Murdered for Saving My Sister

My older sister, Holly Keller, is studying in the public library for her SATs when a stray bullet hits her. Blood pours from the wound. Instead of stopping, I quicken my pace, walking right past her and acting like I haven't seen a thing. It was because, in my past life, I took her to the hospital as soon as the accident happened. The gunshot to her head caused severe intracranial bleeding, and she needed surgery right away. I called our mom, who happened to be the top neurosurgeon in the city. And I begged her to get to the hospital as fast as possible. But she assumed I'm just being jealous because she had taken my adopted brother on a trip instead of spending time with me. Assuming that I was making the whole thing up to ruin their trip, she flat-out refused to come back. By the time Dad and the rest of the family arrived at the hospital, Holly was already gone despite the doctors' best efforts. The entire family blamed me for Holly's death. They believed I had deliberately misled Mom just to screw up Holly's chances of getting treated in time. When Mom finally rushed back from out of town, she completely lost it. She shoved me down the stairs and watched as I bleed to death. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day Holly is shot in the library. Chapter 1 As that vivid red color filled my vision, I stood frozen at the library entrance for a moment. It reminded me of the blood that had pooled beneath the back of my head when Mom shoved me down the stairs in my past life. Countless memories flashed through my mind in rapid succession—the chaos in the hospital corridor, Mom's cold gaze, Dad's furious roar, and the terrifying sensation of free-falling. I spun on my heel, taking off in the opposite direction as if my life depended on it. I flagged down a cab and practically scrambled inside. Even after settling into the back seat, I still couldn't stop trembling. Trevor Keller's parents had died saving my sister, Holly Keller, during an earthquake, leaving him an orphan. Feeling indebted to his family, my parents welcomed Trevor into our home. From then on, Trevor became the golden child of my family, while I was reduced to an eyesore who didn't belong. Even Holly, who had always doted on me, gave all her affection to Trevor instead. And no matter what I did or said, I could do no right in their eyes. In my past life, I desperately tried to explain that I was just trying to save Holly, that Mom had gotten it all wrong. Alas, they wouldn't believe a single word of it. They even believed that Holly getting shot was part of some sick, elaborate plot orchestrated by me. As ridiculous as it sounded, they believed it without question. So this time, I was going to mind my own business. After all, Holly did nothing even though she knew Trevor had people bully me at school. She even had the nerve to tell me to look in the mirror and ask myself if my horrible personality was the reason I was targeted. The moment I entered the house, I heard Dad talking to himself, his voice full of excitement. "Man, these shrimp are huge. Trevor's going to love these. I should whip up some hearty pot roast when he gets home. He's lost a lot of weight lately and needs the protein." It wasn't until I reached the dining room doorway that Dad finally noticed me. His smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a stern glare. "Norman, why did it take you so long to buy the crabs that I asked for? Do you have any idea what time it is? Where the hell have you been? If the crabs aren't fresh anymore, we're going to end up with food poisoning! Do you have any sense of priorities at all?" Dad laid into me right off the bat. I just stood there in the doorway, still holding the bag of crabs. It felt incredibly heavy in my hand. Lowering my head, I muttered, "There was traffic…" "Traffic? You're telling me you're the only person in this city who got stuck in traffic? And honestly, you're way too sensitive. "The moment you get the slightest criticism, you clam up. You're nowhere near as sensible and considerate as Trevor." Ever since Trevor came to live with us, I had been hearing things like that nonstop. Every action I took and every emotion I expressed were weighed against Trevor. And the verdict was always that I fell short. I glanced up at Dad. The look of disappointment on his face was impossible to miss. I tightened my grip on the bag, my nails digging so deeply into my palms that it hurt. Suddenly, a sharp ringtone cut through the air. It was Dad's phone, which was on the cutting board. "Hello? Oh, Mr. Shaffer! Yes, hello…" He spoke in a casual tone, clearly expecting the teacher to be asking for Trevor. Chapter 2 Over the phone, Dad asked, "What? Holly was shot in the library?" As soon as Dad hung up, he turned to me and said, "Your sister got hurt in the library. Mr. Shaffer said we need to get to the hospital right away." Feigning ignorance, I followed Dad out the door. He sped all the way to Droveford Hospital. That place couldn't have been more familiar to me. Mom was the hospital's star neurosurgeon, the best there was. Before long, everyone was gathered outside the operating room. My grandparents from both sides were all there. My maternal grandmother, whom I call Granny, was wiping her tears. She pointed an accusatory finger at me, choking out, "How do you have the nerve to show your face here? Where were you when something like this happened to Holly?" Gramps, my maternal grandfather, didn't say a single word, but the look he gave me was filled with disappointment and condemnation. My