Chapter 1
My mother, Mabel Voss, had her favorite scare tactic.
In our family, she'd always make an example out of me.
My only value was bleeding and crying, warning Tyler Voss, her precious son, to behave.
When he broke a vase, I'd be the one kneeling and picking up the shards, letting the porcelain scratch my fingertips.
When he stole something, Mabel would smile and pawn me off to the shopkeeper, so she wouldn't have to pay a single cent.
She thought I was in another hell, but that small store with its warm yellow lights ended up being the starting point for all the warmth of the rest of my life.
Many years later, when the mess they made by spoiling Tyler finally blew up in their faces, they showed up, desperate and in tears, going on and on about "family and love."
I looked at them as if they were strangers.
I said calmly, "Sorry. I paid back everything I owed you during my childhood.
"As for what you owe me, I don't want it anymore. Just take it as... A silent goodbye."
My name was Nora Voss.
Mabel hoped that I'd always know where I belonged.
And my duty? To be a living warning sign for Tyler.
That afternoon, the heat pressed in like I was trapped inside a steamer, no escape.
In the living room, there was a crisp sound, which exploded in my ears like thunder.
I froze, my hand suspended in mid-air, the dish still in my grip.
I didn't even need to look. I knew the priciest porcelain vase was broken.
And only Tyler would dare mess with it.
I took a deep breath, dried my hands, and walked numbly out of the kitchen.
In the living room, blue and white porcelain splashed all over the floor, like a broken flower.
Tyler, my six-year-old brother, was hiding behind Mabel, with only a small head poking out.
There was no fear of trouble in his bright black eyes. Instead, they sparkled with smug glee, like he was enjoying the show.
Mabel's face was dark with anger. She wasn't looking at Tyler, but at me.
Her eyes were like a cold knife, digging deep into my skin.
She snapped, "Nora, are you dead or something? Didn't you hear anything?"
I was used to it.
In this home, everything was my fault.
I walked silently to the pile of shards and knelt without a word.
"Pick them up by hand. Every single piece," Mabel ordered coldly from above, not a hint of warmth.
I held out my trembling hand and began to pick up the sharp pieces.
The slightest touch sent a jolt of pain through my fingers.
A drop of bright red blood welled up, dripped onto the cold floor, and bloomed into a small, dark red stain.
It hurt, but I didn't dare to cry or even frown.
Because I knew that this whole act wasn't about me.
Mabel grabbed Tyler's arm and pulled him in front of me.
Pointing at my bleeding hand, she said word by word, "Tyler, look carefully! Do you know how expensive this vase is?
"If you dare to break anything at home, I'll break her legs! "
This was Mabel's way of teaching a lesson, which was to punish me for scaring Tyler straight.
I was destined to be slaughtered, to bleed, and to be shown as a warning.
On the other hand, Tyler was a pampered kid.
All he had to do was stand by and watch me suffer, and he would be "educated."
Tyler nodded, half-understanding, then he looked at me and grinned. That was both a naive and vicious smile.
My dad, Clifford Voss, sat in the corner of the couch, like a silent statue.
He just lowered his head, chain-smoking, the thick smoke curling around his face, hiding whatever he was feeling.
He could see everything, but never said a word.
His silence was colder than Mabel's cruelty, making it all feel even more hopeless.
In the air, there is an oppressive silence, and the faint smell of blood on my fingertips.
Finally, I picked up all the pieces and wrapped them in paper.
My hands were a mess of cuts, some deep, some barely there.
Mabel didn't even look at me.
She rummaged through the coffee table drawer and threw me a Band-Aid.
She snapped, "Put it on. Don't drip your blood everywhere. It's dirty!"
She paused. What she said next would be etched into my bones for the next twenty years.
She added, "Nora, remember your role. You were born to be the living warning sign for Tyler."
My role was Tyler's warning sign.