Chapter 5

"Of course. You're our little sister, after all," Chase chimed in.

My three brothers tricked me into going down to the basement, then locked me inside.

Chase tossed me a phone.

"The very first contact is Mom's number. You can come out once you manage to call her," he said. "That's what you get for stealing."

I ran my fingers over the phone and woke up the screen.

Dad had tried calling Mom before, but he never got through to her.

Maybe her number had already stopped working.

But I kept dialing, again and again.

The screen lit up, then faded to black, over and over.

Finally, someone picked up.

"I told you I'm not coming back. Don't call me again," a familiar voice said.

When I heard her voice, my eyes instantly filled with tears. "Mom..."

"Mom, it's me, Angela. Mom..." I called out, my voice shaking, desperate for her to answer.

I kept calling out to her, but she didn't say a word. Worried she'd hang up before I could explain, I blurted out everything all at once.

"I should've been good and waited for you, Mom. I shouldn't have run off chasing butterflies," I said, my voice trembling.

My stomach kept hurting worse and worse, and every breath I took felt so hot it made my head hurt.

"Mom, my stomach hurts, and my whole body aches. My brothers miss you too. When are you coming back?" I asked her, my voice soft and careful.

I could hear her quietly crying on the other end.

"I'm not coming back," she said. "Your dad will take care of you. Next time, don't pretend you're sick just to get me to come back, okay? Nobody likes a kid who lies."

Mom's voice was so familiar, and she didn't hang up on me right away.

I quickly sat up straight. "I didn't lie! But my brothers don't like me. Dad even called me a thief.

"Mom, I've learned to be good now. I won't chase butterflies anymore, and I'll always listen to you. Can you take Angela with you?" I pleaded, my voice full of hope.

Her voice suddenly got sharp. "I told you, I'm not coming back. Tell Gilbert to stop wasting his time."

I didn't get it. "But Mom, I'm really hungry. Chase won't let me out. Angela's gonna end up like a little hamster, buried underground."

Her voice turned sharp—she was definitely mad. "I told you, I'm not taking you back. Call your dad.

"And it's not because you chased butterflies that I don't want you. I just don't want you. I don't want any of you anymore! Got it?" she snapped.

Mom doesn't want me?

So it's true... Mom really doesn't want me anymore.

My hand fell limply to my side, and I didn't even notice when the phone screen finally went dark.

The last bit of light faded away, vanishing right in front of my eyes.

It's not that I wasn't good. I've changed. I'm good now. But Mom's never coming back. None of them ever told me the truth.

They tricked me.

My cries echoed through the basement, filling the whole place.

After all that crying, I was totally wiped out, not a drop of strength left in me.

My throat hurt so bad, and I just passed out on the floor, falling asleep right there.

My head was a total wreck, even worse than when Mom went ballistic and wrecked the whole bedroom.

Images of my brothers flashed through my mind—they loved messing with me, loved seeing me scared and crying. They'd just stand off to the side, clapping and mocking me.

Then it was Mom, just standing behind me, watching me chase butterflies, and then turning and walking away in the opposite direction.

Then Dad, smacking me so hard I hit the floor, his eyes icy and full of hate.

And then Mom's voice, blaring in my ears, getting louder and louder, like someone had cranked up the volume to max. "It's not because you weren't good. I just don't want you anymore, got it?"

I jolted awake, crying in fear.

When I opened my eyes, I was still in the basement.

It was so dark I couldn't even see my own hand.

I was so hungry I couldn't even crawl.

I reached out, hoping to grab onto something, but all I felt were bare walls. Nothing was within reach.

Guess I really am the kid everyone hates, the one nobody wants around.

Just like that scruffy little black hamster, always getting picked on by the other hamsters in the cage and always ending up cowering in the corner, all by myself.

And when my body finally went stiff, the teacher would just dig a little grave and cover me up.

There was something thumping in my tiny chest, like it wanted to escape right out of me.

The faint light in the basement slowly drained out of my eyes, slipping away bit by bit.

This time, I finally didn't hurt anymore.