Ground to Dust for My Sister's Fate
Perfect TimingAfter DeathPlot TwistsFamilial BondBiasFamily EmotionsFace Slapping
When my sister, Danielle Campbell, and I are born, our parents hire an astrologer to read our futures.
The astrologer says Danielle will develop severe depression because of my success. After the SAT scores are released, she'll jump from the roof of our school and end her life.
To save Danielle, my parents spend 18 years tearing me down.
On the day of the SAT, they even confiscate my exam permit. I fall to my knees and beg them, slamming my forehead against the tile floor over and over.
Dad kicks me into the walk-in freezer and locks the door from the outside. "You know your sister will die because of you, and you still insist on taking the exam? Are you trying to drive her to her death?"
The freezer is set to -22 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm wearing nothing but my short-sleeved school uniform.
I pound desperately on the door. "Mom! It's so cold in here! Please let me out!"
"Oh, stop pretending." Mom's voice is sharp and cutting. "The refrigeration isn't even turned on! Danielle is only one step away from escaping that prophecy, and all you can think about is yourself?"
Their footsteps fade into the distance.
Blood keeps streaming from the wound on my forehead, soaking into my uniform before turning ice-cold.
I curl up in the corner. Little by little, my body grows stiff.