Ground to Dust for My Sister's Fate

When my sister, Danielle Campbell, and I are born, our parents hire an astrologer to read our futures. The astrologer says Danielle will develop severe depression because of my success. After the SAT scores are released, she'll jump from the roof of our school and end her life. To save Danielle, my parents spend 18 years tearing me down. On the day of the SAT, they even confiscate my exam permit. I fall to my knees and beg them, slamming my forehead against the tile floor over and over. Dad kicks me into the walk-in freezer and locks the door from the outside. "You know your sister will die because of you, and you still insist on taking the exam? Are you trying to drive her to her death?" The freezer is set to -22 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm wearing nothing but my short-sleeved school uniform. I pound desperately on the door. "Mom! It's so cold in here! Please let me out!" "Oh, stop pretending." Mom's voice is sharp and cutting. "The refrigeration isn't even turned on! Danielle is only one step away from escaping that prophecy, and all you can think about is yourself?" Their footsteps fade into the distance. Blood keeps streaming from the wound on my forehead, soaking into my uniform before turning ice-cold. I curl up in the corner. Little by little, my body grows stiff. Chapter 1 My limbs felt as heavy as lead. Through the thick door, I heard my older sister, Danielle Campbell's voice. "Mom, Dad, please just let Sophie out! She has excellent grades, and you can't let this ruin her SAT—" "Shut up!" My mom, Marie Edwards, snapped, her voice sharp and frantic, "How could you still defend her at a time like this? Have you forgotten the year she scored first place and rubbed it in your face?" I knew what Mom was talking about. I was ten years old then. I had scored full marks on my math test, beating Danielle by 20 points. When I ran home waving my test paper, my face was flushed with excitement as I shrieked, "I'm better than Danielle!" Danielle's eyes immediately turned red-rimmed when she heard. Mom broke down in panicked tears, while my dad, Thomas Campbell, rushed over and slapped me so hard that he knocked me onto the floor. Blood dripped from my nose, staining the perfect score on my test paper. That night, I was locked in the freezer to reflect on my actions, and I had lost all sensation in my hands and feet by the time they let me out the next morning. "Sophie has always been calculative and manipulative," Mom said coldly. "She knew what the astrologer predicted, yet she still came home flaunting her perfect score. She must've done it on purpose!" I leaned against the door, too weak to even shake my head. "That's not true, Mom. I was just ten years old, a child who yearned for your praise. I understand that you're terrified of losing Danielle, but why do you have to treat me like an enemy? I'm your daughter, too…" I murmured to myself. I pounded on the door, over and over, hoping to remind them that they had forgotten to turn off the cooling system. "But I'm older now, Mom," Danielle pleaded in a genuinely concerned voice. "I'm not that fragile anymore. There's no way I'd fall apart just because Sophie is better than me. "What if that astrologer was wrong? You can't just lock her away because of that—" Dad immediately cut her off. "Enough, Danielle! We can't let you take that risk!" With that, he turned toward the freezer door, his tone softening into something solemn and earnest. "We're doing this for the sake of this family, Sophie Campbell. You wouldn't want to see Danielle jump off a building because of you, would you? "Just behave and stay in there. This will all be over after Danielle finishes her exams, okay?" I couldn't say a single word. The freezing air had filled my lungs, and my chest hurt as if it were cracking apart from the cold. Gathering the last of my strength, I slammed my fist against the door one last time. Mom stormed over and kicked the door. "What the hell is with this attitude, Sophie? Do you want me to teach you a lesson?" With that, she opened the freezer door. The door finally cracked open, and a single ray of light seeped in. My heart seemed to leap into my throat. Was I going to be saved? Chapter 2 "Mrs. Campbell." A hand reached out and caught Mom's wrist. It was my childhood best friend, Ethan Hart, who had grown up with me and once promised we would get into the same college together. Standing at the door of the freezer, he frowned slightly and said, "Sophie has always been competitive. She's not going to listen, no matter what you tell her right now." He paused before turning toward the freezer. "I know this feels unfair, Sophie, but Danielle is innocent. She shouldn't have to be the sacrifice for your life. Behave just this once, okay?" There was no response from behind the freezer door because I could no