홈 / Dying to Win / 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

Dying to Win의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

10 챕터

Chapter 1

My spirit drifted out of my body and hovered above the car's roof.My mom, Cara Boyd, shook her head in frustration. "Alice, you're too stubborn. Now you're holding your breath and pretending to be asleep just to scare us."Every time we tell you off, you pull this stunt. Do you think we'll apologize just because you hold your breath until your face turns red?"You need to find a new way to compete for our attention. This nonsense is getting old. Aren't you afraid others will laugh at you?"My dad, Robert Gibson, glanced at the rearview mirror and sighed."Alice, your mom and I have done our best to treat you and Daphne equally. You each have your own room, and we buy two of everything, from clothes to toys."Daphne has needed medical attention since she was little. Can't you be a little bit more understanding toward her? You've got to stop being so selfish."Daphne Gibson, my younger sister, leaned against Mom and sneaked a glance at me slumped in the back seat. A smile tugge

Chapter 2

The next morning, Mom fried two eggs in the kitchen. She carried them to the dining table, muttering to herself, "One egg each for Alice and Daphne. I treat them both equally, so I'm never playing favorites. I give them both all the love I have, but Alice still doesn't appreciate it."Mom handed Daphne a glass of warm milk and left my share on the table."Alice is still throwing a tantrum. If her milk gets cold, that's her own fault. We're not going to spoil her," Mom said. "If she keeps up with the jealousy, she can go without breakfast today. Maybe that'll teach her a lesson."Dad walked to my bedroom door and knocked softly."Alice, come out for breakfast if you're awake. We all love you, and we don't want you to be upset all the time."If you come out and have breakfast, we'll let you off the hook for pretending to be sick in the car yesterday."You're Daphne's older sister. You need to act like it and stop competing with her all the time."The room remained silent.Dad s

Chapter 3

On Saturday afternoon, Dad's cousin, Lydia Grant, stopped by with some local specialties from her hometown.She sat on the couch and looked around. "Where's Alice? She's usually the first to come running when I visit. Why haven't I seen her today? I even brought her favorite pastries."Dad smiled as he poured her some tea."Alice's a little tired from the road trip, so she's catching up on sleep in her room. She loves to sleep in. She has to get up earlier for school, so we let her sleep a little longer on weekends."Lydia nodded approvingly. "You two have worked so hard to raise both kids so well. They're both healthy and well-fed. So many people envy you for having such a wonderful family."Daphne took Lydia's hand and acted sweetly. "Aunt Lydia, these pastries smell so good! I'll share them with Alice."Then she turned to Mom and said, "Mom, I want to draw a picture for Aunt Lydia, but I'm missing a color in my art set. Can I borrow the colored markers on Alice's desk?"Mom s

Chapter 4

"Alice, get up! Your grandma misses you and keeps asking about you. Come out and say hello."There was no answer from inside the room.Dad forced a helpless smile at the phone screen. "Melinda, Alice wore herself out having fun and is fast asleep. I can't even wake her up. Let's try again another time. I'll have her call you back when she wakes up."After ending the video call, Dad's pleasant expression vanished. He frowned deeply and slammed his phone down on the couch."Alice doesn't care one bit about respecting her elders. She's so ungrateful!"Mom walked over and took Dad by the arm.She sighed and said, "Alice has such a horrid temper. It's been three days, and she still hasn't eaten or had a drop of water. We need to set some rules."We can't let her think that if she locks herself in her room and goes on a hunger strike, the whole family has to beg her to eat. We can't let her get away with this."My spirit floated near the ceiling and watched Mom and Dad with great i

Chapter 5

I floated near the ceiling, watching Dad's reaction."How about it, Dad? Am I not amazing at holding my breath? "You always say I have no willpower. But this time, I lasted three whole days without slacking off for even a second."Come on, praise me! Isn't this way more impressive than Daphne coming in tenth in her class?"Mom came over again with a bowl of freshly washed fruit."Why are you on the floor? Is Alice still refusing to get up? Listen here. We can't let her get away with this attitude. If she won't apologize today, she'll stay in her room all day. Does she think no one in this family can handle her?"Mom stepped into the room, then covered her nose and mouth against the strong stench of decay. She frowned."Alice! Honestly, what on earth have you done in here?"As soon as she finished speaking, the bowl of fruit fell from her hands.Mom stared at my body on the bed, covered in dark patches, then froze.She gripped the doorframe with hands and let out a piercing s

