Chapter 2

Mollie arched her brows in smug satisfaction. "There was no brat at all. The real trouble is a factory fire. With such a small crew, there's no way you'll save the day. Guess your time as fire chief is about to run out."

"Oh man, you're way too easy! Fell for my prank again, didn't you?" she teased, laughing.

Just then, Cedric happened to walk by after work. Hearing what Mollie said, he flashed her a fond smile. "Mollie, you're still so full of mischief, just like a kid who never wants to grow up."

Phoebe stared coldly at the two, who were laughing together like they shared some secret.

Phoebe snapped, "So, to you, people's lives are just a joke?"

What Mollie called a "prank" was actually a nightmare that had haunted me since childhood.

When I was little, money went missing at home. Mollie just said, "Phoebe, that new toy you bought yesterday looks so cool," and my parents immediately decided I was the thief.

That night, I was beaten until my face was swollen and bruised, then forced to kneel on the cold floor all night without sleep.

The next day, Mollie flaunted a pretty bracelet in front of me, grinning. "Phoebe, I took the money. Wasn't my prank hilarious?"

Then, on the day of the college entrance exam, she ripped up my exam permit.

"Phoebe, you look hilarious when you're mad! It's not like it matters, just do a repeat year and take the test again," Mollie snickered.

Seeing her smirking like that, I was so furious that I wanted to haul her straight to the police.

But my parents burst in and knocked me to the floor with a hard kick.

"Mollie was just messing with you! Did you really have to be so cruel?" they yelled.

They kept me trapped at home and cut me off from everyone outside.

They didn't even look back, and they just took Mollie out of town for a little vacation to help her 'relax.'

After that day, I lost all hope in my family.

After grinding through a year of relentless repetition, I finally made it to university and became a firefighter.

Being a woman, I was at a physical disadvantage, so I pushed myself to the limit, day and night. Whenever the alarm sounded, I was always the first out the door. My scars kept piling up, but slowly, people started to believe in me.

And finally, just six months ago, I became the first woman ever to lead our squad since it was founded.

Mollie was absolutely green with envy.

She only managed to get into some no-name community college, and it was only thanks to my parents pulling every string they could that she landed a job as a 911 dispatcher.

So when I finally got some time off and went back home, that's when it all started.

Rumors about me were flying all over the neighborhood, none of them flattering.

At a family get-together, Mollie smirked and pointed at my old scars. "Wow, calling the shots among all those guys, Phoebe. You must be totally worn out.

She snickered, "Poor man. Bet her boyfriend is in for a world of trouble."

Mollie just waved it off. "Oh please, I'm only messing around. Don't tell me you can't handle a little joke!"

"Phoebe, what's your problem? It was just a joke! I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, so why are you freaking out at me?" Mollie snapped back, rolling her eyes.

Mollie's eyes went red, looking like the most pitiful victim in the world. "Cedric, you have to help me. Please, stand up for me."

She spun around and dove into Cedric's arms, tears streaming down her face as she put on her best damsel-in-distress act.

Cedric's heart went out to her as soon as he saw her like that.

"That's enough, Phoebe," he snapped.

He wrapped Mollie up in his arms, standing up for her. "Mollie didn't do it on purpose! She's so sensitive, you really freaked her out. Look, she's crying now..."

I cut him off coldly, "Shut up!

"I'm dealing with my own sister. What the hell does it have to do with you?"

Cedric frowned, clearly annoyed. "You've already sent your crew out to deal with the fire. Nothing serious happened, so what's the point of getting all worked up?"

He added, "Firefighters face life and death every single day. It's no wonder people get stressed out. If it weren't for Mollie cracking jokes all the time, things would be way more dull. If anything, you owe her a thank you!"

Even ten years of brain fog wouldn't make someone spout crap like that.

I felt my chest tighten with fury. I was this close to cussing him out right then and there.

Right now, saving lives was the only thing that mattered.

I rallied the rest of the crew, and together we rushed to the scene.

But Mollie insisted on coming along, no matter what.

She thought her prank had finally gotten me into trouble, and she was loving every second of it.

She couldn't wipe that smug grin off her face the whole way there.

She even took every chance to stir things up along the way.

"You boys are working so hard. Blame Phoebe. She just loves to make a fuss and boss you around like you're nothing but workhorses," Mollie said sweetly.

Most of the firefighters I'd called in had just come from battling another blaze.

They were all completely wiped out, exhaustion written all over their faces.

All they wanted was to crash and get some real sleep.

With Mollie stirring the pot like that, even if nobody said a word, resentment was brewing beneath the surface.

The air was thick with tension.

Seeing everyone so tense, Mollie's smirk got even bigger. She looked more pleased with herself than ever.

But as soon as we got there, Mollie's smug grin vanished. Her face went pale in a flash.

The fire was pretty much out, and everyone had already been saved.

The teammates I'd lost in my last life were all standing there, safe and sound, right in front of me.

I was flooded with emotion, barely able to steady myself. After I gave the command for the rest of the crew to join the rescue operation, Mollie, who'd been keeping quiet until now, finally snapped.

"No way... How could this happen?" she cried out, stunned.