Chapter 3
The therapist relayed every single word I said to my parents, word for word.
Her final diagnosis was that I wasn't sick.
I was just taking drastic measures to protect myself and retaliate against the world.
My mental state was like a wire pulled so tight that the slightest pressure could make it snap.
Being obsessed with dying was the only way I could keep myself safe.
After hearing the diagnosis, Mom locked herself in her room for the whole day.
Dad just kept smoking one cigarette after another.
But Michael still thought I was just putting on an act, trying to get everyone's sympathy.
"Briana is just acting.
"Don't let her fool you. She just wants to kick Evelyn out," Michael snapped.
Evelyn cowered behind Michael, peeking at me with those timid eyes, though I could still catch that little glint of satisfaction hiding in them.
"Mom, Dad, don't worry.
"I'll get along with Briana and help her heal from all this," Evelyn said.
She probably thought that as long as Michael was on her side, nothing could touch her.
The atmosphere at home was getting more and more suffocating.
To ease the tension at home, Mom and Dad decided to send me to the same elite school as Evelyn and Michael.
They were so naive, thinking that if they just let me join a normal crowd of kids my age, maybe things would magically get better.
Evelyn was the first to protest.
Her eyes popped open, and she shrieked.
She said, "I don't want to be at the same school as her. The other kids will make fun of me."
It was the first time Dad ever spoke to her so harshly.
"This is not negotiable," he said.
Evelyn ran back to her room in a huff.
But I knew she wasn't going to give up that easily.
On my very first day, all eyes were on me.
Word had already gotten around.
The Carter family's real daughter was just some crazy girl fresh out of the mental hospital.
Evelyn was always surrounded by a crowd, everyone fussing over her, while they pointed and whispered about me right in front of her.
"Evelyn, your sister looks so strange. She's got this spooky expression on her face," one whispered.
"I heard she tried to gas the whole family and take everyone out with her. Isn't that just insane?" another chimed in.
"You'd better be careful. She might hurt you," a third voice added.
Evelyn looked like she might cry any second, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"Don't say that about her. Briana is just sick," Evelyn said.
The more she tried to stand up for me, the more everyone got creeped out. That just made it easier for them to leave me out.
No one bothered to talk to me. They drew boundaries with chalk on my desk, poured ink all over my books. I didn't care about it.
Honestly, this was child's play compared to what I survived in the orphanage.
During PE class, the teacher let everyone do their own thing.
The PE captain told me to head to the equipment room and grab a basketball.
But as soon as I walked in, the door locked with a sharp click behind me.
The room was instantly swallowed by darkness.
Outside, I could hear Evelyn and her friends giggling and snickering.
"That psycho should've stayed locked up. Who thought it was a good idea to let her out?" someone blurted out.
"Evelyn, do you think she'll freak out in there and start gnawing on herself?" another whispered.
"Maybe. Why don't you crack the door and check?" another chimed in.
"No way," Evelyn said.
There were still forty minutes left before the bell. All I had to do was sit here and wait.
The darkness and tight space gave me a rare sense of comfort, almost like an old friend I hadn't seen in forever.
My eyelids grew heavy, and I found myself getting sleepy.
After what felt like forever, an impatient voice called out from outside. "Hey, Briana. Are you dead in there or what?
"If you're still alive, make a noise or something."
I didn't even bother to answer.
After a while, that voice piped up again, sounding a little nervous.
"Why's she so quiet? Did something actually happen in there?
"Relax, even if she croaks, I'll still be the one taking care of Mom and Dad," Evelyn scoffed.
"Let her figure it out. If she wants out, she can bang on the door herself. Come on, let's bail," Evelyn said.
The footsteps slowly faded into the distance.
I closed my eyes, settling in for a real nap.
Suddenly, a harsh, acrid smell started to seep into the room.
It was cigarette smoke.