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Home / Emotional Realism Short Story / My Family’s Deadly Competition / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of My Family’s Deadly Competition: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

12 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Drink up while it's hot! It's organic matcha from Erewhon. I added honey and MCT oil."Victoria held the slightly sweet, green liquid with a perfect smile on her face. "Tomorrow is your last SAT. This will get your brain in peak condition."I stared at the delicate bone china cup. I swallowed hard.But for some reason, alarm bells were ringing in my head. Don't drink it."I didn't even make any for Mason," Victoria whispered, like it was a precious secret.Just then, my brother Mason walked past the walk-in closet. He spotted the cup.I called out to him. "I can't finish this alone. Mason can have some."Mason froze, his eyes lighting up. "Really? I finally get to try the magic brain juice?"Slap!Victoria smacked Mason's hand away hard. Her face instantly darkened."Don't touch that!" she snapped. "This is brain fuel for Ava. She's aiming for a 1550 tomorrow! Why do you care? You don't even know basic algebra."Mason rubbed his red hand and grumbled. "You're so biased, Mom. Who cares

Chapter 2

My alarm jolted me awake at 6 AM.Today was it. My third and final SAT.Victoria was setting out breakfast when I walked downstairs."Morning, sweetie." A huge smile lit up her face. "I made you a special power breakfast."Chloe and Mason had plain black coffee and bagels.But at my spot sat a thick, cloudy glass of juice."My special blend!" Victoria said proudly. "I bought the organic veggies at 5 AM. Added spirulina and maca powder too."Chloe rolled her eyes. "Mom, your favoritism is so obvious."Mason grumbled, "Why does Ava always get special treatment? She bombed two years in a row."I stared at the orange liquid. My heart raced."Mom, I just want coffee today." I reached for Chloe's mug.Smack!Victoria stopped me and snatched the mug away."No! This juice is good for your test. You have to drink it! Or else you aren't going to the exam!"The air froze.Chloe smirked. "Aw, is our smart Ava scared? Rejecting Mom's kindness?""Mom, what's actually in this juice? Why do I have to

Chapter 3

I froze. What did she mean, closed?Victoria set down the oatmeal and helped me back into bed."I told you your health was poor. I told you to get some nutrition, but you didn't listen. You fainted from low blood sugar. The proctor called us, and I brought you home."The dizziness almost knocked me over again, but the tears were already falling."The juice. The matcha. What the hell is in the stuff you give me!" I choked out. "Why do I crash every single time at the final exam? This is the third time!"Victoria looked shocked. "Ava, do you think there's something wrong with the drinks I make you?""Isn't there?!"I sobbed, staring right at her. "You only give me those special drinks right before big tests. Why?"Before Victoria could answer, Chloe shoved the door open."Enough, Ava!" she snapped. "Why are you taking your failure out on Mom? Can't you see how much she does for you?"Mason popped in behind her, looking disgusted. "Yeah. You've been drinking that stuff for years. Why does

Chapter 4

I swallowed hard. "Was there anything wrong with the matcha?""Sorry, we didn't detect any abnormal substances. The sample only contained regular tea leaves and natural honey."I hung up and slumped into a patio chair.Nothing wrong.That meant it was all me. I just had terrible luck...But watching Mason celebrate inside, my doubts didn't fade.I knew exactly how dumb he was. Clubbing every night, utterly clueless about the test.There was no way he scored that high!Chloe and Brianna flashed through my mind.An insane idea started creeping into my head. I took a deep breath and walked back inside."I want a recount," I said loudly.The living room fell silent. Everyone stared at me."What?" Victoria frowned.I repeated myself.Chloe snorted. "Ava, are you delusional? Your score is canceled. What is there to check?""I'm not just checking mine. I'm checking Mason's."Mason's face turned beet red. "Why do you think I can't do it? Maybe I'm just gifted!"I was shaking all over. My voice

Chapter 5

I dropped the fake smiles and rushed home.But at the door, I froze.What was the point of exposing them now?My brother already had his 1580. No one would believe my empty accusations.Before confronting my mother, I had to verify one thing.The next day, I went to the elite Manhattan psych clinic my mom said I visited all the time."I need to see my medical records," I told the receptionist flatly."I'm sorry, Dr. Richardson is with a patient. You need an appointment...""I don't need a session. I just want my file."She hesitated but led me to his office anyway.Dr. Richardson avoided my eyes the second he saw me."Ava, what are you doing here?" He sounded stiff.I cut to the chase. "Doctor, I want to confirm my diagnosis. Do I really have stress-induced paranoia?"He looked even more evasive. "Well... patient files are confidential. I can't just hand them over.""It's my own file!""Even so, there's a procedure." He sighed. "Ava, just accept reality. Stop fighting it."A chill ran

