The Good Deed That Killed Me

Mom had one rule, and she never let it go: one good deed a day. When I was little, I saved my allowance for an entire year to buy a doll. Then some girl beside me whispered that she wanted one too, and Mom ripped it out of my arms. "Do one good deed a day. Give her the doll." Later, I barely made it into the best high school in the county. I didn't even get to be happy before Mom told me she'd already signed me up for trade school. "Do one good deed a day. The girl who just missed the cutoff is poor. Give her your spot." Later, at trade school, my roommates stole every cent I had for food and rent. I called Mom, sobbing. "Do one good deed every day. Giving them your money still counts as doing something good." Later, I got a part-time job and ended up sold as a bride to some family way out in the sticks. I texted Mom, begging her to save me. Her reply popped up a second later. [Marriage means sticking it out. Give them a healthy baby boy, and that should cover ten years of good deeds.] Chapter 1 I tried to send one more text, but the old woman who'd tricked me here snatched my phone. She whipped my back with a thorny switch. Pain punched the air from my lungs. "You brat! How dare you steal a phone!" I curled against a pile of firewood, hurting so bad I almost blacked out. Her son with an intellectual disability grabbed my phone and giggled. "A healthy baby boy. Her mom wants us to have a healthy baby boy." When the old woman finally wore herself out, she stood there panting. Then she read the chat, and her frown got worse. "This is really your mother?" She scrolled through our old texts, staring like she couldn't believe what she was reading. The lines between her brows dug even deeper. "So she knows you were kidnapped, and she still wants you to give us a baby boy." She snorted. "Guess you're not that precious after all. Just some unwanted girl your family couldn't wait to dump. Even your own mom treats you like garbage. We didn't even ask your family for a dime to take you. You should be thanking us." She drove her foot into my chest. Tears slipped down my face and soaked into the dirt. "Yeah," I whispered. "She's my mom." It was just that, to her, good deeds mattered more than I ever did. When I was little, I stole a pack of gum from the grocery store because I wanted it so bad. Mom found out and locked me in the basement with no food or water. Every day, she checked my waste until there wasn't a trace of sweetener left. Only then did she let me out. After that, "do one good deed every day" became our family's rule before dinner. I didn't get to eat until I'd done one. Mom was scared I'd lie, so she made the people I helped sign little notes to prove it. Soon, everyone thought I only helped them to get something. No one wanted to be my friend anymore. Even now, when the old woman asked me to show her the way, my first instinct was to say no. Then Mom texted again. [Don't come home unless you've done a good deed. I don't have a daughter as heartless as you!] The old woman opened her mouth to mock me, but her idiot son kicked her hard in the waist. "I want to sleep with my wife. Have a healthy baby boy. Get out!" She winced, then instantly forced a smile. "Okay, okay. I'll make you something good to eat. Just give me a grandson." Then she turned and shot me a vicious look. "Listen to your mom and quit thinking about running. Benny will take good care of you. As long as he eats, you eat." The door slammed shut. Benny flashed a goofy grin and shuffled toward me. "Hehe... sleep. Make babies." Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my phone on the floor. I bit down on my lip and forced myself to stay calm. "I'll have your baby... but let's play a game first." Benny squeezed his eyes shut and started counting. I rushed over, snatched up my phone, and called Mom. She finally picked up right as he reached ten. Before I could get a word out, she clicked her tongue. "Did you do your good deed today?" My eyes burned with tears. "Mom, I really was kidnapped. I'm in the village closest to our apartment. It's five minutes away. Please... come with Dad and save me!" She went quiet. Then she laughed. "Kaia Keene, first you refuse to do your good deeds, and now you're making up lies." "I'm not lying! I ran out of money and got a part-time job. I met this old woman, and she wants me to give her a grandson—" I rushed to explain, desperate to make her believe me. She cut me off. "Then have the baby. Give them a healthy boy, and I'll count it as ten years' worth of good deeds. You won't have to worry about your daily good deed anymore." The call disconnected. I stared at the phone, stunned. She actually hung