جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 9

Smack!My sister Vivian Mercer slammed the gold-embossed award letter down on the table, her eyes blazing as she looked at our parents."Not even this once?"I want to go to New York with my head held high. I want just one trip where nobody stares and whispers. Is that so much to ask?"The living room fell silent.My hands froze on the wheels of my chair. I stared at her, lost.I had changed into a new dress just for her ceremony. Pale pink, with a hem long enough to hide the empty space on my right side.I asked quietly, "Vivian, what if I don't even get out of the car? What if I just sit in the very last row of the theater and watch you from far away? Would that still not be okay?"I reached out to tug the hem of her skirt.Vivian recoiled as if something filthy had touched her."Can you stop acting so pathetic all the time!"She jabbed a finger at my right leg, her voice shrill enough to cut."Do you have any idea what these last ten years have been like for me?"No matter how well

The fire in the bedroom was out of control.Flames raced along the carpet toward the living room, like a snake flicking its tongue, closing in fast.Thick smoke rolled across the ceiling.I choked and coughed violently, tears and mucus streaming down my face."Help..."Is anyone there..."I screamed toward the front door with everything I had.But the old building's walls muffled sound too well, and the windows and door were sealed tight. No one answered.I bent down and clawed at the knot around my waist.Mom had pulled the knot brutally tight.My fingers dug into the knot over and over. The rough fibers tore the skin from my fingertips, and blood quickly stained the rope.The knot did not budge.The flames reached the curtains.With a roar, the entire curtain ignited at once, flooding the living room with light as bright as midday.A wave of scorching heat slammed into me.My hair curled and singed. The skin on my face stung in waves.I grabbed my phone again and called Dad.This tim

The next afternoon, on the train home from New York, the family of three chatted and laughed.Vivian cradled the trophy in her arms, scrolling through the photos from the ceremony."Mom, this one has the best lighting. It'll look amazing on Instagram."Mom leaned over, her face glowing."Beautiful. You couldn't take a bad picture if you tried. Your aunt was already raving about you in the family group chat."Dad hummed a little tune as he scrolled through his phone."When we get back, let's stop by that old Belem bakery first and pick up a box of egg tarts. Audrey loves those. We'll bring some home for her."The smile faded from Vivian's face."Dad, why do you have to bring her up?"Just thinking about the tantrum she threw on the phone yesterday kills my mood."Mom patted her hand."Leave it. She's been spoiled rotten these past few years. Her temper keeps getting stranger."I'll have a good talk with her when we get back. Scaring us with a fake fire, of all things, on a day that impo

In the interrogation room, the lights were a harsh, sterile white.Three items lay on the table.Charred rope.A smoke-blackened drawer lock.And a fire investigation report.I hovered near the ceiling, watching the three of them sit in three separate chairs.Detective Harris opened the report."The cause of the fire has been determined."The wiring in the bedroom's electric blanket was severely degraded. Being left on caused it to short-circuit and ignite the bedding."Dad's head snapped up."The electric blanket?"We didn't turn on the electric blanket before we left."The detective turned to Vivian."According to the hallway security footage and physical evidence at the scene, you were the last person to enter the bedroom before departure."Your fingerprints were also found on the electric blanket's switch."You turned it on. Didn't you?"Every drop of color vanished from Vivian's face.She shot to her feet, knocking her chair over behind her."I didn't do it on purpose!"I was chan

The car door closed slowly behind her.I drifted alongside the car for a stretch of the road.Through the glass, Vivian suddenly lifted her head and stared, unfocused, in my direction.For one instant, I thought she could see me.But the next second, she lowered her head again and buried her face in her knees.Ten years ago, when I threw myself in front of that iron bar, I never once thought about being repaid.She was my sister.All I knew in that moment was that if the bar hit her skull, she might die.So I threw myself in front of it.After I lost my right leg, she did take care of me.She massaged my stump. She pushed my wheelchair into the sun. On nights when phantom limb pain kept me awake, she would sit beside my bed and cry with me.But somewhere along the way, guilt became a burden.Care became resentment.And I became the stain on her life she wished she could erase.I hated her once.Hated Dad. Hated Mom.Hated that when I was at my most desperate, not one of them believed m