Chapter 1

In my old life, my eight-year-old sister, Lauren Nicholson, was bitten by a snake.

I found her and tied her foot with a shoelace, then carried her to the field where our father and grandmother were working.

My Grandmother, thinking I was moving too slowly on purpose, slapped me.

She ordered Father to suck the poison from Lauren's wound, and I tried desperately to stop him.

I succeeded in preventing it, but it was too late to get Lauren to town. Her nerves were permanently damaged, leaving her with severe aftereffects.

I had saved their lives, yet the family despised me. They broke my legs, tied my hands and feet, and left me on the mountain.

Eventually, a venomous snake ended my life.

Then I opened my eyes. I was back on the day Lauren was bitten.

This time, armed with the bitter lessons of my previous life, I ignored the textbook remedies.

Grandmother still shouted, "Hurry! Suck the poison out with your mouth!"

*****

I watched my sister, Lauren Nicholson, hunting for cicadas in the thick weeds.

I stood on the edge of the field, my nails digging hard into my palms.

My knees could bend, my ankles were steady beneath me, and that was when it hit me: I'd been reborn.

Off in the distance, I could hear the muffled thud of hoes striking dirt. Grandma and Dad were heads down, hard at work.

I turned my gaze back to Lauren, my tone cold. "Lauren, looks like there's a big cicada over there, but it's really overgrown. There might be snakes, so don't go over there."

My name's Zara Nicholson. All my folks ever wanted was a boy, but when the second baby came, it was just another girl, me.

When Lauren was born, the local mystic took one look at her and declared she'd grow up to be a real beauty, destined for riches and glory. From that moment on, everything about my place in the family changed.

We were both girls, but Lauren was their precious little princess, while I was just the wild kid they could yell at or smack around whenever they felt like it.

Lauren was spoiled rotten by the whole family. She was always chasing after fun and snacks, acting like a little tyrant. She'd go against me just for the sake of it, and the moment I said anything, she'd dive headfirst into the weeds.

I smirked coldly. If she wouldn't listen to me, then let her get bitten by a snake. This time, I wasn't going to lift a finger to stop her.

I ignored her. My head was turned her way, but my gaze was elsewhere.

Other than hitting the books, all I ever did was work around the house and look after Lauren, making sure she didn't get into trouble.

To them, I was nothing but Lauren's slave. Sometimes, even just breathing felt like a crime.

If they ever caught me not keeping an eye on Lauren, they'd yank my ear and scream at me.

Before long, Lauren scrambled out of the weeds, baring her teeth in a furious scowl, her dirty face twisted with anger.

I ignored her completely.

"Go kill that snake in there!" she barked.

She lifted her chin and pointed at the weeds, ordering me around like I was her servant.

I stared straight at her dusty ankle, where two tiny puncture marks were seeping beads of blood.

I paused for a few seconds.

"Lauren, did you get bitten by a snake?" I asked.

"Go get revenge for me!" she barked.

That was just Lauren. Whenever she lost, she'd whine and boss me around, never once seeing me as her big sister.

I put on my most worried face and said, "No way, Lauren! You could seriously die! We need Dad to take you to the doctor, now!"

Lauren pushed me aside, stormed off toward Dad and Grandma.

I stood up and paused to think for a moment.

Running around like that would only make the venom spread faster, and she'd start showing symptoms even quicker.

In my previous life, I held Lauren still and tied a shoelace around her leg as a makeshift tourniquet. Then I carried her on my back, calling out for Dad and Grandma as I walked.

I was so skinny, and she was so heavy. Every step was a challenge.

Lauren, still angry, yanked my hair to get back at me.

I gritted my teeth through the pain, never loosening my grip for a second, and finally managed to bring her to Dad and Grandma.

But all I got in return was a barrage of yelling and Lauren ratting me out.

Snapping back to reality, I dashed after her.

Lauren was bawling, and I chased after her, yelling at the top of my lungs.

"Dad! Grandma! Lauren got bitten by a snake!" I screamed.

"Lauren got bitten by a snake!" I kept shouting.

The louder I shouted, the louder Lauren would scream, just trying to drown me out.

"You brat! Are you bullying your sister again?" Grandma snapped.

As soon as Grandma saw me chasing after Lauren, the first thing that popped into her head was that I was picking on her again.

Lauren threw herself into Grandma's arms, bawling her eyes out.

"Grandma, Zara's bullying me! She even tried to hit me!" Lauren wailed.

Hearing Lauren lying and tattling on me, I slowed down, shooting a cautious look at Grandma.

Sure enough, her face was as dark as a thundercloud, eyes sharp as knives. She stormed over, grabbed a chunk of flesh at my waist and twisted hard, spitting out curses at me, each word hitting like a slap.

"You useless girl! Our Nicholson family feeds you and gives you everything, and this is how you act as a big sister?" Grandma snapped.

I instinctively curled up, trying to dodge away. "Grandma, I didn't..."

"You little brat, got the nerve to talk back? If you were even half as well-behaved as Lauren, I wouldn't be this pissed off!" Grandma snapped.