up. "What are you doing?!" I looked up. The next second, Benny's hands locked around my throat, his bloodshot eyes glaring at me. "I hate liars. Die!" Chapter 2 I didn't know how much time passed before my body started feeling lighter. When I opened my eyes, I was floating above everything. Had I escaped? Then I looked down. My body was still on the firewood pile. Bruised all over. Neck bent wrong. Head hanging limp like a broken doll. Good news—I'd escaped that village. Bad news—I was already dead. When I got home, Mom was knitting on the couch. Dad stood by the window, anxious. "It's getting late. Why isn't Kaia home yet? What did she say when she called?" Mom didn't even look up. "I told her to do something good, and she claimed she'd been kidnapped and forced to have some man's baby. She was trying to trick me into saying something sinful. "A decent person doesn't break up a family. If I told her not to have that baby, all my years of good deeds would be ruined. "I'm such a kind woman. How did I give birth to such a wicked daughter?" I hovered over them, trying to explain. "Mom, I wasn't rebelling. I really was kidnapped. I wasn't lying." Dad slammed his fist on the table. "This is insane! Kaia's always been a good kid. Why would she make something like that up? I'm calling her." I silently begged him to realize I was missing. Even if I was dead, I wanted my parents to bring me home instead of leaving my body in that cold, filthy shed. Mom panicked. She tossed her knitting aside and grabbed his arm. "Why call her? I already know what this is." Then she pulled out her phone and opened a few photos. I drifted closer. Every photo was a candid shot of me with some random boy. In one, I was dropping off breakfast. In another, I was handing someone a bottle of water. Dad frowned. "What is this supposed to prove?" I was only doing little favors for classmates to make some extra cash. Plus, with a receipt, Mom counted it as my good deed for the day. So why had she been taking pictures? Mom gave a smug smile. "Lately, I noticed all her receipts were signed by boys. That's when I started wondering if she had a boyfriend." Dad frowned. "You can tell if handwriting is from a boy or a girl? What are you even talking about?" Mom snapped back, "Ever since I made her bring home receipts for her good deeds, the girls in her class stopped hanging out with her. So obviously, those weren't from girls." My heart turned to ice. So Mom knew I was being shut out. My books had been shredded and dumped in the trash. My bed had been soaked with cold water. Someone even wrote 'SAINT' across the back of my school uniform. After lights-out, I scrubbed it in freezing water until the word barely faded. Whenever I told Mom how bad it was, she called me useless. Said I hadn't done enough good deeds, so I deserved it. Dad sighed. "How is Kaia supposed to survive school like this? I don't mind you making her do good deeds, but kids her age are sensitive. And making her collect receipts..." Mom cut him off. "What do you know? I'm toughening her up. People who do good deeds shouldn't care about praise. Helping others isn't about getting something back. "But look at her. She runs off, starts dating, then calls saying she's going to have some man's baby! "Stay out of it. I need to set her straight." Dad finally let out a defeated sigh, shook his head, and went back to his room. Tears ran down my face. My chest hurt so much I could barely breathe. Mom was a stay-at-home mom. Anytime someone needed help, she was the first to step in. Even when we barely had enough ourselves, she'd still force herself to lend things out. When our apartment complex flooded last year, she gave away our family's last bag of rice. For the next three days, we lived on nothing but water. I was her favorite way to do good deeds. Freshman year, when school was already crushing me, Mom promised the neighbor I'd tutor their third grader. So every night after study hall, I spent another hour at their place teaching for free. Whenever Mom went out, everyone praised her for being pretty and kind. Every time, she'd narrow her eyes and lift her chin like she'd won something. Wasn't that chasing praise too? Chapter 3 I didn't come home for a whole week. All week, Mom cried to anyone who'd listen, saying I had no shame. Saying I was dating at school and even threatened her with a baby. The neighbors comforted her and called me ungrateful. Only Ms. Johnson downstairs frowned. "They're teenagers. Sometimes friendship feels like love. Mrs. Keene, let me talk to Kaia. I'm a school counselor. Maybe I can help." She glanced inside. "I haven't seen Kaia in forever. Mrs. Keene... don't tell me you never even looked for