Five years after Mom and Dad died, my sister sent me to a reform school. She threw my luggage at me and screamed, "Daisy, if you like fighting so much, stay here. I'll pick you up when you've learned your lesson." Later, I was abducted and brutally beaten by my sister's rival. My sister, on the phone, broke down. "Fight back! Why aren't you fighting back?" My eyes vacant, I replied, "Because my sister said fighting makes a child naughty." 1 My sister sat in the driver's seat, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. "Daisy, after a year, you've become much quieter. It seems this reform school has worked wonders on you." I sat perfectly straight in the back seat, my calm demeanor masking an underlying awkwardness and anxiety. "Sister, I won't fight anymore." My sister's expression shifted, and she sneered. "You'd better keep your word, or I can always send you back to that school." Hearing my sister threaten to send me back, I instinctively shuddered, trembling uncontrollably. That wasn't a reform school; it was my hell, a paradise for devils. I silently nodded, indicating I would be obedient. This was the first time I hadn't retorted to my sister's words. She was pleased with my reaction, further convinced that sending me to the reform school had been the right decision. As soon as we walked into the house, my sister reached for my backpack. The moment her hand touched my shoulder, I instinctively stepped back, evading her touch. My face turned ashen. Meeting my sister's surprised gaze, I quickly explained, "I'm sorry, Sister, I can manage it myself." My sister lowered her hand, rolled her eyes at me, and muttered, "What's with the little tantrum?" Seeing my sister turn away without asking further, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. After unpacking my luggage in the room, the housekeeper, Auntie Chen, called me down for dinner. At the dining table, it was just my sister and me. There were ten dishes, all my favorites, specially prepared by my sister. I carefully picked food into my bowl, chewing slowly and deliberately. It had been a year since I'd eaten a proper meal. At the reform school, there was only steamed bread and pickled vegetables, and meat was a once-a-month rarity. Thinking of those days, tears involuntarily streamed down my face. My sister picked up a tissue, intending to wipe my tears. I instinctively raised my hand to block her, inadvertently exposing the scars on my arm. “Daisy, what are those injuries on your hand?” I quickly hid my hand behind my back, my face betraying an undeniable panic. “It was… it was an accident. I fell.” Under her probing gaze, a flicker of guilt crossed my face. I lowered my head, not daring to meet her eyes. I had indeed lied; the scars were from beatings at the school. But the teachers had warned us that if we dared to tell our families, they had plenty of ways to send us back. When I was first sent to the school, unable to endure the torment, I secretly called my sister, begging her to bring me home. But the next day, my sister didn’t come. Instead, I faced a nightmare I would never forget. That day, I was tied to a rack, repeatedly electrocuted until I lost control of my bladder and bowels. No matter how much I cried or pleaded, they wouldn’t stop, until I passed out. Before losing consciousness, a devilish voice echoed in my ear. “Daisy, do you think your sister will believe you, or the school?” Of course, my sister would only believe the school; after all, I was a naughty child. So I absolutely couldn’t tell my sister the truth. “Daisy, you still haven’t broken this bad habit of lying. I never thought that even after sending you to a reform school, you’d still get into fights.” My sister slammed her chopsticks on the table with a “bang,” looking at me with anger and disappointment. “I thought you had reformed, but you haven’t changed at all. You’re rotten to the core!” The dinner ended badly. 2 Back in my room, I sat on the bed, silently weeping as I looked at the family photo on the cabinet. That was the happiest time of my life. Back then, the four of us were still crammed into our small old house; Mom and Dad hadn’t yet expanded their business. Dad would pick my sister and me up from school every day, secretly buying us starch sausages. Mom always forced us to eat nasty vegetables, saying they were good for our health. Back then, my sister laughed a lot; she was everyone’s ray of sunshine, but after Mom and Dad passed away, I never saw my sister smile again. I don’t know how I fell asleep that night, but when I woke up, my pillow was soaked. The next morning, at exactly five o’clock, I was washed and dressed, appearing at the dining table. These were the school rules, deeply ingrained in my mind. Failure to comply meant a nightmarish torment. Even though I had left the school, I dared not disobey; it was a fear that came from the depths of my soul. Two hours later, my sister came downstairs in her business attire. When she saw me sitting rigidly at the dining table, she frowned. Auntie Chen, the housekeeper, told her I had been sitting there waiting for her since early morning, and she gave a knowing expression. Then she walked to my side, tapping her finger on the table, her voice unhurried. “Daisy, don’t think that playing innocent now will make me forgive you. After breakfast, I’m having the driver take you back to school.” My face instantly turned ashen, my voice trembling. “What… what school?” My sister sneered. “Of course, I’m sending you back to the reform school for correction, because you behaved poorly last night.” Hearing my sister’s words, nightmarish memories flooded my mind, and fear coiled in my heart. I abruptly stood up and screamed at her. “No, I won’t go! Serena, if you send me