Locked Out of Warmth

I ranked first across the entire district on our first statewide college entrance practice exam, but no one in my family was happy. All because I accidentally laughed once at the dinner table. My father, who had always favored my cousin, exploded. "Trevor had a bad practice exam, and you're sitting there laughing?" "If it weren't for you, Trevor's parents wouldn't have died so young! How dare you use your score to humiliate him?" Without listening to a word I said, Dad shoved me into the home sauna and locked the door from the outside. But I had a congenital heart condition. I couldn't survive extreme heat, so I pounded on the door and begged for help. My parents ignored me. They moved into the condo they had bought near Trevor's prep school, cleared their work schedules, and devoted themselves to helping him prepare for the final exam. They completely forgot about me until exam day, when my homeroom teacher called. "Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt, where is Micah? Why hasn't he arrived for the statewide college entrance exam?" They froze, then raced back to the family estate in a panic. When they saw what remained inside the sauna, they completely broke down. Chapter 1 I clutched my chest and struggled to breathe. Through the door, I could hear them fussing over Trevor. "Living in the new condo near your prep school means you can sleep an extra half hour every morning. Give that final exam everything you've got, Trevor!" "Only two months left. I canceled Micah's private tutoring and put the money toward better meals for you!" I no longer had the strength to care about their usual favoritism. I only kept pounding on the sauna door. "Dad, Mom, help me... My heart hurts so badly..." Mom's cold voice came through the door. "It's supposed to hurt! Who do you think you are, showing off in front of Trevor?" Dad sounded angry, though a trace of concern entered his voice. "Will he really be all right locked in there alone? A heart attack could actually kill him..." Dad seemed to be wavering, and I was about to beg again when Trevor's gentle voice cut in. "Uncle Richard, he'll be fine. The sauna is only set to seventy-nine degrees. That's practically room temperature." My eyes widened. Impossible. He was lying. The floor was already burning my feet. There was no way it was only seventy-nine degrees. The heat around me sliced across my skin like knives. When I forced my head up, I saw the temperature glowing on the sauna display. One hundred forty degrees. Dad thought I was lying for sympathy. In his anger, he cranked the temperature up another eighteen degrees. "Another lie! When will you learn to be half as sensible as Trevor? "Stay in there and think about what you've done. This is your punishment for lying all the time." Then the three of them climbed into the car and drove toward the condo near Trevor's school, ignoring every cry I made. At one hundred fifty-eight degrees, I could barely draw breath. My heart felt trapped inside an invisible fist, and the heart-rate alert on my smartwatch began sounding again and again. I used every bit of strength I had left to crawl toward the wall. There was a large air vent there that could give me a little room to breathe. My parents had installed it when I was young because they feared I might wander inside and become trapped. I couldn't understand why they had become completely different people after Trevor moved into our home. They tore apart the piano room they had designed for me and made me sleep in a storage room. They burned every family photograph that included me, then posed for picture after picture with Trevor. And because Trevor was afraid of dogs, they even buried alive the three puppies they had once bought to make me happy. Before him, they had held me with indulgent smiles and called me their precious boy, the greatest treasure of their lives. I was crying and nearly drifting unconscious when my smartwatch alarm jolted me awake. Someone had blocked the air vent. Once again, I opened my mouth like a fish stranded on dry land, desperately trying to breathe. A moment later, my phone rang. It was Dad. The device was so hot it felt ready to burst, but survival instinct made me grip it tightly and answer at once. Chapter 2 "Dad! Help me! Please come open the sauna door... I'm really going to die..." Dad's face on the video call was filled with disgust. "Stop pretending. Trevor said he gave you the sauna key before he left. "Take pictures of your math notes and send them to him right now. Math is his weakest subject." Trevor had never given me the key. Before leaving, he had leaned close enough to whisper only one thing. "Die in there." I could barely breathe, but I forced myself to explain. "No, Dad... He didn't give me the key. I'm still trapped in the sauna... I'm going to die. Please come save me..." Dad grew even angrier, convinced that I simply didn't want Trevor to have my notes. "What are you pretending for? You're slandering Trevor again! Are you afraid he'll beat you on the final exam? You're supposed to be a man, yet you're this petty? "Send him the notes