dad had always loved me the most. Surely he would come straight to my room to check on me.

His footsteps came closer.

I curled in on myself, fighting through the stabbing pain as I forced my eyes open. For a moment, warmth spread through me.

But before Dad reached my room, Rachel ran over and threw herself into his arms. "Dad! You're finally home. I missed you so much!"

Dad frowned and started to pull away, but Mom smiled and spoke up. "Rachel did really well on her college entrance exam. She might even get into one of the top universities."

Dad's face lit up. "Really? That's great! Rachel, tell me what you want as a reward. I'll get you anything you want."

Rachel smiled. "I don't want anything. I just want you and Mom to stay healthy. That's all I need."

Dad looked touched, and Mom's eyes filled with tears. She turned away to wipe them.

Meanwhile, I lay in a pool of blood on the other side of my bedroom door.

I tried to call for help, but blood rose in my throat and filled my mouth with the taste of metal. No sound came out.

Dad glanced around. "Where's Kelly? Is she okay?"

Mom sneered. "Kelly? She's sulking in her room because she's jealous Rachel did so well. She thinks she's grown now and doesn't have to listen to me anymore. I called her over and over, and she couldn't even be bothered to answer."

Dad fell silent for a moment, then sighed. He came to my door and knocked gently.

"Kelly, it's Dad. Open up, okay? I brought your favorite cake. And if your exam didn't go well, that's okay too. I'll always love you."

Behind the door, I lay in a pool of blood, my face a sickly blue-purple. Tears mixed with blood and slipped beneath my collar.

I wanted to tell Dad I was sorry for being such a burden, for making his life so hard, for everything. But I couldn't make a sound.

After a while, Mom finally lost her patience and kicked the door. "Kelly, are you dead in there or what? Your dad's talking to you! You could at least answer him.

"Do you have any idea how hard he's had to work away from home because of you? And this is how you repay him?"

I screamed at her in my head to open the door. If she would just come in, she would see me.

Dad quickly pulled her back. "Keep your voice down. She's already upset."

Mom grabbed his arm and dragged him toward their bedroom. "Come on. Forget her. If she wants to act like this, let her. She can go the rest of her life without talking to us for all I care!"

Their footsteps faded away, and so did the last of my strength. The artificial heart in my chest gave one final beat and went still.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already on my feet. My body felt almost weightless, and every ache and pain I'd lived with for years was gone.

Relief flooded through me, and I rushed toward Mom and Dad. "Mom, Dad, I'm better! I won't be a burden to you anymore!"

But when I reached for Mom, my hand passed straight through her. I stared at my translucent fingers, and the truth finally hit me.

I was dead.

Mom covered her face, fighting back a sob. "Is she trying to worry me to death? If something really happened to her, what am I supposed to do?"

I bit my lip and reached up to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry, Mom. Please don't cry. It's my fault. I've always made you worry."

But my fingers passed straight through her cheek.

Mom's head suddenly snapped up, her eyes fixed straight ahead. "Jeremy, what if something really did happen to Kelly? No, I have to go check on her!"

Dad got up with her. "Come on. Don't scare yourself. She's fine."

Just then, Rachel quietly flipped the breaker back on.

She looked down and whispered, "Kelly, don't blame me. I just wanted Mom and Dad to pay a little more attention to me. I'm sorry."

I stared at her in disbelief, then let out a bitter laugh.

There hadn't been a power outage at all. Rachel had staged the whole thing.

She suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face. She stumbled back a couple of steps, and tears sprang to her eyes.

Then she ran to Mom and Dad, sobbing. "Mom! Dad! Kelly hit me!"