Why My Daughter Wanted Us Dead

After the SAT, my daughter turned into something I didn't recognize. She repeatedly stabbed her grandmother, who had raised her, until the old woman bled to death. She pushed her little brother from the tenth floor and killed him on the spot. My wife and I tried to talk her down, our voices shaking, but she only laughed. "Grandma and Caleb were too good to me. That's why they had to die! And you two worked so hard to raise me. You paid for my education and gave me everything. You were too good to me, so you have to die!" Then she set us on fire. I closed my eyes in despair. When I opened them again, I was back one week before my daughter's SAT. This time, I installed a hidden camera in her bedroom. I didn't care what it took. I was going to find out why she killed us. When my wife and I watched the footage later, neither of us could say a word. Chapter 1 I had always thought that once my daughter Willow Gilbert finished the SAT, we could finally breathe again. Preparing for that test had taken over our family's lives. Willow focused on studying, while the rest of us handled everything else. I worked. My mother-in-law, Katherine Bates, got up at 5 a.m. every morning to cook Willow breakfast. My wife, Naomi Gilbert, drove her to school every day, no matter the weather. Even my son, Caleb Gilbert, knew not to interrupt her. For 12 years, everything we did revolved around Willow. We were all waiting for it to be over so we could finally relax, maybe take a trip together. I never imagined that the night the test ended, our sweet, obedient daughter would suddenly turn into a monster and slaughter our entire family. "You were too good to me, so you have to die!" The words were etched so deeply into my mind that even after being reborn, I still couldn't shake them. The terror still clung to me. I couldn't understand how Willow had become a killer overnight. So the afternoon I came back, I ordered a hidden camera for same-day delivery and had it installed in a corner of her room while the house was empty. Before dinner, I told Naomi and Katherine about the camera. Katherine frowned as soon as I finished. "Willow's almost an adult. Privacy matters at her age. If she finds out, she'll be very upset." Naomi nodded. "And her SAT is in a week. This is the worst time to distract her. What if it affects her performance?" I pressed my nails into my palm and told them what had happened in my past life. Katherine didn't believe me. "I raised that girl. I know her better than anyone. She won't even hurt a fly! Are you telling me she stabbed me to death? Jeremy, you've been under too much stress. You're letting a nightmare get to you. Naomi, give him a shoulder rub. He needs to relax. We still have seven days to get through." Naomi stepped closer, but I shook my head. "I'm telling the truth…" I was interrupted by the front door opening. Willow was home. She walked in wearing her school uniform, her face tired in that way seniors get during exam season. When she saw Naomi standing behind me, hands on my shoulders, she came over right away. "Dad, are you not feeling well?" she asked. "I can help, too." Chapter 2 Katherine stopped Willow. "Let your mom handle it. Come eat. I made shrimp just for you tonight. Caleb wanted some, but I saved it all for you." She went into the kitchen to bring out the dishes. Willow set down her backpack and followed to help. I watched Willow move around the kitchen, quiet and attentive. I couldn't believe she was the same person who had murdered our family in my previous life. After dinner, once everything was cleaned up, I spent a long time working up the nerve before finally knocking on Willow's door. I pulled a chair over and sat beside her, keeping my voice gentle. "Willow, is everything okay? If something's bothering you, you can talk to me." She shook her head. "I'm fine." I didn't drop it. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I've got your back. You can always count on me." Her grip tightened around her pen, and she looked up as if she was about to say something. I held my breath, waiting for her to finally tell me the truth. Then a sharp crash came from the living room. The moment broke. Willow lowered her head and went back to her workbook without a word. I stepped out and found Naomi and Katherine both trying to heat a glass of milk for Willow before bed, each insisting on bringing it in themselves. Somewhere in the shuffle, the glass slipped and shattered, milk spreading across the floor. It wasn't unusual. Not long ago, they had argued over which of them bought Willow more comfortable clothes. I crouched down to help gather the pieces. "Why do you two act like you're competing for her attention all the time?" Naomi laughed as she wiped the floor. "Can you blame us? She's the princess of the family." Katherine poured another glass and hurried it down the hall. By the time everything was cleaned up, I tried to go back to Willow's room, but she stopped me at the door. "Dad, it's late, and I still have a lot of studying left to do." I stood there for a moment, looking at the closed door, then went back to the bedroom with a knot in my chest. Naomi was already in bed. I couldn't sleep, so I pulled out my phone and opened the camera feed. Willow sat at her desk, working through problems, every movement steady and routine. I watched for more than an hour and saw nothing out of place. Just as I was about to give up and put my phone away for the night, Willow suddenly moved. I sat up at once, wide awake. I watched as she opened her desk drawer, took out a pair of scissors, and stood up. She walked over to the bed and drove the scissors straight into the stuffed doll, again and again. Every thrust was brutal, her motions steady and practiced. This clearly wasn't the first time she had done it. My eyes locked on the screen. For a second, all I could see was Katherine from before, collapsing under those