13
In a cozy cabin in Iceland, gathered around a fire, Leo suddenly said, “Today is Rory’s birthday.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“Before she… went into the coma, we always celebrated her birthday together,” Julian said quietly.
“We’d start planning weeks in advance, figuring out what gifts to get her,” Leo added.
“She once made a wish that her parents, her brother, Caleb, Julian, and Leo would all have a safe and happy life,” Caleb whispered.
Alex froze. Suddenly, he could hear Rory’s voice echoing in his head, calling him “Alex” over and over. He saw her giving him her favorite snack, him taking a bite from her spoon. He saw himself holding her small, chubby hand, telling her never to talk to stran- gers, to always stay with her big brother because he would protect her.
My father thought of his daughter, the first time she called him “Dad,” watching her grow up…
My mother was lost in memories of her own, the joy she felt when her daughter was born. Every birthday, watching her grow from a little girl into a bright, lively young woman. She remembered her daughter clinging to her, promising to be her little girl forever. She remembered the handmade gifts she would receive every Mother’s Day, even when she was tiny.
Tears began to stream down my mother’s face.
How… how did it come to this? When did the little girl in their hearts become so distant? How could three years in a coma create such a chasm between them? Why did she no longer call out to them happily–Dad, Mom, Alex, Caleb, Julian, Leo…?.
“! remember the day of the crash,” Leo said, his voice thick. “I was fading in and out, but I saw Rory, all alone, covered in blood, cryi-
ng and calling our names. She used all her strength to drag us out of the burning car, one by one. I saw her look back at us, her face. a mask of tear–streaked determination, and then her tiny body climbed into the driver’s seat. I saw her sitting in that burning car, so scared, so terrified, crying her eyes out, but she still managed to start the engine and drive it away. The car stopped far away, and I saw her little body jump out… and then the explosion. She just… fell. She didn’t move… We were safe, because of her. We alw- ays said we would protect her. But in the most dangerous moment, she was the one who protected us. With her own small body,
she protected us all…”
As Leo spoke, tears streamed down his face. Caleb was trembling.
Everyone in the room was lost in a daze of confusion and panic.
Why did it turn out this way?
Why had the girl they had cherished, the girl who had cared for them
a piece of their own souls behind…
SO
deeply, been abandoned by them? It felt as if they had left
Celine saw the change in their expressions and felt a surge of panic. It felt like something was slipping through her fingers.
She spoke, her voice wounded. “Sister must have been so happy before. She must have had so many wonderful birthdays. Not like me… my parents were always so busy. I spent most of my birthdays with my grandparents in the countryside…”
But when she said it, she realized they weren’t looking at her with the usual pity and comfort. This sent another wave of panic through her.
05.52
Chapter 2
0552
In that moment, my father, my mother, Alex, and the boys felt a sudden, sharp wave of disgust at her words. Here they were, in Iceland, because she wanted to see the aurora, and she was still playing the victim, comparing herself to Rory, who was all alone at
home. It didn’t even occur to her to wish her sister a happy birthday.
It was as if, in that instant, they had broken free from the roles this world had assigned them…
The group returned from their trip and drove straight to the Rhodes estate. But when they arrived, they found no trace of me.
The housekeeper informed them that the young miss had moved out several days ago.
They were all stunned.