longer move. My body was like a frozen popsicle that had snapped in half, locked in the position of knocking on the door. Blood from my forehead had glued my eyes shut, and the warm liquid had frozen solid across half of my face. I kept my eyes locked on the crack in the door. "Please, Mom. Open the door. Just a little more, and I'll be saved." But soon, the light vanished. The door slammed shut once more, and I heard Ethan sigh softly on the other side. "Don't worry, Sophie. Once Danielle gets through this safely, I'll convince your parents to let you repeat your senior year. We can still go to the same college together." The sound of footsteps faded away. After everyone left, the house plunged into a dead silence, while I remained frozen in that knocking position, no longer breathing… "You were so close, Mom. You would've found me if you'd opened the door a little further." Floating in the void, I watched the group huddle around Danielle as they got into the car. Mom fixed Danielle's hair, Dad adjusted her seat, and Ethan helped double-check her exam permit. All of them had relaxed smiles on their faces, and only I was left behind, locked away in the freezer, turning into a statue that would never speak again. "Mom, Dad, you accurately predicted Danielle's death, but what about me?" My thoughts followed Danielle all the way to the exam hall, where everyone wrote furiously, scribbling across their papers, while only Danielle seemed restless, checking the clock over and over again. After the first day of exams, she returned to the hotel and immediately begged Mom and Dad to take her home. "I'm still worried about Sophie. She barely ate last night and skipped breakfast this morning. We have to go back and check on her!" Mom frowned. "Why bother? She's only gone a day without food; how could that possibly be more important than your SAT?" Danielle was so anxious that she burst into tears. She grabbed onto Mom's clothes, only to receive a harsh slap on the face. Mom's eyes were red-rimmed as she choked out, "Your only job right now is to do well on your exams, Danielle. Otherwise, Sophie's sacrifice will be for nothing." While Danielle bit her lip hard, Mom continued, "Just stay here and focus on your exams. I'll go home to grab your thermal flask right now, and check on Sophie while I'm there." Only then did Danielle sigh in relief. Mom made the quick drive back home. She walked into the living room, picked up the thermal flask from the coffee table, and walked over to the freezer door before softening her tone to say, "I know you're upset, Sophie, but we're doing this to protect Danielle. "Just hang in there a little longer. Once Danielle finishes her SAT, we'll go on a trip for a few days. I'll even buy you that figurine set you've always wanted, okay?" When she couldn't hear a single response from behind the door, her expression darkened. Then, she lowered her voice and muttered, "When will you stop being so selfish, Sophie? Are we supposed to stand by and watch Danielle die, just to satisfy your vanity? How could you be so cruel?" She banged against the door heavily as she spoke. Suddenly, her hand froze mid-air. Then, she frowned and murmured, "Why is it so cold?" With that, she turned the doorknob. Once again, the door opened a crack to reveal a corner of my school uniform. Chapter 3 Just then, Dad called Mom and asked, "Why aren't you back yet? Danielle is waiting for her water." Mom hesitated for two seconds before releasing the doorknob. "I'm dealing with you after the exams," she muttered before returning to leave. In the freezer, my lifeless body remained leaning against the door, while my hand was frozen mid-knock. I floated in the air and watched her walk away in despair. "You were just a single turn away, Mom. If you'd just turned around, you would've found my body." That night, Danielle texted me immediately after learning that I was still locked in the freezer. "Sophie, Mom said the key is hidden under the doormat. Hurry up! Unlock the door and get something to eat! "I left some food for you in the kitchen. You've had a sensitive stomach lately, so make sure to heat it up before you eat." Danielle always remembered that I had severe stomach issues. Over the years, whenever I was locked in the freezer, she would always find a way to get me food. She had even placed a teddy bear in the freezer and hid snacks inside its plump, chubby belly just for me. Floating in the air, I looked at the teddy bear and noticed that its stomach was stuffed full. Danielle had hidden food for me in advance, but unfortunately, I would never be able to eat it again. … The next morning, Danielle checked her phone the moment she woke up. When she noticed that I still hadn't replied, she frantically ran to Mom. "I texted Sophie to tell her where the key is, but she hasn't answered. Do you think she left her phone