same blows. I shook Naomi awake. She sat up, startled, then leaned in to look. When she realized Willow was only stabbing a doll, she let out a sigh. Chapter 3 "You had me worried for nothing. Willow was just stabbing a stuffed doll." I looked at Naomi, not sure I had heard her right. "What do you mean, 'just stabbing a stuffed doll'? Doesn't that tell you something's wrong? That kind of aggression doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a doll now. Next time, it could be us!" Naomi rubbed her temples and took my hand. "Mom has already said Willow wouldn't hurt a fly. How could she kill her own family? You're reading too much into this. She's probably just stressed about the SAT and needs a way to vent." Could she be right? After thinking it over, I couldn't dismiss the possibility that the pressure of the SAT had been what drove Willow to murder our family. So, the next morning, I called the school to excuse Willow and took the whole family to an amusement park. She used to love it when she was younger, back before school took over her life. Maybe a day to unwind would help her let go of some of the pressure she was carrying and change the terrible future that awaited our family. So I kept her moving from ride to ride, making sure she tried everything. Willow didn't complain. She looked happy, wearing an easy smile I hadn't seen in a long time. Katherine trailed after them with her phone out, taking pictures of Willow and Caleb, while Naomi leaned closer to me and said quietly, "See? I told you she was just stressed. Look at her now." I nodded, watching Willow laugh. For a moment, the tension in my chest eased. Then my eyes flew wide open. Willow had taken Caleb onto the roller coaster. Just before the ride started, she reached over and unlatched his safety harness. The ride was filled with loops and inverted drops. Without the restraint holding him in place, Caleb would almost certainly be thrown from his seat. The operator was already getting ready to start when I screamed, my voice cracking. "Wait!" He paused and looked over. Without a second thought, I rushed over, pulled Willow and Caleb out of their seats, and dragged them away from the platform. Naomi and Katherine followed, confused. We didn't stop until we reached an open area, and then they turned to me. "What happened? Why'd you pull them off?" I pointed at Willow. "Ask her!" She looked up at me, eyes wide and clear. "Dad, I don't understand what you mean." "Jeremy, what are you doing?" Katherine stepped in front of Willow, her expression turning sharp. Naomi's face tightened as well. I looked at all of them, the way they instinctively moved to shield her, and felt the words catch in my throat. "Just now, on the ride, Willow unlatched Caleb's harness!" I waited for the truth to sink in. It never did. "That's impossible!" Katherine said right away. "Willow would never do something like that. Maybe you saw it wrong, or the staff didn't secure it properly." Caleb nodded along. "Yeah. It wasn't Willow." Chapter 4 Willow stood behind Naomi and Katherine, looking at me with the same innocent expression, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. No matter what I said, Naomi and Katherine refused to believe Willow could have unlatched Caleb's harness. Watching them defend her so completely left me drained. A thought took hold and wouldn't let go. What if everything from my last life had something to do with how much we had indulged her? What if we had pushed her into this without realizing it? The next day, I insisted on taking Willow to see a psychologist, but the results were nothing like what I expected. Willow's evaluation came back perfectly normal. Ironically, it was my questionnaire that raised red flags for severe anxiety. I stared at the results in disbelief. Willow was fine? How was that even possible? Naomi came over and patted my shoulder. "You believe it now, right? There's nothing wrong with Willow. You've just been too tense lately. You're anxious, so you keep assuming the worst. Try to relax. Once Willow finishes the SAT, we'll take a trip as a family." Katherine set a glass of water down for Willow, then walked over as well. "Exactly. The results are right there. Stop making a fuss. If you mess with her state of mind before the exam, you'll be kicking yourself afterward. I don't care how she scores. She'll always be my granddaughter." Their words settled in. For the first time, I found myself wavering. Maybe I really was too anxious about the SAT. Maybe everything I thought I had experienced, the murders, the fire, even coming back… Maybe it was all just something my mind had made up. I shook it off and looked at Willow. She smiled at me, her lips curling into a smug, devilish grin. My chest tightened. I called Naomi and Katherine over, telling them to look. When I turned back, Willow was already sipping her water, calm and composed. She noticed me staring and tilted her head. "Dad? What's wrong? Do you want some water?" I blinked, unsure of what I had just seen, but Naomi and Katherine didn't hesitate. "You're overthinking this because of the SAT. That's all it is." With them repeating it, again and again, I finally forced myself to accept it. Maybe this really was my problem. That night, after we got home, Katherine made a healthy snack for Willow. Caleb joked around at the table like always. Everything looked normal and warm, exactly the way it had been for years. Watching them, watching Willow sit there quiet and obedient, I started to believe it. Maybe none of it had been real. Maybe my last life had only existed in my head. My daughter was kind and thoughtful. There was no way she could be capable of something like that. I kept telling myself that. It did ease something in me, but the unease never fully went away. Before bed, almost without thinking, I opened the camera feed in Willow's room. The moment I saw it, the blood in my veins seemed to turn cold.