paternal grandparents, Grandpa and Grandma, were staring at me with the same look of disapproval. As Grandpa steadied Grandma, he yelled, "Yeah! Why didn't you go to the library with Holly? It's dangerous for her to be out alone!" Dad stood off to the side, his expression making it clear that he blamed me, too. I felt like a target, pierced by countless arrows. In this life, I chose to stay out of it, yet I still ended up as the scapegoat. As expected, no matter what I did, I could never do right by them. Keeping my head down, I quietly defended myself, "I didn't know something would happen to Holly. Should I get Mom? She's working late anyway…" The moment I mentioned Mom, a look of panic crossed Dad's gaze. He quickly grabbed my arm. "Your mom is busy. Don't bother her." Right. She was busy flying out to Harrewville to buy a platinum bracelet for Trevor, after all. It was only at this moment in my past life that I learned that Mom had taken time off work to go to Harrewville with Trevor. Everyone knew that she wasn't in the city, but they'd all kept it from me. Grandma shot Dad a disapproving look. "What could be more important than Holly's surgery? Call Mary right now! Tell her to get here immediately!" "Yes, exactly!" Granny chimed in, "Nothing could be more important than this. Call her!" Putting on an anxious act, I took out my phone and called Mom. I tried more than a dozen times, but no one answered. "What is Mary Holden doing? How can she refuse to answer her phone at a time like this?" Grandma was even more frantic now, her frustration with Mom obvious in her voice. Dad quickly tried to smooth things over. "Mom, she's probably performing a surgery. You know how she is—once she's in the OR, she tunes everything out." But the second the words left his mouth, the call connected. "Didn't I tell you not to bother me for no reason? Are you out of your mind, Norman Keller? Do you have any idea how busy I am?" Tightening my grip around my phone, I spoke timidly. "Mom, Holly's been shot. She's at your hospital. Please come—" Before I could even finish, she cut me off with a scoff. "Ha! Shot? Don't go wishing bad things on Holly! Holly is perfectly fine at the library studying for her exams. How could she possibly have been shot? "If she ends up doing badly on her exams, it'll be because you jinxed her!" She didn't believe me at all. Her response was the same as it had been in my previous life. "Mom, it's true! Holly really was shot! She's right outside the operating room at your hospital! She was bleeding so much—" "It's true, Mary! Please hurry over!" Granny shouted desperately into my phone. Mom's voice instantly turned cold, her irritation unmistakable. "Mom, Norman's just talking nonsense. Why are you going along with him? Whatever. I don't have time for this nonsense. I'm busy with work. I'm hanging up now." She then hung up without saying another word. Grandma clutched her chest, her voice shaking. "What could be more important than Holly's life? She's lost her mind!" Dad tried to defend Mom, "Mary might really have something incredibly important going on…" Just then, a nurse rushed out of the operating room, looking frantic. "Are you Dr. Holden's family? You need to get her here right now! The patient has a severe brain hemorrhage. "Her condition is critical, and Dr. Holden's the only one who can perform this surgery! She took the day off today, so she isn't in the hospital right now." Chapter 3 Dad instantly became flustered, looking helplessly between Grandma and Granny. Granny stomped her foot and snapped, "What are you standing around for? Call your wife right now! How dare she lie to us about being busy with work!" This time, the call connected almost immediately. Over the noisy background, Trevor's excited voice rang out, "Mom, I want that bracelet! Hurry up and buy it for me!" Mom replied affectionately, "Okay, I'll go pay for it." Dad spoke frantically into the phone. "Mary, you need to come back right now! Holly's been shot. She has a brain hemorrhage and needs you in the operating room!" There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Then Mom's annoyed voice came through. "You're joining in on this nonsense, too? Did that useless brat put you up to this? He can't go a single day without causing trouble! "How many times do I have to say it? You can't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth!" I felt a cold chill wash all over me as I listened to their conversation beside Dad. Trevor was a pathological liar. He was always the one framing me for things, leaving me with no way to defend myself. Dad pleaded, "Mary, I'm begging you to believe me. This is real! Holly is really dying. Please, just come back and see for yourself!" Mom sounded somewhat hesitant. "Marvin, I…" Just then, Trevor's voice came through the speaker again. He whined, "Jeez, all I wanted was a platinum bracelet. I can't believe Norman got the whole family involved just to ruin our outing. "Forget it, Mom. I don't want it anymore. After all, I'm just a child you adopted. I'm not as important as Norman." Mom's attitude changed in an instant. She was suddenly resolute as she snapped, "That's enough. I'll be back tonight. Stop bringing Holly into this just to deceive me! She's as tough as nails. What could happen to her?" Unable to take it any longer, Granny shouted into the phone, "Mary, have you no conscience? Holly's life is hanging by a thread, and all you can think about is that adopted son of yours? "Do you really think all of us would lie to you? Is a stupid bracelet really more important than Holly's life?" Mom's