Chapter 2

2 "I'm not lying! There are intruders! Come home now, or you'll be burying us!"

Mom was yelling.

My sister got even colder.

"I know you don't like Brett, but you don't need to make up stories to scare me."

"And tell Cameron to cut the crap. I'm not falling for his tricks again."

Hearing that, my heart just dropped.

Looks like my sister remembers too! But why does she think I’m lying?

Last time, she saw those thugs torture me and Mom.

Why is she being so cold this time?

All because of that Brett guy, because she thinks I’m doing this on purpose?

Footsteps got closer outside the door.

Then the door got hit even harder, and the dresser started to slide across the floor.

We watched helplessly as it failed to hold, until―"Crack!"

A piece of the dresser shattered, leaving a big gap we could see through.

The guy outside chuckled, low and mean. "So, you are in here."

I froze, watching the shiny knife in his hand, glinting in the light on his dirty knuckles.

He looked at Mom, eyes all greedy and gross.

"Nice, looks like I get to play with both of you."

Mom screamed. "Don't touch me!"

I clenched my jaw, pushing down the panic, and whispered to Mom:

"Mom, whatever happens, don't get involved."

"Move back, the trampoline is right outside the window. Jumping should break the fall."

"Run to the Parkers, next door, get Ashley to come help me."

The guy with the knife was getting closer. We didn’t have time.

I was tortured last time, but this time I’m saving Mom no matter what.

"Cameron, I can’t leave you here!"

I gripped her wrist hard.

"Listen to me, just jump and run to the Parkers. As long as you’re alive, anything is possible."

The guy pushed the dresser away and came at us.

"Mom, jump!" I yelled.

But Mom ran right at the guy.

She grabbed his arms, trying to pull him away.

"Cameron! Jump, go! I won’t let them get you!"

She choked on her words.

"Mom!!"

I yelled, terrified.

I watched as he stabbed her in the back!

The sight of the blood washed over me, breaking what little reason I had.

Mom gasped, still holding on, yelling at me,

"Go! Cameron, jump, now!"

My blood ran cold, but survival kicked in.

I charged at the window, jumped.

Landing on the trampoline, I felt a jolt of pain shoot up my leg.

But I couldn’t stop. I bit down hard and forced myself to stand, and ran as fast as I could toward the Parkers'.

My feet froze, my ankles were cut to pieces by the snow, but I kept running.

Last time, it wasn’t just the one intruder.

I finally collapsed at the Parkers' gate, pounding on it and screaming.

"Ashley! Open up, help! We're being robbed, save my mom!"

The gate opened, and Ashley stood there with a frown.

She was wearing a cashmere coat and didn’t look cold at all.

She looked down at me in the snow, and said:

"Cameron, your acting has gotten a lot better."

Her voice was teasing, but it felt like a taunt.

My head was spinning.

"Ashley! This isn’t a joke. My mom is hurt!"

"Please send someone to help her."

She looked me up and down and nodded, surprised.

"If Lindsey didn’t tell me you were setting this up to get back at Brett, I’d think this was real."

I tried to tell her the truth. "You can’t listen to my sister, this is real!"

"I called 911, but the cops aren’t here yet. Please, my mom’s been stabbed; she won’t last long!"

Last time, those guys got their anger out on Mom.

We fought as hard as we could, but we were both tortured, broken.

Mom died.

I wasn’t going to let that happen this time.

I pulled out my phone and showed Ashley the call.

She still didn’t believe me.

"That’s going pretty far, isn’t it? You called the cops? Wow, you are really dedicated."

"Ashley! Are you crazy?! It’s the truth!"

I screamed.

She wasn’t listening.

She turned to walk away. I grabbed her arm.

"Please! My mom needs help! If you don’t help her, she could die!"

I fought the urge to cry.

We used to be close.

Even after we got engaged, she was always nice to me.

But after Brett, everything changed.

Ashley started to act cold, and my sister became distant.

They did whatever they could to please him.

My sister ruined a company because it had the same name as his dog.

That’s what caused this whole thing.

I kneeled in the snow, begging.

"Ashley, please! Just check on my mom!"

"Even if you want to break off the engagement, just help me!"

I prayed she would have a heart.

That she would save Mom.

The butler, who saw me grow up, couldn’t take it anymore.

"Miss, please send someone to check, Mr. Cameron would never lie about something like this."

Ashley hesitated, and I grabbed the chance.

I hit my head on the ground.

"Please, save my mom!"

Ashley spoke, still cold,

"I’ll send someone to check."

"But, Cameron, if this is a set up, you’ll pay."

I looked up, hope in my eyes.

At least she was going.

She called some guards. Her phone rang.

It was my sister.

Ashley looked at me and put it on speaker.

My sister’s voice came through the phone, lazy and cold.

"Did Cameron come by? Don’t listen to him, someone called me on my mom’s phone and threatened to kill people, it’s so stupid."

My heart dropped, my blood froze.

My sister, who promised to always protect me, was being so cold.

She cared more about a guy than Mom and ignored me.

I screamed into the phone, anger and fear mixing.

"Lindsey! Are you crazy?! Are you going to wait until we’re dead?!"

She laughed. "You just want to be in charge!"

"I asked the maid, and she said everything is fine at home."

"You’re heartless. I’m not listening to you this time!"

"If anything happens to Mom, it’s your fault!"

My heart broke.

The maid went home a week ago, how would she know what’s happening?

Before I could answer, the line went dead.

Ashley’s face went cold too.

"You’re a liar! Break his legs, teach him a lesson!!"

The guards started to move.

I yelled, "Don’t you dare! When my dad gets back, I’ll make you pay!"

The guards stopped, unsure.

Ashley laughed, grabbed a baseball bat, and walked to me.

Looking down at me, she said,

"They won’t, but I will."

I looked at her, scared. Her kindness felt like a dream now.

I couldn’t believe she would do this.

I backed away, and she kicked me.

I felt pain in my stomach. Before I could react, she hit me on the leg.

"Ahh!"

I screamed and fell to the ground.

She just stood there.

"That’s what you get for lying."

Just then, my phone rang.

She picked it up and smirked.

"Let’s see who this is."

"Hello, is this the person who called 911?"

"We’re at your house. The intruders ran off. Your mother is hurt badly and needs a hospital."

The police officer's voice was clear. Ashley's smile went away.

"Something really happened? Is your mother badly hurt?"

I knew it was the police.

I forced myself up, grabbed the phone, and fell again.

I didn't care about the pain, I had to know.

"Officer, how is my mom? What happened?"

"Her injuries are bad. Head and stomach, lost a lot of blood."

"We're on the way to the hospital, please come quickly."

Hearing Mom was so hurt, I felt like I was being torn apart.

I bit my lip and cried.

Ashley was quiet for a long time, then she said, "Cameron, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"Sorry doesn't help! Mom is at the hospital!"

She came to me and tried to help me up. "I'll take you to the hospital."

I pushed her away and said