Chapter 3

Evening fell. I still wasn't home.

My parents sat in the living room. They were braced for a dirty, trembling figure begging at the door. But she never showed up.

Dad went to the balcony to call a friend from the village.

I drifted behind him, a silent ghost. His friend's voice came through, earnest and clear. He'd asked around, but no one had seen any child enter the village in the last two days..

When he hung up and walked back inside, Mom hadn't moved from the couch. Her face was the colour of ash.

"Well?"

Dad lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled gray smoke rings.

"No one's seen her."

Mom crossed her arms, fuming.

"Good for Chloe! She's got nerve now! Does she want to drive us all crazy before she's satisfied?!"

Dad let out an almost imperceptible sigh and flicked his cigarette ash.

"It's probably like last time, she's afraid you'll scold her, so she's hiding at a friend's house."

Last time, Mom also abandoned me in the suburbs to fly a kite.

Coincidentally, my friend's dad brought her to fish.

On their way back, they gave me a ride home.

Because it was so late, I stayed at my friend's house overnight.

The next day, when I came home, I was met with Mom's fierce wrath.

"Now you've started staying out all night? So shameless at such a young age!"

She made me kneel all night until Dad returned from his business trip. My knees were so swollen I couldn't stand.

Mom's voice suddenly rose, sharp and grating, after hearing Dad's words.

"Afraid I'll scold her? Was I wrong to scold her?! She deserves it!"

"If it weren't for her, Lily wouldn't be dead? How else would our family have ended up like this?!"

Dad remained silent, just holding Mom's hand, caressing it to comfort her.

I floated in the air, softly saying.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"Chloe wants to come home too. Will you come look for me at the hillside where I flew the kite, please?"

"Bring Chloe home."

But they couldn't hear me.

Mom finally gritted her teeth and made her decision.

"Since she's so rebellious, let's just ignore her!"

"I'd like to see how long this brat can fight against us!"

Dad nodded softly. Once again, they reached a consensus to ignore me.

Another two days passed. Spring break had ended, and I still hadn't returned.

The house was eerily quiet. Mom never mentioned me.

Dad looked at the newspaper but hadn't turned a page in a long time.

Just then, Dad's phone rang. It was Ms. Davies, my teacher.

He put the phone on speaker and set it on the table.

"Mr. Miller, Chloe wasn't in school today. Is everything all right?"

Dad opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Mom snatched the phone, her tone flat.

"Chloe decided to play hooky. Thank you for your concern."

Ms. Davies was silent for a moment, then instinctively defended me.

"Chloe has always been a model student, she's never-"

Ms. Davies. " Mom's voice cut across hers, sharp with the venom of long-held grievance. "You've been taken in. Chloe is a manipulator."

"She's never given me a moment of peace since she was little. She's spoiled and selfish. And she killed my Lily!"

"My sweet, perfect Lily is dead because of her."

Ms. Davies sighed.

"I heard about what happened with Lily. It was just an accident."

"She was the one who pulled Chloe to fly the kite. No one can predict the weather, so it really wasn't Chloe's fault."

Hearing Ms. Davies' words, I was stunned.

So it was Lily who had asked me to go.

My blurry memories suddenly became clear.

Back then, school had assigned us a kite-making project.

Lily burst into my room, her face alight, clutching the butterfly kite she'd painted herself. Mom stood in the doorway, watching us with a soft smile.

Later on the hill, Mom got a call, and after reminding Lily to look after me, she left.

So, when the storm came, Lily held me tightly in her arms. But the kite string wrapped around her own neck...

My mother's voice, raw and vicious, shattered the memory.Her face was twisted with rage.

"Chloe is my daughter. You think you know her? My Lily was an angel. Only Chloe would be so reckless!"

"So reckless that she's been gone for seven days!"

Ms. Davies was astonished.

"Victoria, your daughter hasn't been home for seven days, and you're not worried?"

Mom snorted.

"What's there to worry about? She just doesn't want to come back to school. It'd be best if she died out there!"

On the other end of the phone, Ms. Davies was silent for a moment, then her voice, barely containing her anger, said.

"Your child hasn't been home for seven days, and you haven't even looked for her? What kind of parents are you?"

"If Chloe isn't back in school tomorrow, I will report it to the school and call the police."

With that, she hung up.

Mom and Dad stared at each other, disbelieving.

"She's just a pathetic teacher! Who does she think she's scaring?"

Dad thought for a moment, then still pulled the grumbling Mom and drove to the suburbs.

The setting sun cast its last golden rays on that familiar hillside.

And my body was still there, waiting.