voice was thick with annoyance at this point. "Mom, enough already. Trevor is my precious child and is just as important to me as Holly. I'll be back soon, so stop pressuring me! Norman is just a selfish pathological liar. Don't believe him!" She hung up again, leaving everyone anxiously waiting outside the operating room. Both Granny and Grandma were fuming. They never expected Mom to be so unreasonable that she would even disregard her own daughter's life for the sake of an adopted son. As I watched their panic and fury unfold, I felt surprisingly calm inside. In my past life, I had done everything I could to save Holly's life, but all I got in return was my family's accusations and Mom's heartlessness. That was why I decided to simply watch from the sidelines in this life. I wondered how everyone would react to Mom putting Trevor first. The nurse burst out of the operating room again, her voice edged with urgency. "Have you gotten hold of Dr. Holden yet? The patient's vitals are dropping! If we don't start surgery soon, it'll be too late!" Dad frantically tried to call Mom again, only to realize that she'd blocked him. Grandma and Granny fumbled with their phones, their hands trembling as they tried to call Mom. A moment later, both of their faces turned deathly pale. Grandma was beside herself with shock and anguish. "I can't get through! She blocked me too!" Granny clutched her phone tightly, her face a mess of tears and snot. "She blocked me as well… That heartless woman! How could she do this?" Despair spread through the corridor in an instant. Everyone knew then that Holly wasn't going to make it. But all we could do was stand helplessly outside the operating room, listening to the frantic sounds of resuscitation from inside and watching Holly's life slowly slip away. Chapter 4 The doors to the operating room opened again. An exhausted doctor walked out before slowly shaking his head. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could." Grandma let out a heart-wrenching wail. She rushed in and threw herself over Holly's body, crying her heart out. "My Holly! My granddaughter!" Granny staggered into the room as well. She hugged Holly's cold body as she sobbed. "Holly! How could this happen to her?" Dad stood frozen in place, swaying slightly. Overwhelming grief and remorse were etched on his face. He stared at his lifeless daughter on the operating table, then let out an uncontrollable roar of rage. Even though Mom said she'd be back that evening, she didn't return until two days later. By the time she finally showed up with Trevor in tow, Holly's funeral was already over. A shiny platinum bracelet dangled from Trevor's wrist. The dim lighting in the living room only made it look even more glaring. The moment Mom saw me, she walked over and slapped me hard before I even had time to react. A searing pain spread across my face instantly. My head, knocked to the side by the impact, started to buzz. "You troublemaker! I was only spending some time with Trevor, and you just had to make up lies and cause a commotion! How dare you treat Holly's well-being like some kind of joke!" My cheek went numb from the hit as my mind went blank. It took a while before I could find my voice again. "I didn't…" As Trevor caressed the bracelet on his wrist, he looked at me with an innocent expression and a barely noticeable look of triumph in his eyes. "Mom, don't be mad. You shouldn't get upset over me. He's your biological son after all. He probably just missed you too much, so he…" It might seem like he was trying to smooth things over, but his every word was just adding fuel to the fire. "I'd rather have never had a son like you!" Mom hissed through gritted teeth, looking at me like I was the plague she needed to avoid at all costs. Dad, who had been silent this entire time, positioned himself in front of me. "If you don't want him, I do. Take Trevor and get out. Go live your own lives." Both Mom and I froze. Dad usually doted on Trevor just as much as Mom did, if not more. So for him to act like this was completely out of character. "Marvin, what's wrong with you?" Mom asked. Seeing this, Trevor immediately stepped forward. He timidly tugged at Dad's sleeve as he asked in a pitiful voice, "Are you mad at me, Dad? I don't want the bracelet anymore, so please don't be mad." His eyes darted between Dad and me, his act painfully obvious. He was trying to soften Dad's attitude by playing the role of the pitiful, sensible son. Dad shook Trevor's hand off, his face devoid of emotion. "Don't call me Dad. We aren't even related by blood." Trevor instantly went pale. He froze in place as his tears dried up. At that point, Grandma couldn't help but remark, "You neglect your own child but go all out for someone else's! Some mother you are!" I clutched my burning cheek behind Dad, watching Mom get ripped apart by the whole family. This time, I was no longer the one being condemned. Unable to understand what was happening, Mom just took her anger out on me. "Norman, what exactly did you tell them? What lies did you make up this time?" She still refused to believe that Holly was dead, just as she refused to believe her own actions had led to such a devastating outcome. All she wanted to believe was that I had pulled another stunt, badmouthed her, and turned everyone against her. Just as Mom was about to snap, Granny slapped her hard across the face. Before Mom could even recover from the slap, Granny flung the paper she'd been clutching straight at Mom's face. "You've got some nerve to point fingers! Take a good look at what you did!"