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Lahat ng Kabanata ng I Should've Died in That Fire: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Kelly Fincher's POV After kneeling on the cold floor for less than five minutes, my damaged knee was already burning. I must have gone pale from the pain. I knew my parents could see it.In the past, they would have rushed to pull me up and driven me straight to the hospital. But now, Dad's hand stayed on my shoulder, holding me in place. Mom's expression remained cold. Her eyes slid past my knee to the wall clock. "Five minutes, and you're already acting like you can't take it?" she said, looking at me. "Kelly, haven't we played along with your drama enough?"I wanted to tell Mom it really hurt, but humiliation tightened around my throat, choking back the words. I could only try my best to steady my shaking body.Just as I was about to collapse, Mom's phone rang. She answered, and her face immediately lit up with joy and relief. "You found both of them? Okay, okay. We're coming right now."We all rushed to the police station.My brother, Noah Fincher, and sister, Amanda Fin

Chapter 2

Kelly's POVBy the time we got home, it was already late.After a long, exhausting day, my leg hurt so badly that I couldn't even stand.Mom and Dad were busy fussing over Noah and Amanda. When they finally noticed me, I'd already been sitting on the couch for two hours.Mom cleared her throat, her expression softening slightly.But before she could say anything, Amanda's eyes filled with tears. She slammed her cup down and yelled at me, "Kelly, are you seriously trying to guilt-trip me into giving up my room now?"She stormed toward the stairs. Mom hurried to stop her, then turned back and slapped me across the face.I could tell Mom regretted it the moment her hand came down. The slap was barely more than a light brush against my cheek, but it hurt somewhere much deeper.My voice trembled as I explained, "Mom, I wasn't trying to take Amanda's room. My leg just hurt so much that I couldn't stand."Amanda gave a sarcastic laugh. "What a coincidence. You just happened to be una

Chapter 3

Kelly's POVWhen I opened my eyes the next morning, the house was empty.My head was spinning, and my damaged leg felt strangely numb, as if I'd lost all sensation in it.Then I smelled something burning, and it grew stronger. I looked toward the kitchen and saw thick smoke pouring out.A familiar fear gripped me. I slid off the couch and dragged myself toward the front door, only to find it locked from the outside.After calling 911, I kept desperately trying the doorknob while dialing Mom and Dad over and over. But every call was cut off the second it connected.The last thing I heard before passing out from the smoke was the cold, automated voice saying that their phones were unreachable.When I woke up in the hospital, the first thing I saw was Mom's worried face. My eyes stung, and I called out hoarsely, "Mom."But the worry drained from Mom's face right away. She glared at me with disgust. "Don't call me Mom. You actually set the house on fire? I don't have a daughter l

Chapter 4

Kelly's POVI fell to the ground. The impact left my tailbone numb, and for a second, I couldn't even process what had happened."Noah, what money?" I asked, confused.He was shaking with panic and anger. "Most of the money I've made over the years has gone toward your medical bills, but I saved 50 thousand dollars to study abroad. Now it's gone! I'll give you anything else you want, but please give me the money back!"His voice turned pleading. Mom and Amanda immediately rushed over to calm him down.Dad grabbed me roughly and pulled me aside, his face grim. He seemed to be clamping down on his anger as he said, "Kelly, even if you're angry that your mom stopped your physical therapy, you shouldn't steal Noah's money."Cold sweat broke out on my forehead as I protested, "Dad, I didn't! I swear I didn't touch his money."Noah gave a mocking laugh behind me. "I never told anyone about that money. I hid it carefully under the couch. You slept on the couch. So tell me, if it wasn't

