Chapter 3
That question kept bothering me for a long time, but at six years old, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't understand it.
All I knew was, from that day on, my life became pure hell.
From then on, Martha stopped pretending to be nice.
She beat me, yelled at me, and treated me like I was nothing.
This house was no longer my home.
To her, I wasn't even a real person.
She moved her whole family into the house.
She and her big, loud husband took over my parents' bedroom.
Her son just waltzed right into Sophie's bedroom like he owned the place.
Her daughter shot a look of pure disdain at my cramped, run-down little room and banished me to the basement.
It was not like I never thought about telling my parents about this.
But how could I? I didn't even have my parents' phone number.
The only person in this house who had any way to reach them was Lillia.
On the last day of every quarter, she'd pick a day when Sophie didn't have class.
Then she'd call Mom and Dad.
She'd tell them I was mostly well-behaved.
Just that I wouldn't eat, and that I was a bit of a picky eater.
And that I didn't care about being clean, and that I never wanted to wear new clothes.
She'd say I was a total weirdo, a loner who never wanted to hang out with anyone, and that I never smiled.
But what really got me was that she kept insisting I was some kind of compulsive liar.
While Martha was on the phone, doing everything she could to smear my name to Mom and Dad, I couldn't get a single word in to defend myself. All the while, I was stuck washing clothes for her bratty daughter, who was only a year younger than me.
If I ever dared to refuse?
She'd poke me over and over, never caring how much I begged her to stop.
She'd spent ages perfecting this twisted method. It was her own special way to make sure I suffered as much as possible.
The pain was unbearable, but she was careful. She never left a single mark anyone could see.
No matter how much it hurt, there was never any evidence left behind.
Even if I tried calling the police or told my teacher, it wouldn't change a thing.
Martha kept badmouthing me nonstop, painting me as the worst kid alive.
Pathetic, wasn't it?
Yeah. Maybe she really was right.
Maybe I really am a picky eater.
But who wouldn't be when the food was always cold leftovers nobody else wanted?
They'd dump those cold, unwanted leftovers into a dirty bowl and shove it onto the floor, forcing me to eat off the ground like I was a dog.
Maybe I never wanted to wear new clothes.
Because Martha ever bought me anything new.
Even when my parents sent her money for clothes, none of it ever went to me.
All I ever wore were her daughter's old, shrunken hand-me-downs.
They didn't even let me shower, just because they thought I would waste water.
I was not the kind of kid who smiled.
But I was just a kid, not even eight, and I was made to shoulder every chore in that house while they treated me as less than human.
How was I supposed to smile?
I felt the tears welling up again.
Martha kept going, trash-talking me without stopping, and I couldn't help but wonder how Mom and Dad would react to all this.
Mom and Dad would never blame me.
They were so smart. There was no way they wouldn't see through that witch's lies.
Even if I was not the smart one.
I was not some evil kid.
No way I could've turned into some wicked brat in just two years since they left.
Mom and Dad were way too smart to fall for her nonsense.
They'd totally stand up for me and get revenge.
They'd kick that witch out and toss her whole freeloading family out of this house.
But... I was so wrong.
When Mom and Dad heard all the so-called bad things I'd supposedly done, they totally lost it.
They tore into me without holding back.
Dad snapped, "Damn it, Emily Lane. It's bad enough you're stupid, but now you're actually turning out to be mean, too."
"You're such an embarrassment to us," he added.
Mom said, "Martha, from now on, Emily's all yours."
"As long as she's alive, don't even bother updating us every quarter. It's just a waste of time that we could be spending with Sophie," she said.