Chapter 6

Victoria took a terrified step back.But she quickly steadied her breathing."I don't know what you're talking about.""That's fine. I'm not suing you today. I'm suing the College Board."I was the first rich heiress in the city to legally challenge my SAT scores. The room was packed with press and VIPs.It was even being live-streamed nationwide.Victoria blocked my way, furious. "Ava, stop embarrassing us! You scored badly, so now you're suing the College Board?"I nodded deadpan. "Yep. Just for that."She lifted her chin haughtily. She shot a look at her top-tier legal team, signaling them to attack.I stood at the plaintiff's table, facing dozens of HD cameras."Your Honor, today I will expose a massive academic and financial fraud within the elite class. Someone stole my SAT scores in a sick, twisted scam. They did this to divide a family trust worth hundreds of millions."Whispers broke out among the elites in the gallery.Camera flashes went off like crazy.Victoria shot to her

Chapter 7

The big screen lit up. Crystal-clear hallway footage played in the center of the courtroom.The timestamp showed the morning of the final SAT exam.Two medics rushed out of the VIP center doors, pushing a stretcher.Someone lay on the stretcher wearing an expensive Balenciaga hoodie. Their face was totally hidden by a hood and an oxygen mask. They looked like they were dying."Look closely," I pointed at the screen, my voice icy. "Only one student was taken away by ambulance that day. And that person wasn't me."I spun around and locked eyes with Mason.He flinched at my cold glare and shrank back into his chair."It was you, Mason." I stalked toward him. The pressure drained the color from his face. "You faked an illness outside. Put on a great show. You don't even know basic algebra. How on earth did you score a 1580?""You're lying!" Mason stammered. He was too guilty to even look at me.Victoria stood up in a panic.She leaned on the table, trying to maintain her last shred of arro

Chapter 8

An hour later, the forensic document examiner finished the analysis under the court's watchful eyes.The expert held up the answer sheet and solemnly announced, "Forensic analysis confirms that the handwriting on the 1580-scoring answer sheet under Mason's name, including all scratchpad calculations and final answers, belongs entirely to Miss Ava.""And the zero-score disqualified paper submitted under Miss Ava's name actually matches Mason's handwriting."The courtroom was stunned, but the biggest shock was yet to come.I sneered and raised my hand. "Your Honor, I have one more secret to reveal."I walked to the stand and pointed a laser pen at the magnified answer sheet on the screen."At the final step of every complex math equation, I always draw a tiny Greek letter Theta in the bottom right corner. It's a habit from middle school. Like an artist's signature."The red laser hit the microscopic symbol perfectly."It's my own anti-counterfeit mark. No matter the situation, if I did t

Chapter 9

Victoria instantly slapped me hard across the face.The sharp crack echoed in the solemn courtroom. Gasps came from the gallery."Say one more word, and I'll die right here in this courtroom!" Her chest heaved with rage. Her eyes were completely unhinged.Crash!She grabbed a glass of water from the table and smashed it on the floor.Sharp shards flew everywhere. Victoria picked up the biggest piece and pressed it against her carotid artery without hesitation.The glass cut her skin. Blood slowly trickled down her pale neck."Enough, Ava!" Chloe jumped up from the gallery, screaming at me. "You sociopath! Are you only going to be happy when the entire trust is frozen?""Mom has always spoiled you the most. Can't you just grow up?"The three of them stood together, glaring at me with pure hostility, acting as if I were the villain here.My brother gritted his teeth. "You were the only one getting special matcha every night for years. Did we ever complain?""Mom babied you! So what if we

Chapter 10

The glass shard shook violently in Victoria's hand, cutting deeper into her skin. Blood dripped down her fingers onto the courtroom floor."You're insane!" she shrieked. "Do you want your mother to die right here?"Chaos broke out. Bailiffs moved in to stop her.But I raised my hand, stopping them.I strode over to Victoria and, under everyone's stunned gaze, snatched the bloody glass right out of her bare hand."What's the point of playing the victim now?"Without a second thought, I slashed the glass across my own palm.Blood instantly welled up and dripped onto the solemn judge's bench. It was a shocking sight.Victoria was dumbfounded. She had never seen me this cold-blooded.I held up my bloody hand and backed her into a corner."If there's even a tiny piece of you that cares about your daughter, tell the truth right now. Or I'll keep cutting until I bleed out!""Ava!" Victoria panicked, tears bursting from her eyes. "Don't! Mommy loves you! I did all of this to save the family bu

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