Chapter 5

Third-person's POVBy the time they heard the automated message for the third time, Viola and Peter finally realized something was wrong.Viola asked anxiously, "Peter, did you dial the wrong number? How could Kelly's number suddenly be out of service?"Peter carefully checked every digit of the number. His face went pale. "I didn't get it wrong. It's Kelly's number."The room fell silent.Suddenly, Viola slammed her cup onto the floor and shot to her feet. Her eyes flashed with anger."She's doing this on purpose, just to scare us. We only misunderstood her, and now she's throwing a fit. If she has the guts to run away, then let her. She'd better never come back."But despite her angry words, when she said "never come back", a flicker of unease crossed her eyes.Peter's expression darkened. After a moment's thought, he grabbed his car keys. "I'll go find her. With her injured leg, she probably hasn't gone far. She might still be where we left her."Viola said coldly, "When yo

Chapter 6

Third-person's POVThe moment Viola picked up the phone, Dr. Bullock's irritated voice came through. "What kind of parents are you people? I already told you, Kelly must continue her physical therapy! Are you trying to ruin her life?"Viola looked embarrassed. She said irritably, "Did Kelly go to you and fill your head with nonsense? We've spent years investing all our money and energy in her, but her leg still hasn't improved. At this point, we don't want to keep wasting time and money. Is that so wrong?"Dr. Bullock's voice grew urgent. "Given her current condition, if you just stop therapy and leave her untreated, there's a very high chance she'll need an amputation. It could even become life-threatening! I personally explained all of this to Kelly a week ago. Didn't she tell you?"Viola's mind went blank when she heard that.Peter's face turned pale. He was about to ask more questions, but Dr. Bullock was clearly too busy to stay on the phone. The doctor hurriedly told them to

Chapter 7

Third-person POVAmanda was still ranting angrily. "I just hate Kelly. Why did Mom and Dad need another child when they already had you and me?"I started the fire back then. I just wanted to teach Kelly a lesson, but after her leg was crippled, Mom and Dad showered her with care."I couldn't stand it. I wish she'd never existed. Why did she have to steal their attention from us?"The moment Amanda finished speaking, hurried footsteps came from behind her.Before she could react, Viola's hand came down hard across her face.The slap sent Amanda stumbling, and she fell to the floor. Without even thinking, she hid the letters behind her back, one hand still pressed to her stinging cheek.She stared at Viola in disbelief. "Mom? Why are you back so early?"Peter snatched the letters from her. He took one look at them, and all the color drained from his face.Amanda immediately tried to defend herself. "Right, I found those letters and didn't tell you right away, but Kelly was dete

Chapter 8

Kelly's POVLife at the academy for disabled students was much easier than I'd expected. People took my pain seriously. No one thought I was asking for special treatment.When the director, Tracy Carlson, saw my badly swollen knee, she couldn't help but gasp."It's this bad?" she asked, her eyes full of sympathy. "Didn't you tell your family?"I just shook my head and smiled faintly. "No. I don't want to be a burden to them anymore."Ms. Carlson blinked back tears and said nothing more. A few days later, she brought in the most renowned specialist in town to check on my leg.Ms. Carlson had found me through the posts I'd written online. She admired how I stayed positive despite everything I'd been through and said my writing had encouraged many kids at the academy who were struggling with despair.The academy was a nonprofit project that was still in its early stages, and they were in desperate need of teachers who could guide the students.She even said I could stay there for

Chapter 9

Kelly's POVWhen Mom handed Amanda the necklace, she didn't even try to hide it from me. She glared at me as if I were a criminal."Amanda had to give up dancing because of you. We gave her the necklace because she deserves it! You might have saved your brother and sister, but they also made a huge sacrifice for you. They don't owe you anything. Do you understand?"But I never asked them to repay me. Nobody ever bothered to ask me what I wanted. I didn't want their money. I didn't want Amanda to give up her dreams because of me.When I ran into that fire to save them, there was only one thought in my mind. I didn't want to see my parents devastated. They loved Noah and Amanda more than anything. If they died, Mom and Dad would be heartbroken.I never understood why saving their lives had somehow made me the villain in my own family.I'd spent ten years trying to figure it out, and even now, I still had no answer. But I didn't care anymore. I was finally done wasting my energy on

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