They All Voted for My Death Then I Came Back Reborn Chapter 05

They All Voted for My Death Then I Came Back Reborn Chapter 05

My mom stared at the words on the screen, her lips trembling.

“Claire, is that you?”

The screen flashed again.

[My sister is not a vessel. She can feel pain.]

Richard’s face went rigid.

Mason spun toward me.

I was still standing in front of the camera. The false smile had not yet fallen from my face, and my cheeks had gone numb from holding it.

My mom rushed forward and cradled the phone in both hands.

“Claire, I only did this because I missed you so much. I’ve spent years trying to find you.”

A sentence slowly appeared.

[When I was little, I told you that loud noises and bright lights overwhelmed me, and that I was afraid of being touched without warning.]

My mom’s sobbing stopped.

I saw my dad’s fingers curl toward his palm.

Claire continued typing: [The doctor said I was on the autism spectrum and had sensory sensitivities. You said I was just being difficult.]

No one in the living room spoke.

Tears clung to Laura’s face, but she looked confused.

“That’s not true. Claire, you were just being fussy when you were little.”

A chill crept down my back.

I suddenly remembered how Laura had always described Claire as quiet and obedient.

But in the old videos, Claire often covered her ears or huddled beneath the table.

My mom always fast-forwarded through those parts.

The app stopped responding.

A countdown appeared: [00:00:10]

Only then did Laura panic and turn toward me.

“Anna, stand up straight.”

Richard rushed over and grabbed my arm.

“Don’t move. We can’t let anything go wrong at the last second.”

I looked down at their hands.

They felt cold against my skin.

Mason’s voice came out rough.

“Anna, don’t.”

I looked at him.

His eyes were red, but he still did not reach for me.

[00:00:03]

Cold swept upward from my feet, as if an invisible current were dragging me into deep water.

I heard my mom scream Claire’s name.

I heard Mason call mine.

The two names collided in the air, but neither one caught me.

White light pierced my eyes.

When I opened them again, the sharp smell of antiseptic hit me.

A woman sat beside the hospital bed. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but she did not touch me.

The moment she saw me wake, she took a step back.

“Anna, don’t be afraid. I won’t touch you.”

My throat felt scraped raw. I could not make a sound.

A man stood in the doorway holding an insulated food container, tears running freely down his face.

“Plain oatmeal. Nothing you’re allergic to, and no cilantro. The doctor said you should start with something bland and easy on your stomach.”

I stared at them.

Who are they?

Are these my parents in another universe?

The woman placed a glass of water on the bedside table.

“You can talk when you’re ready. If you don’t want to, that’s okay too. We’ll wait.”

Heat gathered behind my eyes.

Outside the room, a nurse quietly explained that I was physically fine but badly shaken.

The woman immediately lowered her voice even further.

“All right. We’ll keep it quiet.”

At the same moment, the white light faded from the living room in my original universe.

Claire stood where I had been, both hands clamped over her ears. Her shoulders shook violently.

My mom rushed toward her, sobbing.

“Claire!”

The instant Laura touched her, Claire screamed and stumbled backward.

The cake overturned. All eight candles rolled across the floor.

Claire pressed herself against the wall, breathing fast and hard.

“Don’t touch me. It’s too bright. It’s too loud.”

Laura froze.

Claire raised her reddened eyes.

“Where is my sister? Where did you send Anna?”