Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"N 楠... Emma, Emma!"

Mom finally arrived. She ran in in a hurry, still wearing an apron from a certain chicken essence brand around her waist. She glanced at me to make sure I was safe, then apologized to the police, saying she was sorry for the trouble.

After that, she got ready to take me home.

"Ma'am, we still need to ask you some questions about your younger daughter," the middle-aged police officer called out to her.

Mom turned around in shock. "Y-younger daughter?"

"Yes," the police officer said, seeing the stunned look on her face and quickly explaining, "Your younger daughter... um..." He hesitated to say it directly. "It's about the... sexual assault... case. We need you to be a witness since you're her mother."

Upon hearing these words, Mom — who was usually gentle — suddenly flew into a rage. "My daughter was never sexually assaulted! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Ma'am, let me explain. Your older daughter just showed us this video — it's evidence. We don't want this kind of thing to happen either, but if it's true, we hope you'll seek justice for your daughter," the officer said.

"What justice? My daughter never went through anything like that! And you, Emma Chen — why did you show the police this kind of video? Why did you say your sister went through this? How can you tarnish a girl's reputation like this?" Mom shouted.

I couldn't understand what Mom meant. Why wouldn't she agree to call the police? Why wouldn't she want to have those villains arrested?

"Mom, why don't you believe me? We have to get those people arrested!" I said.

"You know very well that those people must have caused your sister's death. How can you just let them get away with it?"

Mom stared at me, her eyes red with anger. "Emma Chen, your sister fell off the building on her own!"

"No, she didn't! She was violated by those people, and then they pushed her off the building!" I screamed, my emotions overflowing.

"You —" Mom was so angry that she raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face.

The slap made me dizzy. It was the first time she had ever hit me — the first time!

Why? Why? I was just trying to get justice for my sister. What did I do wrong?

A wave of intense emotion rushed to my head. I didn't even know how I fainted. When I woke up, I was in a dim little room.

I was lying on a recliner. On the coffee table next to me, there was a candle with a faint flame.

The entire room was illuminated only by the candlelight.

Outside the door, two people were talking. Their voices were faint, but I could hear them clearly.

"I told you not to provoke her! The state she's in now — the more you provoke her, the worse it will be for her condition!" one voice said — it sounded like a doctor.

"Doctor, I only did those things to stop her from calling the police because I was afraid. But a girl's reputation is so important! If we call the police, it will be ruined forever. Doctor, what should I do? Ever since she woke up a year ago, she's been thinking she's the older sister. Will she never get better like this?" Mom's voice replied, filled with anxiety.

"Whether she gets better depends on whether she can accept her true personality. For now, it seems she still can't accept her true self and identity. So she's trying to live as someone else. But in doing so, she's developed a third personality — different from both of your two daughters — to protect herself," the doctor explained.

"Yes... both of my daughters have always been very well-behaved......" Mom said sadly.

......

As I listened to their conversation, my head spun with dizziness.

Wasn't it my sister who died? How could it be... how could it be that the older sister was the one who died?

A sharp pain shot through my head, and suddenly, fragments of memories pieced themselves together.

It was true that those two had invited me to the classroom that day. But I was scared, so I asked my sister to go in my place. Then... my sister was...

I lay on the recliner, sobbing uncontrollably. So it turned out... everything that had happened had actually happened to me.

No wonder I knew exactly how they would hit someone. No wonder I had dreamed every night about the details of my sister being bullied.

It was all things that had happened to me!

I held my head in my hands, feeling a wave of nausea in my stomach. It was as if all the strength had been drained from my body.

"Ahhh!" I couldn't help but scream out in pain from the headache.

Hearing the noise, the two people outside rushed in.

When the door opened, the light from outside flooded in suddenly, making me close my eyes tightly.

"Luna?" Mom said tentatively. "Luna?"

She called my name a second time, but I still didn't respond.

"Emma?" she tried again.

"Emma?"

"Hmm, Mom. My head hurts a little," I replied weakly.

......