back, I’ll die!” “I’ll die, I’ll definitely die! Mom and Dad are already dead, are you trying to force me to die? Mom and Dad won’t forgive you!” With a sharp slap, my sister slapped me across the face. The stinging pain on my cheek brought me back to my senses. Realizing what I had said, I immediately knelt, grabbing my sister’s hand and apologizing. “I’m sorry, Sister, I didn’t mean it, I was wrong. Please don’t send me back, okay?” As expected, my sister’s face completely hardened. There wasn't a trace of affection in her eyes, only profound disgust and indifference. My sister’s angry and disappointed voice rang above my head. “Daisy, you now have two choices: either go back to school and be properly reformed, or get out of this house. From now on, I’ll pretend I don’t have a sister.” I struggled internally for a long time, then finally stood up, giving my sister a deep look. “Sister, I’m leaving. Please take care of yourself.” My sister said nothing, merely showing an expression that said, “I knew it.” I went upstairs to my room to pack my clothes. Opening the closet, I casually pulled out a few seasonal items and stuffed them into my suitcase. Many of the clothes no longer fit; I had lost a lot of weight during my year at school, constantly hungry and cold, enduring both mental and physical torment. As I dragged my suitcase down the stairs, I heard my sister giving instructions to the housekeeper, Auntie Chen. “Auntie Chen, clear out everything in her room. From now on, the Hoopes family has no second daughter.” My foot, just stepping off the last stair, faltered. My heart felt as if it were being pricked by countless needles, a dense, throbbing pain. I walked to my sister’s side, my voice uncontrollably choked with sobs. “Sister, I’m really leaving.” My sister ignored me completely, eating her breakfast as if I were thin air. But just as I was about to walk out the door, my sister called out to me from behind. When I turned to look at her, full of expectation, her expression was cold. “Daisy, I’ve put some money in your bank account. Don’t ever appear in front of me again.” My sister was trying to draw a clear line between us. I held back the tears that threatened to fall, dragging my suitcase out the front door. This time, I walked very slowly, slow enough that if my sister called my name, I could immediately turn back home. Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind me. I instantly turned around. “Sister.” 3 It wasn't my sister. Auntie Chen walked towards me, carrying a paper bag. “Daisy, Ms. Hoopes said you left these things behind.” Her eyes, as she looked at me, were full of pity. “It hasn’t been easy for Ms. Hoopes to shoulder the family business alone all these years. Don’t hate her. When she comes to her senses, she’ll bring you back.” I nodded silently. I had deliberately left those things behind, thinking I could use them as an excuse to come home and see my sister later. As sisters for nineteen years, we understood each other so well. She saw right through my little tricks. But she no longer wanted to play along. Once, when I was coming home from school, I got lost chasing a puppy into a complex, abandoned building. I sat on the ground, wailing. Mom and Dad were abroad on a business trip at the time and couldn’t reach my call. It was my sister who walked for several hours with a flashlight, alone, until she found me. She held me tightly then, comforting me. “Don’t be scared, little sister. Big sister will always be with you.” After that, whenever I called out for my sister, she would immediately appear before me. But now, she truly didn’t want me anymore. One hand held the bag, the other pulled my suitcase. Suddenly, the sky darkened, lightning flashed wildly, and a clap of thunder exploded in the sky. Then, dense raindrops began to fall. I stood in the rain, instantly soaked to the bone. The paper bag, under the assault of the rain, became fragile, and its contents tumbled to the ground, stained with mud. I knelt, no longer able to distinguish between tears and raindrops on my face. Picking up the items from the ground, I tossed them into a nearby trash can. Dirty things should be thrown away. Like me, discarded by my sister. Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I hailed a taxi and left. I went back to our old house. It held happy memories of our family of four, so even after we earned money and moved into a villa, Mom and Dad hadn’t sold the old house; instead, they had someone maintain it regularly. I entered the password and pushed the door open. The password was my birthday. Inside, it was clean and tidy. I took a hot shower and immediately burrowed into the bed. The bedsheets seemed to still carry Mom’s scent, making me sleep soundly. My dreams were no longer filled with fear, no terrifying teacher’s face, no biting rats in the isolation room, no pain of sticks hitting my body. That afternoon, I was startled awake by the loud bang of a door closing. “Daisy, who told you to come back to the old house? This is my home; get out immediately!” My sister stood by my bed, her voice cold. Startled awake, my mind was still hazy. I touched my hot face; I was sick. I opened my mouth and found my throat hoarse; I couldn’t speak. Seeing me make no move, she became impatient, urging me. “Hurry up and pack your things and get out, don’t force me to throw you out.” I endured my physical discomfort, got up, changed clothes, and, carrying my unopened suitcase, walked to the door. Finally, I stopped, enduring the pain in my throat, and looked at my sister pleadingly. “Sister, I’m sick. Can I just stay here for one night? I’ll leave tomorrow.” My sister refused without a second thought. “No. Stop pretending. I won’t believe a word you say.” I dragged my suitcase