before I lose my temper." I was almost unable to speak, so I turned on the camera and aimed it at my burning red face. It was an unnatural red, as though blood might seep through my skin. "Dad, look at me..." Instead, he immediately turned off the video, looking furious. A theatrical sigh came from the other end. It was Trevor. "See? I told you Micah fought me for my scarlet stage makeup. He obviously wanted to smear it on himself and make you feel sorry for him. Aunt Melissa, Uncle Richard, don't be too hard on him. He's always liked playing these delicate little tricks." Dad said, "Fine," three times before delivering his final threat. "If I don't receive pictures of those notes within five minutes, I'll have Rosa burn every page. "You refuse to share them because you're afraid Trevor will score higher than you. You're my own son. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?" I shook my head in terror. Those weren't just notes. They contained three years of work and everything I needed for the final two months of review. Before I could answer, Dad ended the call in fury. I had no chance to explain. Five minutes later, I heard the housekeeper's footsteps outside. Joy flooded through me. I had assumed Rosa had gone with them to wait on Trevor. My voice shook as I called to her. "Rosa... Please save me..." She sounded conflicted. "Micah, honey, your parents locked you in there themselves. Please don't make this difficult for me." I pressed a hand against my heart, which felt ready to leap from my chest. "Please, Rosa. You watched me grow up... Please save me..." In this house, Dad and Mom only loved Trevor. I had believed Rosa was the one person who truly cared about me. During an earthquake years earlier, my parents instinctively ran outside with Trevor. Rosa was the one who shook me awake and carried me out barefoot. At last, she seemed to soften. "Oh, you poor child. But your father is in a hurry. Tell me where your notebooks are first, so I can finish what he ordered. Please don't blame me." I knew the notes couldn't be saved, but to save my life, I hurriedly told her where I had hidden them. Her footsteps gradually faded. The heat was unbearable. While I waited for her to return, I crawled to the opposite wall and pressed my entire body against it. Then I accidentally overheard Rosa speaking in a lowered voice. "Sir, I burned all of Micah's notes. Trevor is guaranteed to score higher than him now." "What about Micah? Is he still trapped in the sauna?" Excitement rushed through me. Dad might not believe me, but surely he would believe Rosa. Then I heard her answer. "No, sir. Micah is sitting on the couch with a giant tub of ice cream, playing video games." Chapter 3 I trembled with fury. Then I remembered the blocked air vent. Rosa and I were the only people left in the house. Who else could have done it? Through the narrow gap, I watched her deadbolt the front door, gather all her belongings, and flee the estate. The steam grew hotter, while my heart raced wildly inside my chest. The exposed skin had begun to split, and a sickening smell rose around me. This time, I truly felt I was going to die. With the last of my strength, I called 911. The fire department and ambulance would need at least twenty minutes. I didn't think I could last that long. Deciding that I should at least leave a final message, I lifted the burning phone and called one last person. "Grandma... It's Micah. I miss you so much... I really can't hold on this time. Dad and Mom locked me in the sauna because of Trevor..." The more I spoke, the more wounded and childish my voice became. "Grandma, I miss you so much... You were the only person in this family who loved me. I shouldn't have been rude or argued with you all the time. Grandma, I was the one who didn't understand..." Grandma had always loved me most, but when I was younger, I thought her values were old-fashioned. I argued with her constantly until we became estranged. After growing older, I had always wanted to apologize, but I never found the opportunity. No one spoke on the other end. After what felt like forever, someone suddenly laughed. It was Trevor again. "Sorry, Micah. Grandma is carefully making oatmeal for me. She said nobody was allowed to interrupt her while she cooked for her precious grandson, so she handed me her phone. "Oh, and your parents were desperate to make sure I beat you on the final exam. They burned all your study materials and even went to school to withdraw you from classes for the rest of the term. Aren't you happy?" Tears ran from the corners of my eyes. They had gone that far for Trevor. Then I heard Grandma's elderly voice in the background, hopeful and uncertain. "Trevor, who is that? I thought I heard Micah's voice." Trevor answered quickly. "No, Grandma. He spends every day playing video games. Why would he have time to think about you? He has probably forgotten you even exist." Grandma murmured in acknowledgment, disappointment filling her voice. I turned toward the phone and tried to shout. "Grandma, it's me! It's Micah!" But at that moment, the phone finally surrendered to