Chapter Two
57
“How is that even possible?”
The on–site doctor sighed.
“Nothing’s impossible. You saw the size of
the scar on her chest. Plus, the bandaged
stump is soaked with yellow pus. The wound
never healed. Walking must be agonizing,
never mind kneeling.”
“And all those cigarette burns…It’s hard to
imagine what she’s been through. I think you
should all call the police…”
I stopped listening.
A wave of dizziness overcame me.
く
A white fog rolled in.
I could see a younger version of myself,
running with a kite.
Mom and Dad were in the distance, smiling,
telling me to slow down.
“Daisy, slow down! Don’t fall.”
“Jake, keep an eye on your sister!”
My brother was happily lifting my kite, running
behind me.
“I’ll take care of her.”
I ran faster, then tripped and fell.
く
When I looked up, the meadow had turned
into a cliff.
Terrified, I started crying, calling for Mom,
Dad, and Jake.
But when they turned around, their faces
were twisted.
“Run! Why aren’t you running anymore?”
“Let’s break your legs and see if you’ll still
run.”
“You love to dance? How are you going to
dance without legs? You still want to try and
take your sister’s spot.”
“Hahaha, look at her! She’s like a chicken
୮
Then they pushed me off the cliff into
darkness.
I woke up in a hospital bed.
Before I could even process what was
happening, someone slapped me.
“Daisy Miller, you’ve disgraced us! We have to
make you look good. You can break your legs
and make yourself look a mess to us, why
don’t you just die?”
I stared at Mom, her eyes bloodshot with
rage, but I don’t know why I did something to
make her unhappy.
Summer stood in Jake’s arms, crying.
“Daisy, you can’t do this. You have to be a
respectable girl. What are people going to
think of our family? How am I ever going to
get married?”
Jake glared at me.
“Daisy, you’re so disgusting. You’ll hurt
yourself to get revenge on Summer. Those
videos are all over the internet. Take a look.”
“From now on, Summer is my only sister. You
should rot in the mud!”
From their words, I understood.
After I passed out, a video surfaced online of
me in a room with several male inmates.
I was disheveled, groveling on the floor,
<
I was offering my body as a trade for help
escaping.
When they refused, I tried to threaten the
guards by jumping off the building, breaking a
leg and refusing treatment to get sympathy.
As for the stomach reduction, I wanted to get
skinny and had the doctor do it.
The truth was nothing like that. The videos
were edited.
But my family wouldn’t let me explain.
They’d already branded me a disgrace.
