All Chapters of ARIS Ruled Me a Liar: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 The AI Said I Was Fine

My head throbbed as if it were being stabbed with needles, while my chest felt as though a massive stone had been crushing it, making it impossible to breathe.The room was frighteningly quiet. The only sound came from the faint electronic hum of ARIS in the corner, its status light glowing an eerie blue.Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes.The truth was that my parents and my younger sister in the city had never considered me part of their family. If Grandma were still alive, I would have rather died than leave the countryside. I would have stayed there as a left-behind child, living a poor but peaceful life with her.I staggered to my feet, thinking about calling my parents and asking them to take me to the hospital. However, I didn't have a phone.My sister did, though. Hers had been an ARIS reward. She treated it like a treasure, keeping it locked in her drawer and never even letting me touch it.With no other choice, I turned toward ARIS in the corner."ARIS? ARIS!" I shou

Chapter 2 The Rules Were Never Fair

I curled up on the bed, my head throbbing as though a heavy hammer were pounding against it again and again, waves of excruciating pain grinding through my nerves. My throat felt as though someone had a hand around it, making it difficult to breathe. My entire body trembled uncontrollably, and my eyelids had grown so heavy that I could no longer open them.Helpless and terrified, I called out for the person who had always been closest to me. "Grandma… Please help me…"But no one answered.…The sky was just beginning to lighten when I suddenly felt my body become strangely light.At first, I was relieved. ARIS had been right. I wasn't sick. I'd made it through the night, and everything was fine now. But when I looked down, I realized I was still lying in bed. My face was bluish-gray, white foam had gathered at the corner of my mouth, and my body lay completely still.But also, I was floating in midair.Panic seized me. Was I dead?Yet, in the next second, an unexpected sense

Chapter 3 The Reward I Was Never Meant to Win

After leaving my sister's bedroom, I unconsciously drifted back to my own little storage room. The small fan beside my bed was covered in dust, its blades yellowed with age.Once summer arrived, the room became unbearably hot and stuffy without a window. To make matters worse, the little fan had broken down. I finally mustered up the courage to ask my parents for help—of course, I didn't dare ask for an air conditioner.I said quietly, "Mom, Dad, my fan isn't working. Could you get me one with a little more power?"Dad looked at me kindly. "Funny you should mention it. The air conditioner in Maggie's bedroom is getting old and needs replacing. Let ARIS score the two of you based on your performance this month. Whoever wins gets the new air conditioner."I was thrilled. I threw myself into studying and worked as hard as I could on every exam, eventually scoring more than 100 points higher than my sister overall. I took care of every chore in the house—washing dishes, mopping floors,

Chapter 4 They Came Home to My Corpse

I drifted all the way to the seaside in Harbor Isle and watched my parents and sister.They were staying at a beachfront hotel in a luxurious suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. My sister wore a pretty swimsuit and dug for shells on the beach. Dad held up his phone to take pictures of her while Mom stood beside her, applying sunscreen.They even went out for an extravagant seafood feast.Dad lovingly placed a serving of cheese-baked lobster in front of my sister. "Your mom never wants to make this at home. Since we're out here, our precious girl has to eat her fill!"Mom gently handed her a glass of chilled coconut water. "Does it taste good, sweetheart?"My sister took a long sip, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled. "It's so refreshing!"I floated beside them, watching the warm, happy scene unfold before me.The love and attention my parents were giving her were things I had never received. I had never been on an airplane. I had never eat

Chapter 5 When Even the AI Turned Away

Dad heard the scream and rushed over. The moment he stepped into the room, he saw me lying on the bed.After four days of scorching heat in the stuffy, unventilated storage room, my body had already undergone severe decomposition. Dark, nearly black fluid had seeped into the sheets.The stench hit him the instant he entered. Dad clamped a hand over his mouth, barely managing not to vomit on the spot.…From the hallway, Margaret called out, "What's wrong, Dad? Why did Mom scream?"Curious but repulsed, she edged closer, trying to see what was inside. He immediately barked, "Don't come over here! Go back to your room and shut the door!"His harsh tone frightened her into tears, and she ran back to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.Dad forced himself to steady his breathing. First, he carried Mom, who had collapsed at the doorway, to the sofa in the living room. Then, he shakily dialed 911.The ambulance arrived quickly. A doctor stepped inside, took one look, and