the heat and burst apart. Sharp fragments sliced across my face. In the wet heat, the blood showed no sign of clotting. My breathing slowed, and my head grew heavier. Through the haze, I heard sirens outside. "Is someone inside? Why is the front door deadbolted? We're here to rescue you!" I no longer had enough strength to answer. All I could do was lie dying on the scorching floor and listen. The fire captain's voice outside sounded familiar. It seemed to be Daniel Mercer, Dad's closest friend. "Are we certain this is the address? Micah has to be in trouble. Damn it, why is the front door locked?" "We don't have time, Captain! Whoever is inside is fading fast. We need to break through now!" Daniel's voice was grave. "Cutting through the security door could take too long. I'll call Richard and get the key." "Richard, where is the emergency key to your estate? Tell me now. Your boy called 911. He's trapped in the sauna and close to death!" Dad sounded thoroughly annoyed with me. "That little brat is getting bolder every day. Now he's filing false emergency reports? Trust me, Daniel. Turn around. Nothing is wrong." Daniel lost his patience. "Richard, give me the key. We traced your son's emergency call directly to the sauna. He has a heart condition. How could you do this?" Chapter 4 Dad's voice grew even angrier. "He fooled you too? You're a fire captain, and you let a teenager play you for a fool. Aren't you embarrassed?" Daniel hung up in fury and ordered his crew to force entry. My vision was already fading. I didn't know whether I imagined it, but I could smell cooked meat. I might not survive until Daniel reached me. The next second, the sauna door crashed open, and Daniel stood in the doorway against a blaze of white light. The crew hurriedly carried me into an ambulance. Paramedics and nurses covered me in monitoring equipment and emergency lines. A nurse leaned over me, her voice close to tears. "Don't be afraid. I'm here, and I'm going to save you." I lay blank-eyed in the ambulance while she performed chest compressions again and again. Outside the window, enormous fireworks arranged by my parents for Trevor's birthday lit up the sky. "Sweetheart, you are our whole heart." Strangely, I felt no sadness left. There was even a strange sense of relief. Trevor could keep them. From that day forward, we had nothing to do with one another. The birthday motorcade my parents had arranged for Trevor packed the intersection and brought the ambulance to a complete stop. Every vehicle carried a huge illuminated sign. "Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Trevor!" When one of the nurses saw my face growing paler, she jumped from the ambulance and shouted at the lead convertible. "Do you people know how to drive? This is an ambulance! Someone's life is at risk. Clear the road!" Dad sounded impatient. "Can't you see we're celebrating a birthday? Do you understand how important an eighteenth birthday is?" Mom was afraid anything might spoil Trevor's mood, so she joined in angrily. "Exactly. Whoever is in that ambulance isn't part of my family. Why should I care whether they live or die?" Trevor wore an elegant designer suit and drew admiring looks from the crowd. Some bystanders even accused the nurse of emotionally blackmailing the family. With no other choice, the nurse returned to the ambulance in fury. As though he wanted to fight the ambulance deliberately, Dad drove at a crawl and continued blocking us. The attending physician couldn't tolerate it. He stepped out and shouted at Dad. "I'm warning you! Deliberately obstructing an ambulance is a crime. If this becomes a criminal case, it could affect your son's college admission!" Mom's expression changed slightly. "Let's stop arguing and move. Otherwise Micah might not be able to take the final exam either. He's still our biological son." Only then did Dad nod and order the convoy to move aside. The celebration car and the ambulance passed beside each other in traffic. One carried a birthday party. The other carried a dying child. As the vehicles crossed, Dad glimpsed me through the window and frowned. "Am I seeing things? That boy looked a lot like Micah." Mom laughed at him. "You're imagining it. Didn't Rosa say he's eating ice cream and playing video games?" Dad finally relaxed. Two months later, on the day of the statewide college entrance exam, my parents dressed formally and made a spectacle of seeing Trevor off outside his testing center. Then my homeroom teacher called. "Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt, I need to confirm something. Did you truly withdraw Micah, the top-ranked senior in our district, and decide he would not take the statewide exam?" My parents froze. "No, Ms. Bennett. We only authorized two months of leave. He was supposed to return to school a week before the exam." They finally panicked and rushed toward the car, intending to return to the estate and find me. On the back seat, they discovered a familiar key ring containing the only key to the home sauna. Mom's voice began trembling violently. "Didn't Trevor say... he gave the only key to Micah?"