Chapter 2
“See that? Even when Chris had a raging fever, she didn’t care. She just ran off to have fun!”
“It’s a miracle I survived at all.”
The scene shifted, and I was suddenly standing in front of the only pharmacy in town.
“Hey, could you let me have this fever medicine for two dollars first? I’ll bring the rest in a couple of days, I swear.
“Get lost! You’re that brat who murdered your parents, right? Scram!”
The moment the shopkeeper’s wife saw me, she shooed me away like I was filth.
Everyone in town knew what I’d done. Wherever I went, people whispered, stared, and avoided me like the plague.
With no other options, I waited until the woman went into the back room, then quietly slipped inside, tucked the fever medicine into my coat, left two dollars on the counter, and walked out.
I didn’t expect them to catch me so quickly. The shopkeeper and his wife stormed after me in a fury.
“You filthy–little thief! How dare you!”
The shopkeeper kicked me hard, knocking me to the ground. He loomed over me, eyes blazing.
“Where’s the medicine? Hand it over!”
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Chapter 2
“I left two dollars on the counter! Please, I’m begging you–my brother has a high fever. Just give me two days. I’ll pay the rest as soon as I can!”
The shopkeeper’s wife hurled the coins into my face with disgust.
“Who the hell wants a murderer’s money?! Give me back that medicine!”
The shopkeeper’s rage escalated when I clutched the medicine tightly to my chest and refused to let go. He grabbed a cleaver and slammed it down next to my right pinky.
‘You better hand it over now, thief! Or I’ll chop off your damn finger!”
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No matter how many times he threatened me, I kept repeating the same thing–I’d already taken the medicine.
That was when his fury snapped. With a roar, he brought the blade down and severed my finger.
“Ahhh!!”
My scream tore through the night sky, sharp and raw. The pain was blinding–like fire ripping through my nerves–and I blacked out almost instantly.
It was the first time the shopkeeper and his wife had seen real blood. Horrified, they panicked and fled.
Snow was falling hard that night. My thin, crumpled figure was soon buried beneath the endless white.
By the time I woke, it was dawn.
Thankfully, the cold had frozen the wound shut. I wrapped it as best I could with trembling fingers, then staggered home, each step an effort.
“Where have you been?” Harry scolded me as soon as he saw me.
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“Nowhere,” I said quietly. “Here–give the medicine to Chris. I have to go out again.”
I handed him the fever meds, clutching my injured right hand tightly as I turned to leave. His complaints trailed behind me, growing fainter with every step…
Chris pulled off his glasses with a snap. “No way! I asked her about that once–she told me she cut her finger while cooking!”
“Harry, are you sure this machine isn’t broken?” Calista looked stunned, disbelief written all over her face.
Even Harry, who had always hated me most, looked shaken. His expression darkened and shifted as he muttered to himself, “That’s impossible… This is the latest tech. It’s designed for interrogating spies.”
None of them could wrap their heads around what they’d just seen. The memory didn’t line up at all with the person they believed I was. It was too jarring, too hard to accept.
Scene 2
In the vision, I looked at Calista and asked, “Are you sure you want to study music?”
In the blink of an eye, Calista had reached a crossroads in life. But tuition at the conservatory was steep–far beyond what we could afford.
“Yes! I want to study music!” Calista replied with fierce determination.
Seeing that resolute look in her eyes, I quietly got up and walked out of the house.
“Good thing Harry paid for my tuition back then, or I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
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“She walked away the moment she heard it’d cost money. Does she even care about this family? I was so unlucky to grow up with her.”
Grumbling, they turned their eyes back to the unfolding memory.
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