Chapter 6

Police cars pulled into the neighborhood. The officers set up a police line, and a forensic examiner entered my room with a toolbox.In the living room, Mom, Dad, and Daphne were seated on the couch for questioning.Daphne, who had been asleep just moments ago, huddled in a corner under a blanket. She was trembling."Officer, Alice must have had a sudden medical emergency. She's always been jealous of her sister. When Daphne got carsick, Alice pretended to be sick too."Dad struggled to explain himself to the police."We really thought she was throwing a fit. We only stayed out of her room to teach her a lesson. We've already treated both our daughters equally!"The young officer taking notes stopped writing and gave Dad a stern look."Did you really treat them equally? The forensic examiner's initial findings show that the victim died of suffocation during a severe asthma attack. She didn't use her rescue inhaler in time."You drove on the highway for four hours while she stru

Chapter 7

The forensic examiner placed my corpse in a body bag. The moment he zipped it shut, Mom rushed over and clung to the bag, refusing to let go."Don't take her away! Alice is afraid of the dark. Don't shut her inside that bag!"She turned and screamed at Dad. "What are you standing there for? Aren't you always so concerned about what other people think? Tell him! Alice is just throwing a fit. She's already been competitive. She just wants to see if I'll cry for her. I'm crying now! Isn't that enough for her to win?"I floated near the ceiling, pleased to see Mom's tear-streaked face."Mom, those tears are a lot more genuine than Daphne's usual fake crying. Looks like I've come in first place again at getting the family worked up."The police pulled Mom away by force and carried my body to the medical examiner's van.-The autopsy report came out the next day. In a meeting room at the police station, the forensic examiner slid two pages across the table to Mom and Dad."The caus

Chapter 8

My funeral was set for the weekend.At Dad's request, the memorial hall was lavishly decorated with the finest flowers. He had even had the urn custom-made overnight.I sat on the urn, looking around at all the flowers and memorial displays, and couldn't help but whistle appreciatively."What a send-off! When Daphne gets married, I doubt she'll ever get this many flower arrangements. That's me for you. I couldn't beat her when I was alive, but now I've left her way behind."Relatives began to arrive one after another. Lydia, who had just visited a few days ago, walked in. When she saw my photo, she sank to the floor."How could this happen? When I visited a few days earlier, you said Alice was asleep in her room. Was she already…"She pointed at Mom and Dad, trembling all over. "How could you be so cruel?! She was a living person! You left her in that room to rot for three days?"Dad's hair had almost turned white, and he was badly hunched over. He sat beside my casket, lost

Chapter 9

For half a month after the funeral, the house was so quiet it felt eerie.Every day, Mom either sat staring into space or wiped down the furniture in my room over and over.The cleaners had gotten rid of the stench long ago, but Mom kept saying she could still smell it.She spent entire nights scrubbing the floor with disinfectant. Even when the skin on her fingers peeled and started to bleed, she refused to stop.One day, while emptying my desk drawers, she found a locked journal.It was my scorebook, where I had kept track of every win and loss. Mom tried my birthday as the code, and the lock clicked open.Dad heard the noise and came into the room. Their hands shook as they opened the first page.Inside, there was no diary, only sheets covered in scores from top to bottom."March 12. Daphne had a fever of 100.4°F, and Mom held her while they slept all night. I came in first in my class, and Dad just told me to keep it up at dinner. Daphne won. I lost.""May 4. Daphne wanted

Chapter 10

On a cold winter day, light snow began to fall.Mom and Dad came to the cemetery outside town with a pile of things.Dad's back had become badly hunched, and he stumbled through the snow. Mom carried a large paper bag filled with red outfits.They crouched before my grave and carefully brushed the snow away from my headstone.Dad took out a certificate and carefully placed it in front of my grave."Alice, I brought your medal." Dad's voice shook. "You came in first, and you'll always be number one. I was blind to what mattered. I judged you by adult standards and forgot you were just a kid who wanted to hear her dad say he was proud of her."Mom took the red outfits from the paper bag and laid them over my grave. The sunlight illuminated her tear-streaked face."Alice, I brought you red clothes. From now on, you can wear whatever color you want. You never have to give in to anyone ever again."Mom reached out to touch the black-and-white photo on my headstone, her voice breakin

앱에서 읽으려면 QR 코드를 스캔하세요.

DMCA.com Protection Status