Chapter 1
After my parents' real daughter came back home, I got beaten up for the ninety-ninth time.
I fought back and argued like I always did, but my parents didn't feel sorry for me anymore.
They tossed me into a trash can in the back alley, telling me to reflect on myself.
"I swear I'm innocent, Mom," I pleaded.
Curled up in the pitch-black alley, I prayed with all my heart that Mom would cool off and come get me.
Suddenly, a pair of huge dark hands yanked me out of the trash.
After a night filled with pain and utter despair, my mind went completely blank. I couldn't remember a thing.
I sewed up my broken body as best I could and stumbled back home.
Mom had spent the whole night searching for me, but when she saw me, her gaze was awkward and uneasy.
Mom said, "Sophie blamed you for something you didn't do, and I had a word with her.
"Just let it go, okay?
"From now on, we'll all get along and live together as a family."
I didn't say a word.
Because... Mom, I had no future anymore.
*****
Mom said, "Emily, don't throw a tantrum. Sophie's just a kid. She didn't do it on purpose.
"I lost my temper, too, but honestly, you've been picking on her way too much lately."
As Mom kept talking, her temper started to flare.
She didn't even notice the blood on me. She just stared into my lifeless eyes, as if something suddenly occurred to her.
She let out a sigh. "It's my fault. Will you forgive me?"
Her voice grew gentle. It had been ages since I'd heard her sound so soft and kind.
My neck felt stiff as I turned to face her, and I saw exhaustion, guilt, and a hint of pain in her eyes.
Mom grabbed my cold little hands.
She said, "Your hands are freezing. Were you out in the cold?
"Let me help you get cleaned up, okay?"
As she spoke, she started to undress me, but I instinctively shrank back, stiff as a board.
I couldn't let Mom see all the bruises and cuts on me.
I didn't know why that thought popped into my head, but I just shook my head and headed for the bathroom on my own.
The warm water washed over me, and for the first time in ages, I actually felt warm and safe.
Suddenly, a pair of hands forced my head down into the water, pressing hard and not letting go.
As I struggled desperately, it hit me: strangely enough, I wasn't choking or gasping for air at all.
But when that bratty little hand grabbed at me, I couldn't help but flinch.
On reflex, I swung my hand and slapped Sophie right across the face.
"Mom, Mom! Emily hit me! She hit me again!" Sophie wailed.
Sophie was sitting on the floor, soaked from head to toe, with a bright red handprint standing out on her cheek.
Mom rushed in, gave me a sharp look, but then seemed to remember something and turned to Sophie with a frown, questioning her.
"Sophie, why are you messing with your sister again?" Mom demanded.
It was the first time Mom had ever called Sophie out like this. Before, whenever Sophie blamed me, Mom would always take her side.
Sophie said, "Mom, I just wanted to see why Emily was taking so long in the bathroom.
"And then she hit me!
"I might as well just go back to the orphanage. You only love Emily.
"Every time Emily bullies me, Mom and Dad always take her side.
"It's not like I wanted to get lost. What did I ever do wrong?
"Emily got twelve years of Mom and Dad's love. What about me? What about me?"
Sophie's tantrum made Dad come over. Dad, who was always the silent type, didn't take her side for once, which was pretty rare.
"That's unusual," I murmured, just as a sharp pain stabbed through my neck.
Mom and Dad stared at the weird mark on my neck, frowning as they turned to Sophie.
They said, "Sophie, are you picking on Emily again?
"Look at her neck.
"Last time you lied about Emily sticking needles in your clothes, and now you're making things up again?"
For the first time, Sophie was actually wronged by Mom and Dad. Her eyes went wide in disbelief, and her chubby little face twisted with a kind of anger way too grown-up for her age.
She let out a huff and slammed the door behind her.
Mom and Dad just stood there, looking awkward as they glanced at me. After a long, uncomfortable silence, they finally spoke up.
Dad said, "Emily, I've realized that Sophie has always singled you out.
"You kept trying to tell us, but we never listened. But now I've found plenty of proof.
"We blamed you for things you didn't do. I'm really sorry."
Mom stayed silent for a long while, then knelt down beside me and looked into my eyes.
She said, "Emily, you and Sophie are both our children. I've been thinking about this a lot.
"I promise I won't make assumptions about you anymore.
"Please don't be upset with me, okay? After all, I've watched you grow up since you were little."
Mom's voice was hoarse, and Dad lowered his head, blinking back tears.
It seemed like they finally got how much I'd suffered all this time.
Yeah, kids raised by them wouldn't just go around hurting people.
"We were wrong," Dad and Mom admitted.
My heart, which had stopped beating, ached all over at the sound of Mom's raspy voice.
Mom said, "Let's live together as a real family from now on.
"Is that okay, Emily?"
Mom looked at me hopefully, but I just lowered my head and pulled my clothes tighter around me, making sure the sewn-up wounds stayed hidden.
Man, my heart just hurt so bad. Why did I have to be the unlucky one?
How could I die one day before my happiness arrived?