Chapter 3

Chapter 3

My father seemed to remember something as he looked at the bones.

"The killer kept the right femur. There might have been an old injury or a surgical scar on that leg that could identify her."

"Her face was also destroyed with acid. Reconstructing it will take time."

He sighed and pulled off his latex gloves.

Next to his hand lay the blood-stained lamb keychain.

He didn't even recognize it. He had forgotten it was the gift he gave to protect me.

Once his shift was over, he checked his phone.

His face twisted with rage as he dialed my mother's number.

"Did you see the messages Vivienne sent? That little liar is actually claiming she's being followed. She's doing this on purpose just to get a reaction out of us!"

He was shaking with anger.

"Does she have no shame? She knows Nolan died because of the Storm Stalker, and now she's using that same fear to get attention!"

I watched his red, angry face and felt a wave of sadness.

Dad, I wasn't lying.

I'm really dead this time.

I would never use Nolan's death to hurt you.

I only messaged you because I was terrified and had nowhere else to turn.

But he couldn't see me. Neither could my mother.

I heard her voice through the speaker, sharp and bitter.

"I saw them. I ignored her. She's probably just trying to skip her chores at the cemetery. That girl doesn't have a repentant bone in her body!"

I listened to them tear me apart.

I covered my ears, even though it didn't help.

Just when I thought my death would go unnoticed, my best friend, Elara, burst into the station.

She told the officers I had been missing for two days.

But as the officer started to write down my name, my father stepped in.

"Don't bother. I'm her father. She isn't missing. She's just trying to blackmail us into feeling sorry for her."

The officer looked at Elara awkwardly and walked away.

I watched Elara leave the station, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

I tried to follow her, but I was tethered to my father.

I had to watch him handle my skull. I had to follow him home.

On the dinner table sat lobster, spicy crab, and jumbo shrimp.

My mother remembered all of Nolan's favorites. She never bothered to remember that I was deathly allergic to shellfish.

Once, years ago, my father asked why I wasn't eating. I thought he finally cared.

I gripped my fork, trembling. "Dad, I'm allergic to shellfish…"

My mother slammed her utensils down. "I worked all day on this meal! You ungrateful brat! Are you trying to make me look like a bad mother?"

I looked at my father. He was my hero when I was little.

But the hero just pushed a piece of crab onto my plate. "Just eat, Vivienne. Don't upset your mother."

I felt their eyes on me. If I didn't eat, I was a monster.

I ate the whole plate.

That night, my throat swelled until I couldn't breathe. My skin felt like it was on fire.

"Help… please…"

My voice was a pathetic rasp. I crawled to the door, but it was locked from the outside.

Panic surged through me. I pounded on the wood with my fading strength.

"Help me… Dad… Mom… I don't want to die…"

Through the door, I heard my mother's voice in the hall.

"It's just an allergy. She's not going to die. I locked her in so she stops making a scene. She's so dramatic, it's disgusting."

"Nolan came to me in a dream last night. He wanted that new gaming laptop. Let's go to the mall before it closes."

The front door slammed shut. I was alone.

I curled up in the corner, waiting for the end.

The sounds of the neighbors outside reached my ears.

"You silly girl, you know you're allergic to peanuts! Why did you eat that cookie?"

"Sorry, Dad. Don't tell Mom."

"She already knows! She's been worried sick and made your favorite dinner. Parents don't stay mad forever, kiddo."

I felt like a stray dog watching a family through a window.

I wanted them to love me. I wanted them to care about my safety.

But I was the bad kid. I was the one who killed their golden son.

I didn't deserve love. But I really, really didn't want to die.