somewhere? "You have a security camera installed in the freezer, don't you, Mom? Please let me check on her!" Mom frowned. "Sophie is calculative. She must be doing it on purpose just to make you worry." Still, she pulled out her phone and opened the security camera app, loading the freezer's live feed onto the screen. On the screen, I was seen with my back to the camera. Danielle immediately leaned in and yelled, "Sophie! The key is right under the mat, and there's food in the kitchen, so just heat it up! Please don't starve!" When I didn't respond, Mom frowned and chimed in, "If you've finally come to your senses, get out of there and eat. Stop making Danielle worry." Yet, I remained motionless with my back still facing the camera. Danielle panicked and pressed her face closer to the screen. "Sophie, are you sick? Please just turn around so I can look at you, okay?" Even Mom's expression changed. She immediately zoomed in on the feed and noticed that I was curled up tightly in the corner. Under the dim, bleak lightning, I was shaped like a frozen shrimp. She stared at the feed for two seconds before sighing in relief and letting out a cold laugh. "You're pulling this stunt again, aren't you?" As a kid, I used to pull such tricks all the time just to grab her attention. She automatically assumed I was doing it again. "We've told you where the key is, Sophie. If you have even a shred of conscience, get out of there right now and don't ruin Danielle's exams!" With that, she locked her screen and tossed the phone aside. Chapter 4 I smiled bitterly. "Mom, if you'd just looked for three more seconds or zoomed in a little more, you would've noticed that my chest wasn't moving at all. You were so close to realizing that I was dead." When the final exam ended, Danielle was the first candidate to sprint out of the exam hall. "Mom, Dad, I did really well! I'm going to be okay. Let's go home and share the good news with Sophie right now!" Dad nodded. As he started his car, his eyes turned red-rimmed. "Great. Now that it's all over, let's go home. Sophie had been home alone for two days; she'd probably had enough time to clear her head and think things through. "We'll pick her up and visit the chapel to pray as a family." Sitting in the passenger seat, Mom couldn't stop crying. "I admit that I was far too harsh on Sophie. As long as she's willing to mend her ways, she'll get whatever Danielle gets from now on." Hovering above them, I forced a smile that looked worse than a crying face. "Mom, Dad… I've waited 18 years for this day, but what a pity I'll never get to experience it." Soon, the car pulled up to the house. Danielle sprinted ahead of everyone and threw the door open, only to freeze in her tracks. She noticed that the food left on the dining table was untouched and moldy. Her voice started shaking. "Sophie… She hasn't come out in two days!" Mom was momentarily stunned before her expression turned grim. She stormed over to the freezer and kicked the door hard. "Sophie! Are you seriously still throwing a fit? "Do you have any idea what Danielle has gone through these past few days? She couldn't eat or sleep, and she was worried sick about you even while taking her exams! "And here you are… Who are you playing dead for in there?" Dad finally lost his patience and marched over. There was suppressed rage in his voice as he said, "You've let me down, Sophie. "We were worried sick about you for two days, but what have you done? Have you shown even a single shred of remorse?" Danielle held them back and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Mom, Dad… Sophie wouldn't do this for no reason. Something must have happened to her!" Their expressions stiffened for a second. Just then, Ethan walked in and stopped in front of the freezer door, holding up his phone. "I just got off the phone with her homeroom teacher. She knows that Sophie missed the SAT, so she's trying to get her enrolled in the most prestigious colleges through a special admission pathway." His voice was thick with disappointment as he continued, "Did you tell the teacher, Sophie? Why would you do something like this?" Mom immediately exploded in fury. "Sophie! We raised you for 18 years, and is this how you repay us? Are you scheming to ruin Danielle's life after missing your exams?" Dad's expression was just as icy. "Danielle always protects you, but you're obsessed with driving her to the brink. To think we rushed back here so you could tag along to church! "How did I raise a daughter like you, Sophie?" While all of them condemned me, only Danielle rushed over and grabbed the freezer's doorknob. "Mom! This door is freezing cold!" she yelled. "Enough!" Mom barked. Her eyes were bloodshot as she lunged forward and wrenched Danielle's hand away. "We told her where the key was! If she won't come out, she's clearly made up her mind to drag this out!"