Chapter 2

The desiccant packet had fallen out of my sister's snack wrapper.

I remembered it was a bag of candy, colorful and beautiful, and it smelled sweet. It must have tasted delicious.

I had carefully climbed to the edge of the sofa and tugged at my sister's sleeve, begging her to let me taste just one piece.

But Mom stood beside us, looking down at me with a sinister expression.

Then without warning, she slapped my face, her tone so cold it frightened me.

"Quinn, you don't deserve it!"

Neither she nor Dad had the surname Quinn. It was just a name she'd randomly found in a dictionary and thrown at me.

She didn't stop until my face was swollen and blood dripped from the corner of my mouth.

Dad immediately stepped forward, rubbing her hand tenderly.

"Honey, why are you getting upset again? You need to take care of yourself. Don't worry, once Christmas is over, I'll send her away."

I lay on the floor, already accustomed to this treatment.

My sister ate the candy in big bites, accidentally dropping the desiccant packet into the sofa cushions.

Now I was chewing the desiccant in big bites too, imagining it was that bag of candy.

But the severe pain in my heart and stomach made it impossible to deceive myself any longer.

My entire body felt like it was burning, and I couldn't stop curling up.

As consciousness gradually blurred, I used all my remaining strength to crawl back to my room and lay on my bed.

It wasn't really a room, just a storage closet next to the bathroom.

And it wasn't really a bed, just a platform made of wooden boards.

I'd secretly been in my sister's room once. It was big and spacious and fragrant, filled with beautiful dolls.

My sister's bed was big and soft, but I only touched it lightly before Mom made me kneel all night as punishment and forbade me from eating for three days.

I cried from hunger and grabbed Dad's pant leg, asking him why Mom treated me this way.

The neighbor lady also had two children---one healthy, one sick---but she always favored the healthy one.

I heard she almost sent the sick one to an orphanage.

But my family was exactly the opposite. Mom had tried to send me to an orphanage.

If the police hadn't stopped her, I'd probably already be an orphan.

I didn't want Mom to favor me. My sister was sick and did need more attention.

I just wished Mom could be a little kinder to me, could share just a bit of the love she gave my sister.

Dad frowned as he listened, then pushed me away.

"Quinn, I always thought you were just immature. I never imagined you'd want to send your sister to an orphanage! You know your mom and sister aren't well, and yet... God, you're such a disappointment!"

I knew Dad had misunderstood and desperately tried to explain.

But he didn't give me any chance. He didn't even look at me.

The next second, the door suddenly creaked open.

My head was foggy, my attention focused on the bloody taste rising in my throat. I couldn't tell if this was memory or reality.

Until I heard my sister's cheerful voice.

"Mom, Dad, France was so fun, the steak was so good, I want to go again!"

I suddenly realized---Mom and Dad had returned from abroad with my sister.

I quickly tried to get up to greet them. If I was late, Mom would get angry.

But suddenly I realized I was very close to the ceiling.

Looking down, I saw my small body on the bed, covered tightly with a blanket.

And I was floating in the air, already transformed into a transparent soul.