All Chapters of The Day I Died, My Family Was Celebrating My Sister's Eighteenth Birthday: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

I floated near the ceiling and watched my mother stroke the top of Isa's head.It took me back to a time before that signet ring tore us apart.Back then, our parents hugged us both equally, and our mother kissed us both just as often.When exactly did it all change?It started the year I turned ten, when the summer camp at the cabin in the woods had room for only one of us.A week before the trip, my mother laughed as she packed my bag, tucking insect-repellent wipes into my pocket.But the night before the trip, she sat on the edge of Isa's bed and spoke softly to me. "Julia, you're the older one. Let Isa have the spot."That was the first time.I gave up my spot without really understanding and told myself there would be another chance.What I didn't know was that it would happen a thousand more times.Then there was the pearl-studded headband I loved. Isa looked at it twice, and my mother took it off my head and put it on Isa instead.Then there was the antique necklace my grandmot

Time stopped right there.Beneath the sheet was my lifeless face, white as paper, my cheeks sunken.My neck and the exposed parts of my arms were covered in bruises and ligature marks."Aaah!"My mother's scream tore through the air.She stumbled and collapsed beside the stretcher. She reached out a shaking hand to touch my face, but stopped halfway."Julia... Julia..."She repeated my name, her voice shattered, tears spilling onto my face."Mom's here. I'm here... Please wake up..."My father's cigarette had burned down to his fingers. It was burning him, but he didn't notice.He stared at my body, his eyes bloodshot."You goddamn animals!"My uncle's eyes reddened. He pulled the gun from his hip and aimed it at the Cammarata men."Roberto! Have you lost your mind?"Both sides had their hands on their weapons, and my father, who had always wanted peace, did nothing to stop him.Instead, he drew his own sidearm."You Cammarata men have some nerve!"My father's bloodshot eyes were locke

They buried me on a cold, wet day.My uncle, my parents, and Isa all stood in the rain, dressed in black.There was no grand ceremony or crowd of guests. My mother's sobs were the only sound.I floated above the grave and watched my black coffin being lowered into the ground.Dirt fell one shovelful at a time, landing with a dull thud.Finally, my mother couldn't take it anymore.She pulled free from my father, sank down at the edge of the grave, and wept aloud.Her heart-wrenching sobs mingled with the sound of the rain."Julia... my Julia..."With a trembling hand, she pulled a velvet box from her coat and opened it. Inside lay an antique necklace.It was the necklace my grandmother had left me before she died, saying it was mine alone. It was the one my mother had taken from me and put around Isa's neck.She also had someone bring the pearl-studded dress I'd been forced to hand over."Mom is so sorry... Mom is giving it all back..."She moved as if in a daze, whispering under her br

Growing up, I had a sister who loved me deeply.She was two years older than me and always let me have my way.If I liked a dress, she'd give it to me.I knew she loved me.So when our family had to choose one of us to marry into the Cammarata family, I stepped forward and took the signet ring.I thought that if the price was mine alone, it would buy my sister's freedom, and she'd never have to suffer in that hellhole. What could be better than that?What I never imagined was that because of it, my family would stop seeing her altogether.They gave all their love to me and forgot that she was a child who needed love, too.They thought she was jealous. They thought she was sulking. They had no idea that all she wanted was to be held.On my eighteenth birthday, I wore a formal dress, and an elaborate eighteen-tier cake stood in front of me.I waited for my sister to come home. I waited a very long time.Instead, all I heard was that she was busy.My mother told me Julia was dealing with