her?" Mom's face fell. She slammed the door in Ms. Johnson's face. "Don't be ridiculous. She's fine at school. Breaking up a marriage is a terrible sin. Do you know how many good deeds I'd have to do to make up for that?" Ms. Johnson knocked a few more times. No answer. I hugged my knees and sank to the floor, watching her walk away as I sobbed. "Ms. Johnson, I'm here! I've already been murdered! Mom just won't believe me!" I screamed until my voice gave out, tears pouring down my face. Then— Her footsteps stopped. She turned around. My heart jumped. Could she hear me? I froze, hope and fear twisting together. "Ms. Johnson?" But after staring down the empty hallway, she shook her head and left. I never thought the person who'd finally tell Mom I was missing would be my teacher, Ms. Appleton. That day, our apartment complex was hosting Animal Care Day. With everyone watching, Mom pulled out a sweater she'd spent a month knitting and slipped it onto one of the stray cats. "Sharon, you're so thoughtful. That must've taken forever." "Mrs. Keene is so kind. She even cares this much about stray cats. Her daughter must be so lucky." I stood in the cold wind, still wearing the thin jacket I'd died in. Looking at those cats, I suddenly felt jealous. They didn't have to do good deeds. They didn't need receipts. Mom still fed them and knitted them sweaters. Whenever dogs chased them, Mom was always the first to step in. But I was her daughter. So why was I always cold and hungry? Why had no one even noticed I'd been murdered? That was when Ms. Appleton called. At first, Mom was too busy chatting with the neighbors to answer. After several calls, she finally picked up. "Ms. Appleton, what can I do for you?" The voice on the other end sounded urgent. "Are you Kaia Keene's parent?" Mom instantly went on alert. "Ms. Appleton, did Kaia get in trouble at school? Go ahead and lecture her. Punish her if you have to. Spare the rod, spoil the child!" My heart sank. Mom, I'm your daughter, not some bad kid you need to punish. Ms. Appleton went quiet. Then she lowered her voice. "Kaia isn't home either..." She paused. "Could you come to the school right away?" Chapter 4 "Does it have to be now?" Mom hesitated. "I'm busy. It's just some teen dating drama. Is that really worth dragging parents in?" But Ms. Appleton insisted. Mom reluctantly put down the cat food, said goodbye to the neighbors, and left. My spirit followed her to the school, then somehow ended up inside a police car. Ms. Appleton explained that I'd asked for time off the week before to work a part-time job. Then I never came back. At first, Mom snapped that I was slacking off and chasing quick cash instead of studying. But after she called me three times and I didn't answer... She panicked. She sat in the police car, her hands clenched, saying nothing. Before long, Dad rushed over. "Ms. Appleton, what happened to Kaia? Where is she?" Ms. Appleton sat across from them, her face grim. "What I'm about to say may be hard to hear, so please brace yourselves. "Kaia hasn't been to school for a week. I thought she was home, but after talking to her mother, I found out she's been missing this whole time. "The police asked us to come in so they can learn more. Please don't panic yet. She may still be safe. But think carefully. Did either of you notice anything unusual?" A nearby officer flipped open a notebook and started taking notes. Mom's hands began to shake. She shifted nervously in her seat. "Honey... maybe I shouldn't have hung up on that call..." Just then, another officer hurried over and held out a phone. "Take a look. Is this your daughter?" On the screen, a girl in skimpy clothes danced seductively. Gross comments flooded the screen. [She's hot. How much for a night?] [You move like that? Name your price.] [Isn't that Kaia? She acts so innocent. Never thought she'd do this.] My eyes went wide. How could that be me? I was already dead... Mom reacted even faster. Every bit of guilt disappeared. She jabbed a finger at the screen and shot to her feet. "What shameless stunt is she pulling now? I was actually worried about her! Officer, bring her here right now. I'll straighten her out myself!" Dad lowered his head, disappointment written all over his face. I desperately tried to explain. "No, Mom... Dad... that isn't me..." The officer stopped Mom as she rolled up her sleeves and gently guided her back into her seat. "That video uses an AI face swap. It isn't your daughter. But her ID has been found in the hands of a criminal ring. We believe she's in serious danger." Just then, a policewoman rushed in with a report. "Captain, the body recovered from Blackreed Creek... DNA confirmed it's Kaia Keene."