I asked, “Are you just celebrating with me.
today, Mom?”
Mom looked surprised.
“Yeah…to celebrate your grad school
acceptances!”
“What about Bill?”
“He’s in the kitchen! Come in already!”
Mom just couldn’t keep calm anymore.
Twanted to break the ice between us
…
“Mom, did you ever love me?”
Mom looked away, but didn’t reply.
I broke the ice between us.
“Let’s go,” I said. “What’s for dinner?”
She was relieved and made way for me.
I went into the house.
There wasn’t any blood like last time.
But Sarah was sitting at the table, all smiles.
I looked back at Mom. “You said it was just
me.”
Sarah cut in.
“Ashley, don’t blame Mom. I heard you got
accepted. I just wanted to say
congratulations.”
She picked up a bottle of wine and started
pouring it into a glass.
“We’ve had so many misunderstandings
growing un I’ve done a lot of things wrong
<
want to say I’m sorry.”
I sat down across from Sarah.
The house smelled delicious, but the smell of
blood was stronger.
The kitchen door was closed. Bill was
probably dead.
Sarah pushed the wine towards me and
raised her glass.
“Let’s make up, Sis.”
I looked at the red wine, like blood. “We
can’t.”
She was shocked.
When she looked behind me, I turned and saw
Mom hiding something behind her back.
“You were going to knock me out, weren’t
you?”
L
I kept going.
“Knock me out, frame me for killing Bill, let
me go to jail, and let her go to graduate
school, right?”
Mom looked scared.
When Sarah lunged at me, I pulled out the
stun gun.
When Sarah fell to the floor, Mom dropped
something, too.
It was a trophy.
It was a trophy Sarah and I won when we
were in preschool.
I thought it had been thrown away.
The police sirens started blaring outside.
Mom couldn’t believe it. “You knew…”
“Did you ever love me, Mom?”
The trophy hit the ground
Mom couldn’t take it anymore and burst out
crying. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ashley…”
I stared at her, numb.
After two lives of wondering, I finally knew.
My mom never loved me.
The door got kicked open.
Dad was first.
He rushed to me, checking for injuries.
Just like when I was five.
Mom went to Sarah, and he came to me.
Dad did love me.
Sarah was awake when they took her away.
She screamed, “Why is she always better than
me?! She always gets everything! Why can’t I
ever win?”
“Because I work for it,” I said softly.
Whether it was last time, or this time.
I had done it all myself.
I worked hard. I stayed alive. I saved myself.
Mom said sorry again when the police led her
away.
I didn’t look at her.
I didn’t need her apology.
Bill had made it to the hospital.
Dad and I were taken to the police station for
questioning.
I told Lynn to call the police for me.
Dad had run off the plane and called the
police.
They thought he was acting crazy.
Dad insisted he was telepathic and knew I
was in danger.
He annoyed the police until they let us do
<
Mom had confessed to everything.
Everything made it clear that we didn’t do it.
“Dad, how did you know?”
“Telepathy,” Dad said. “I told you. I’d keep
you safe.”
I looked at the moon.
I looked at Dad’s gray hair.
Dad had kept me safe.
Dad Extra Story
When Jiang Yuan called to divorce, I was on a
business trip.
She insisted we always fought.
The twins needed to go to school.
Our expenses needed to be paid.
After talking with a partner, I headed towards
the airport so that I could get home to Jiang
Yuan and talk.
As I was rushing towards the phone, the
traffic in front of me stopped moving.
“Dad, it’s okay. Sarah just really wants my
doll, even though it’s your gift…”
When I woke up, I found myself at home.
However, the house was empty, with neither
Jiang Yuan or the twins.
I waited a long time to see them come home.
They were all crying and had a black arm
band.
I wanted to ask who had hurt them.
When I realized they couldn’t see me, |
realized that the black arm band was for me.
I died in the car crash, but my soul stayed at
home.
I saw the twins growing up.
I was staying with them even though they
could never see me again.
L
Slowly, I began noticing a few details.
Jiang Yuan liked Sarah more than Ashley.
Her bias had gotten even worse after my
death.
I could see Sarah was hurting Ashley, and
Jiang Yuan and our family were blaming
Ashley.
I didn’t feel right.
Ashley and Sarah were my daughters, and my
heart would ache if either of them were going
through it.
At first, I told myself that maybe Sarah was
being a little childish.
However, she just continued to get worse.
I discovered that Sarah was innately evil.
I wanted to stop them from hurting Ashley.
As Jiang Yuan was running out of the kitchen,
she ran towards me and said, “Go see your
daughters! They are fighting again!”
I reached out and grabbed the doorknob.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ashley falling over on the floor.
As Jiang Yuan was running to Sarah.
I rushed to Ashley.
