Chapter 2
Ever since Mom found out that Sophia was the real daughter of the Foster family, everything changed.
The whole family took all the love they had for me and poured it onto Sophia, giving her even more than they'd ever given me.
But I was left behind, trapped in a cage of doubt, unable to sleep for countless nights.
I looked so much like my mom and dad.
So why wasn't I really their daughter?
I'd tortured myself with that question for years.
Even now, after dying and becoming just a wandering soul, I still didn't have an answer.
The flickering lights in the distance pulled me back to myself. I looked down at my own broken body, a bloody, shattered mess.
I couldn't help worrying I'd scare whoever came to rescue me.
As for the bear, it was long gone after filling its belly, nowhere to be seen now.
The closer the rescue team came, the heavier the mood got.
The young man leading the group took one look at what was left of my body and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Damn, still too late. She sounded so young on the phone, probably just in the bloom of her youth. How could it end like this?" he muttered.
The others sighed as well, their faces filled with sympathy and sorrow for the girl whose life had been lost.
"The zoo seriously needs to beef up its safety rules and teach visitors better, too," one of the rescue teams complained.
The rest of the team nodded hard.
I couldn't help but force a bitter smile.
Sure, the bear killed me, but that was just how it ended.
Really, it all went back to my so-called family.
Sophia was the one who insisted our whole family go to the wildlife park. She basically made sure we all tagged along.
It was her again, wanting to stay and play until evening before leaving. She got impatient waiting for Andrew to bring the car around to the resting area and made me go with her into the woods to find a bathroom.
I knew that part of the park was dangerous, full of wild animals, so I tried to warn her.
But at home, my opinion never mattered.
With Mom coaxing me, Dad shooting me that cold stare, and Andrew barking out orders, I had no choice. I ended up following Sophia deeper into the forest, just like always, powerless to do anything else.
Sophia wanted to push even further in, but I stood my ground and refused to go any deeper. Finally, she seemed to lose interest and let it go.
As I watched her disappear into the trees on her own, I still couldn't help but worry about her.
I had no idea that she'd already taken another path back to the main road, jumped into the car, and just left while I was still out there, clueless and alone.
*****
Every single one of them had a hand in my death.
But I just couldn't bring myself to truly blame them.
After all, I was the one who took Sophia's place as the Foster family's daughter, leaving her to struggle alone for eleven long years.
I shouldn't even hate them.
I was the one foolish enough not to see my real place, always wishing Mom, Dad, and Andrew would love me as their own.
That self-blame was burned so deeply into me, I couldn't ever escape it.
No one ever let me forget it. They'd always tell me I should be grateful, every damn day for the rest of my life.
My so-called family.
I wondered if my death would finally make you happy.
When I finally snapped out of it, the bear had already been put down with a tranquilizer and locked away in a custom steel cage.
My remains were placed on a stretcher, neat and clinical.
The bloody mess was almost cleaned up. At least on the surface, everything looked a whole lot tidier.
But the wounds I'd suffered were still there. No matter how much they tried to cover it up, the scars would never really fade away.
I followed the rescue team to the zoo's emergency station.
One of the staff picked up my phone, getting ready to call my family and break the news.
But with so many of my fingers gone, even after they wiped them clean, none of them could unlock the phone.
So, the rescue team started cleaning up the intact parts of my face, hoping to identify me among the guests who'd visited the zoo that day.
Just then, my phone suddenly started ringing. Everyone looked up, searching for the source of the sound.
Mom was calling. Her name lit up on the screen.
The call connected, and Mom's voice came through. "Emily, why aren't you home yet? It's so late."
Listening to her, my eyes burned with emotion.
In this family, at least Mom was the only one who ever really cared, unlike Dad, who was always so distant.
The staff member picked up, his voice low and serious as he spoke.
"Hello, this is a staff member from the zoo. I'm very sorry to tell you this, but your daughter accidentally entered the wild animal enclosure and was attacked by a bear. She didn't survive. Please accept our sincere condolences.
"Please know that the zoo will absolutely take responsibility for what happened," he said, trying to reassure her.