Chapter 1
On the second day after my parents and younger brother's family moved into my newly purchased apartment, a ferocious heat wave descended.
That night, my brother, Jackson Harris, and my sister-in-law, Irene Harris, took over my master bedroom, saying it was way too hot everywhere else.
My bully nephew, Lucas, snatched the second bedroom I had carefully designed.
My parents, Paul and Daisy Harris, moved into the living room and took my tiny fan.
They kicked me out to the balcony, where there wasn't a single trace of cool air.
More and more people were dropping dead from the heat outside, and everyone just knew better than to step out the door.
But Irene used the excuse that we were running out of food to force me to go out and buy groceries.
I was kicked out of the house and ended up cooked alive out there in the heat.
When I time-traveled to the moment that my mother asked if my brother's family could stay in my new place for a while, I agreed without hesitation.
This time, I would sit back in the cool comfort of my apartment, enjoy my favorite food, and watch them walk straight into the furnace.
*****
The news blared from the TV, "Today's high is 107 degrees Fahrenheit, and there will be frequent heat waves in the coming week.
"Everyone, please stay cool and try not to go outside too much."
As I watched, a chill ran down my spine.
A thirst that seemed to reach my very bones washed over me, and I found myself downing one glass of cold water after another until I just couldn't drink anymore.
That bone-deep thirst and the pounding in my chest finally started to subside.
Right then, my phone suddenly rang, so I answered it.
My mother's wailing came through the speaker.
She said, "Clarissa, your brother got scammed in business, and now he is in a lot of debt.
"A bunch of people showed up at our place, demanding we pay up.
"They're so scary. They said if we don't pay, they'll break Jackson's legs.
"Clarissa, your new house is all done, right? Can you give us the address so Jackson can hide out there for a few days?"
Daisy's words left me in a daze.
In my previous life, I had been through this already.
She had called me, crying, saying Jackson was being hounded by debt collectors and wanted to hide out at my new place for a while.
It had been ages since I last talked to them.
I didn't even tell them I'd bought a house.
That was because my parents always played favorites.
Growing up, everything in the house belonged to Jackson, except for the chores. Those were all mine.
When I got into a top school far from home, they were so worried there'd be no one left to do Jackson's laundry.
So, they made a big scene at the school, and I ended up getting expelled.
After I started working, they tricked me out of all my money just to buy Jackson a new car and a new house.
Meanwhile, I was stuck sharing a bedroom with someone else, living on bread every day at home.
One time, I ended up in the hospital with appendicitis, and I was short 700 dollars for the surgery.
I called Daisy, barely holding back the pain, to ask for help, but all I got was a barrage of insults and accusations.
They asked why I'd been working for years and couldn't even scrape together 700 dollars. They also accused me of trying to scam them out of their retirement money.
They even said I might as well just drop dead if I was that useless.
In the end, a coworker, unable to watch me suffer, ended up fronting the money for my surgery.
I was completely heartbroken, so I cut them off for good and never contacted them again.
Then, out of nowhere, they somehow found out I'd bought a house.
Daisy called me up, sobbing about how Jackson had gotten himself into trouble and needed to crash at my place for a few days to hide from the debt collectors.
I wasn't keen on the idea at first.
But when I saw the photos of Jackson with his leg broken by the debt collectors, I couldn't help but soften.
Little did I know, it was just another lie they'd spun to get to me.
Jackson's leg wasn't broken at all, and he wasn't the only one who showed up. Paul, Daisy, Irene, and even my nephew Lucas all came along.
They took over my house, devoured all the food I'd stocked up.
Then they threw me out, leaving me to roast alive in the deadly heat.
I still remember how parched and overheated I was.
I was kneeling at the front door, begging them to let me back on account of the times I'd been good to them.
All I got in return was their cold, mocking laughter.
Jackson sneered, "Good to me? Please. This is what a worthless burden like you is supposed to do.
"Mom and Dad always said that what's yours is mine."
Paul just grunted, "I really regret not marrying you off sooner for some benefits in exchange. We're really losing out now."
Irene laughed, "It's not a total loss. Once she's dead, this house will be ours.
"Clarissa, just hurry up and die already."
*****
As their mocking laughter echoed around me, I closed my eyes, unwilling to accept my fate.
As I recalled it, the desperate, dying thirst surged up my throat again, making it feel like it was burning from the inside out.
I hurriedly downed another glass of water—only then did I finally start to feel better.