20


    PERCIE


    “You’re not the worst person or the worst brother, Percie. You survived that ident for a reason. It’s


    for you to find out what are those reasons—your purpose in life. She would be devastated, and it would


    break her heart too if you got the injury instead of her. Do you wanna see her in your position? How


    would you feel seeing her struggling and ming herself for what had happened to you? Do you think


    she can survive the way you did after being disowned by your parents? You’re stronger than you think


    you are. Give yourself extra credit. That’s one of the reasons why you survived. You wouldn’t and never


    give up on her. That’s another reason. You survived for her. I think that’s enough for Emma.”


    I couldn’t begin to imagine Emma struggling to survive when she was in my situation. Would my


    parents disown her too? She had somewhere to go to—her old family. But Emma loved me so much. If


    I was the one who got the kidney problem? What if they both failed to function?


    My stomach dropped. My heart was just crushed.


    Emma would be willing to die for me.


    I wiped the tears rolling down my face. I had not thought that far than wishing of going back to that


    moment. I knew Emma. No matter how positive a person she was, she would me herself for what


    happened. She would be willing to give up herself to save me. She was so kindhearted and loving and


    would give up everything for me in a heartbeat.


    I felt Hailey’s hand squeezing mine. I sniffed. I couldn’t even face her. I felt weak, ashamed, and guilty


    at the same time.


    “I burned down our house.”


    She gasped.


    Her eyes were enormous. I could see the horrific looked on her face.


    “I told you, Lee. I’m not a good person.”


    She didn’t let go of my hand like I was expecting. Instead, she tightened her grip.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I continued talking the moment she kept my hand in her grip. “I went to take Emma’s things after the


    funeral, but my parents would not allow me. Instead, they called the cops and let them drag me out of


    their house. I went back that night and burned down the house. I made sure that my parents were not


    there, though. I didn’t even know why I didn’t consider them dying in the fire. I think I still have humanity


    left deep down in me. Or maybe because they are still my parents no matter what. Or Emma would


    never forgive me. I was just so mad at them.”


    “I’m so sorry, Percie.” She squeezed my hand. Her lips trembled.


    “Her things are the only thing I have left, and they wouldn’t let me have them. They are so selfish. My


    grandparents told me that my parents are nning on donating the clothes and keep some of Emma’s


    things in the stock room, for what? They will throw them away sooner. And I can’t let them do that.”


    “I have a twin brother too. I lost him when we were ten. We went to the grocery store a few blocks from


    the house. We were just going to buy snacks and then came back. We loved gummy bears. I still


    remember when the man pointed a gun at the cashier and asked for cash. I froze in my tracks. Caleb


    was standing beside him, paying at the cashier.” She shook to cry.


    I moved closer to her, pulled her into me, and wrapped my arms around her. Finally, she let her guard


    down. I hushed her, ran my fingers through her hair, and kissed the top of her head.


    “You don’t have to tell me, Lee. I know how hard it is to share. It hurts no matter how long ago it was. It


    still reminds us of the people we lost. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that you have to go through that.”


    “When he noticed Caleb was looking at him, he shot my brother instead of that man.”


    A gasp escaped my lips. Jesus Christ. I couldn’t even begin to imagine a ten-year-old girl watching her


    brother shot. I shut my eyes closed.


    “He took all the money that the cashier offered and left. The cashier survived, and my brother died. He


    surrendered after my brother’s burial service. That’s how Dad became a cop—to catch bad guys like


    him.”


    We stayed right there for a moment.


    She had the most painful experience at a young age. Her brother was taken away from her in front of


    her in a horrible way, but she stayed strong.


    I didn’t know how she managed to survive without even seeing a shrink. I admired her even more. She


    was the strongest person I knew.


    “Our ssmates med me. That I was jealous of the attention he got. They called me the ugly twin.


    Caleb was the star of the school. He yed on the baseball team, while I didn’t have any talents like


    him. He was my hero when someone bullied me, though. After I lost him, nobody fought for me in


    school, and the bullying was getting worse. I stayed at home and was homeschooled until my


    sophomore. When dad got transferred here, that was the time I started going to school again. I was


    very thankful that nobody bullied me anymore. I made sure to keep my head down all the time. But the


    idea of being ugly and having no talent had already stuck in my head.”


    I broke our hug, cupped her face, and looked straight in the eye, deep into her soul. I wanted her to


    know that she was the most beautiful thing I saw right now. “Hey, you are far from ugly. You are


    beautiful, strong, talented, and smart. Your dad told me that you were honor in your ss. You were


    great during your piano recital. Don’t you ever look so low at yourself? They bullied you because they


    saw something in you that they never had. They were jealous of both of you, Hailey.” I wiped the tears


    away from her cheeks.


    I guessed we both dwelt with losses that we forgot the beauty of life, of ourselves.


    “It’s not your fault that your brother died that day. At least he got his justice. The person responsible is


    already locked up. Don’t you ever listen to the people who like to bully? He did it because they wanted


    attention. They thought they were tough and looked cool when they hurt people. They are probably hurt


    or victims too, but that doesn’t give them the right to make fun of someone. That is just so wrong.


    They’re sick, Hailey. They wanted to ruin other’s lives, and they made you believe that they were better


    than you were. The truth is, you are far better than them.” I kissed her forehead onest time.


    I checked her out when her sobs lessened. She didn’t answer me back. She just fell asleep in my arms.


    I ced her pillow at the back of my head andid myself down, and let her head rest on my chest.


    I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through her hair until I fell asleep.