Chapter 2
"I mean, Leo is our only precious son. Why bring up anyone else?" Arthur said.
He picked up a fried egg and put it on Linda's plate. "Eat up. After that, I'll take you shopping for some new clothes."
Linda finally smiled again. "Okay."
She forgot that seven years ago, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
She also forgot that it was Leo who died in the car accident seven years ago.
And I was wiped from the family registry by Arthur. He even got a death certificate for me.
Arthur told everyone that it was Mia who died.
All just so Linda would believe her only "son" was still alive.
Just then, the phone rang.
Arthur walked over and picked it up. It was Emily White, the head teacher.
"Is this Leo's Dad? Leo hasn't been to school for five days. Is he sick?" Emily asked.
Arthur's face stiffened in an instant.
He glanced at Linda, who was sipping her milk, and lowered his voice. "Ms. White, Leo's just been acting up lately. We're keeping him at home to reflect."
"At home?" Emily's voice rose. "Really? But I called your house yesterday. Nobody answered!"
"We took him out for a trip to help him relax. We just got back," Arthur replied.
As he spoke, he guiltily made his way toward the stairs.
He slowly climbed up to the second floor and finally stopped outside the attic door.
I floated right in front of him, separated by just a door, my corpse already starting to rot inside.
Arthur leaned against the door, his voice dropping even lower.
"Ms. White, he's been in a bad mood these past few days. We'll talk to him ourselves," he said.
Hearing that, Emily was silent for a few seconds on the other end.
She said, "Mr. Harlow, I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now.
"Leo's always been pretty quiet at school. And have you ever noticed anything different about his body?
"Do you really think your child is a boy?"
Arthur's breath hitched.
His hand shook as he held the phone.
"Ms. White! What the hell are you saying? Of course, Leo is a boy!" Arthur roared.
"Mr. Harlow, that's not what I meant..." Emily tried to explain.
"Enough!" Arthur said, cutting her off. "Stay out of my family's business!"
Then he slammed the phone down.
I watched him coldly.
He stood at the attic door, leaning back hard against it.
On the door, it was the bloody marks I used all my strength left to make five days ago.
All he had to do was turn around, push open that door, and he'd see me.
I watched him, hoping he'd finally open the door.
"Dad, open the door," I begged him in my mind.
He stood there for so long. Long enough that I almost thought he was going to open it.
But he just took a deep breath and wiped his face.
Then, he turned and went downstairs.
He didn't open the door.
He didn't even spare a glance at the door.
He went back downstairs to keep comforting Linda.
Arthur hung up the phone and stormed back into the living room with anger on his face.
Linda shot him a worried look. "What did Ms. White say? Did Leo get into trouble again?"
"It's nothing," Arthur said, taking a deep breath, forcing down his anger.
"She just said he hasn't been to school. He's got some nerve these days. Now he's even playing hooky."
Linda frowned, her face full of annoyance.
"Teenage boys are always the hardest to deal with. He's probably just acting out. Who knows where he ran," she said.
"He probably went to his grandparents' place to tattle on us. That's all he ever does," she added.
Arthur nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
"He probably took off as soon as we left. He won't go hungry. Once he runs out of cash, he'll come back on his own," Arthur said.
"Just let him be. Let him act out," Linda said.
I floated between them, listening to their conversation. I couldn't help but find it amusing.
They thought I'd just been skipping school for five days.
They thought I'd run away to my grandparents' place.
They never even wondered where I, a twelve-year-old kid with no money, could go.
All they remembered was that I was their "rebellious son."
They forgot that Arthur was the one who locked me up in the attic.
Five days ago, I practically crawled through the front door after school, barely holding myself together.
My chest felt like it was about to rip apart, the chest strap under my uniform cutting deep into my flesh.
Some guys from my class cornered me, making fun of how I walked.
They shouted, "Sissy!"
"Leo, are you a sissy or something?"
Those cruel words hurt me like knives.
I just couldn't take it anymore.
I rushed into the living room, where Linda was sitting on the couch with a face mask on.
"Mom..." I stammered, my voice trembling. "I... I feel so sick."
She peeled up a corner of her mask and gave me an impatient look. "Leo, what's up? Boys aren't supposed to act like this."