Chapter 6 The Hope She Threw Away

The autopsy report came back.The cause of death was viral encephalitis, triggered by exposure to the cold combined with prolonged sleep deprivation and exhaustion. The initial symptoms had been headaches and nausea. The illness had come on suddenly and progressed rapidly.If I had been taken to a hospital in time, I could have been cured.…Inside the interrogation room, Dad covered his face with both hands, tears streaming through his fingers. "I shouldn't have left Mallory back in our hometown and waited until she was nine to bring her home. I let us become so distant… Why didn't I believe her when she called and said she was feeling sick…"Mom's lips trembled. "That poor child… She just wasn't blessed with a good life…"The officer then read out the official determination.As the legal guardians of a minor daughter, my parents had a statutory duty to protect me and seek medical assistance when necessary. They had known I was asking for help, yet they relied on ARIS' assessme

Chapter 7 The Curse They Created

Mom began cursing under her breath as she frantically stuffed more and more things from the storage room into garbage bags, as though she wanted to erase every trace that I had ever existed from this world.As she cleaned, she continued shouting at the empty air. "That fortune-teller was right back then. You were a jinx from birth, a walking disaster. Having you around was bad luck."When your grandmother died, we should have sent you to an orphanage. We never should have brought you home. Now, thanks to you, your dad's doing time, his career is ruined, and you destroyed the perfectly good family we had. You really are a curse!"My spirit trembled with rage. 'Did I do anything wrong? You played favorites and lied to me! Why couldn't my death earn me even a little sympathy? Why do you still have to call me a curse?'I was so furious that I wanted to confront her face-to-face, but I had no physical body. I couldn't touch or move anything.Then, I noticed the ARIS unit sitting in the

Chapter 8 If Mom Had Loved Me

Mom finally realized that all the strange things that had been happening around her and Margaret were connected to me. My resentment had run too deep, and I was seeking revenge.She had someone make a memorial urn for me. It read, "In Loving Memory of Our Beloved Daughter, Mallory Fallow," and she placed it in a spot in the living room she believed was right. She set out candies in front of it and prayed for me every morning and evening.As she bowed, she kept murmuring, "Mallory, I've realized how wrong I'd been. Please rest in peace and move on. Quit scaring us."Margaret began paying respects to me as well. After everything I had put her through, she had been on edge all day, and she often woke from nightmares in the middle of the night.She reverently knelt before my urn. "Mal, I know what I've done wrong. I shouldn't have used ARIS to deceive you. I shouldn't have fought with you over everything or kept the best things for myself."I was too selfish. You always saved the thin

Chapter 9 The Family I Always Wanted

I opened my eyes and found myself standing on a dirt road in the countryside. Mom and Dad's car had just started moving, and I ran after it.Mom saw me in the rearview mirror and told Dad to stop. She pushed open the car door, scooped me into her arms, and said, "Mal—no, my sweet girl. I won't go anymore. I'll stay and sleep with you tonight."That night, she really did stay. She held me in her arms and told me stories for a long, long time. But when I woke up again, I was already back at our home in the city.I asked Mom quietly, "Am I sharing a room with Maggie?"Margaret immediately pouted. "She's not sleeping in my room!"Mom crouched down and patiently reasoned with her. "Maggie, your sister used to live in the countryside, and she was very lonely. Would you be willing to share a little of the warmth of our home with her?"Margaret thought about it for a long time before finally nodding.That night, I got my wish. My sister and I slept in the same bed.Mom taught me how to

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