and found a random motel, then took an over-the-counter fever reducer I bought downstairs. I drifted off into a hazy sleep. I lay in bed, sleeping for an entire day, my dreams filled with scenes of beatings. When I opened my eyes again, the evening sun was already setting. These past few days, I had holed up in the motel, ordering takeout when hungry, sleeping when tired. It took a whole week for me to gradually break free from the school’s brutal regimen. Every day, I constantly told myself that no one would ever beat or scold me without reason again; I was safe now. Just as I lay in bed zoning out, my phone chimed with a text message notification. “Daisy, I heard you’re back. Uncle’s birthday dinner tonight, are you free to come?” The sender was my paternal uncle from my hometown, the same man who had once threatened to ruin my sister’s reputation and seize our family’s assets, and whom I had beaten so badly he ended up in the hospital. I was about to ignore it. He immediately sent another text message, attaching an address. “Your sister will be there too.” He was threatening me. 4 That evening, I arrived on time for the dinner. Besides my uncle’s family and my sister, there were also some unfamiliar faces in the private room, likely my uncle’s questionable friends. My sister gave me a cold glance before turning to talk to my cousin, as if she didn’t know me. I quietly sat in a corner, head bowed, saying nothing. As dishes were successively served, my uncle spoke first. “Today is my birthday, so I tried to invite as many relatives as possible, especially Daisy. After a year, you’ve changed quite a lot, lost a good bit of weight.” With that, he burst into laughter, pointing to his son and teasing. “If I had known that reform school also had weight loss benefits, I would have sent your cousin there too.” My cousin immediately protested loudly. “I’m not going! That garbage school has already been exposed. The teachers there have all sorts of ways to make life hell. Only people like you would believe it. I’d rather die than go there!” My aunt quickly clapped her hand over my cousin’s mouth, her face apologetic. “I’m sorry, the child is ignorant and speaks nonsense.” My cousin pushed away my aunt’s hand, looking defiant. “What do you mean I’m speaking nonsense? Just look it up online on your phone, and you’ll know! Besides, hasn’t Daisy been there for a year? Wouldn’t asking her be clearer?” With that, he glanced at me again. “Look at her, it’s summer, and we’re all in shorts and T-shirts, but Daisy is wearing long sleeves and pants. She must be covered in scars from being beaten!” As soon as my cousin’s words fell, everyone’s gaze turned to me, some curious, some sympathetic, some disdainful. I kept my head down, biting my lower lip hard, not daring to speak. “Daisy, is what your cousin said true?” My sister suddenly spoke, her eyes fixed on my tightly clutched sleeve cuff. In my mind, that day's scene suddenly replayed: I was dragged from my bed to the "treatment room" by a teacher; my legs were scratched and bleeding by the stones on the ground; my scalp was painfully pulled. Yet, these were just the beginning of the nightmare. I was bound by ropes to a torture device, the teacher tore off my clothes, and then came repeated electric shocks. Every time I fainted, I would be splashed awake with cold water, over and over again. “No, the teacher didn’t hit me, didn’t hit me.” I shook my head frantically, immediately denying it. Those memories terrified me, making me tremble uncontrollably. My appearance scared everyone in the private room. My sister quickly walked towards me, forcefully pulled open my sleeve, revealing scars large and small, crawling all over my arms like centipedes, some of which had only recently scabbed over. “What is this?” My sister’s eyes instantly welled with tears, her hands trembling as she tried to touch my scars, afraid of hurting me. “Daisy, why is this happening?” Actually, I also wanted to know why it had come to this. My sister used to love me. When Mom and Dad were still alive, my sister was very kind to me; back then, she was the best sister in the world to me. After the family business grew, Mom and Dad became increasingly busy, spending less and less time at home. My sister began to take on the responsibility of looking after me. I also became more and more dependent on my sister. Later, my sister went away to college, and the distance between us changed from zero to fifteen hundred kilometers. On my birthday, I sat in front of the cake, crying inconsolably; the housekeeper couldn’t comfort me. My sister suddenly appeared before me, carrying a giant teddy bear, and smiled as she playfully flicked my nose. “My little crybaby, I heard your crying before I even stepped through the door. Big sister promised to celebrate every birthday with you, so I certainly wouldn’t break my word.” She placed the doll on the chair beside me, then opened her suitcase filled with gifts, taking them out one by one and arranging them before me. “This is our little princess’s favorite pink hair clip, this is the new game console, this is a matching outfit just like big sister’s, this is…” In my eyes, my sister was like a magical fairy, always able to conjure up many treasures I loved. She wiped away my tears, relit the candles, and told me to make a wish. I closed my eyes, greedily making many wishes. “To be happy and together with my sister forever, never to be separated for a lifetime.” “I hope my sister will always love only me, and not like anyone else.” “I want to be my sister’s sister in my next life, and the life after that.” …I only opened my eyes and blew them out when the candles were almost completely melted.
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