They All Voted for My Death Then I Came Back Reborn Chapter 02

They All Voted for My Death Then I Came Back Reborn Chapter 02

The next morning, the dining table was covered with food.

Steamed shrimp with lemon butter. Cilantro-lime steak. Seafood chowder. Steamed crab legs.

Steam rose from the dishes in thick waves until my vision blurred.

I had a shellfish allergy, and I didn’t eat cilantro. My mom knew both things perfectly well.

But that morning, she carefully cracked open a crab leg and placed the meat in a small pink bowl.

“Crab was always Claire’s favorite. And she loved cilantro. She said food tasted flat without it. I need to practice making all her favorite dishes so the food will feel familiar when she comes home.”

I sat there for a long time with my fork in my hand.

Then I lowered my head and forced down a bite of dry toast, swallowing the ache that kept rising into my throat.

My throat ached from everything I was holding back.

I waited until I could speak without my voice breaking.

“Mom, do you remember that I’m allergic to shellfish?”

I kept my eyes fixed on the toast on my plate. I did not dare look up.

The ladle in my mom’s hand paused above the chowder.

“After everything that’s happening, this is what you’re worried about? Once your sister comes back, there will be a lot of changes. So what if you miss one meal?”

I nodded, set down my fork, and returned to my room.

Mason came over that afternoon.

The moment he saw how pale my lips were, a faint crease appeared between his brows.

I clutched the hem of my shirt and watched him for a long time before speaking so softly I could barely hear myself.

“Mason, will you take me to the beach? I’ve always wanted to go. I’m going to die soon anyway.”

He froze.

For one foolish second, I thought that because I had finally asked, he might actually say yes.

Instead, he said, “You should stay home for the next few days. If something goes wrong with the exchange, your mom won’t be able to handle it.”

I gave him a bitter smile.

“You’re that afraid Claire won’t make it back?”

His face tightened.

“Anna, stop talking like this. I’m worried about you.”

I lifted my head and blinked rapidly.

Then I smiled again, wider this time, until the strain made the corners of my mouth ache.

“You’re worried about me, so you pressed yes without hesitating and offered me up to die?”

He lowered his eyes and pressed his lips together.

He did not offer another explanation.

Suddenly, arguing felt pointless.

I turned away, went back to my room, and opened the Exchange app with trembling hands.

I tried the password Laura used for everything.

It worked.

Inside the account were my medical records, sleep-tracking data, and mood-tracking data.

They had been preparing for this all along.

My stomach cramped so hard I grabbed the edge of my desk. A metallic taste rose in my throat.

At the bottom of the page, I found an audio file marked in red.

My finger shook as I tapped it.

A faint female voice came through in broken fragments.

“Don’t choose my sister.”

“Mom, I don’t want her exchanged for me.”

“She’s your daughter too.”

I grabbed my phone and ran out of the room, nearly tripping over my own feet.

I held the screen up in front of Laura.

“Mom, listen. That’s Claire’s voice.”

The moment she heard it, the ladle slipped from her hand.

“Claire…”

But as the recording continued, the excitement on her face slowly froze.

A second later, she slapped me across the face.

My head snapped to the side. My ears rang, and heat spread across my skin.

“Anna, how dare you fake your sister’s voice just to stop her from coming home?”

My dad snatched the phone from me and deleted the recording.

“Claire has already died once. Are you trying to make her die again?”

Numbly, I looked at Mason.

“You heard her, didn’t you? She said she didn’t want this.”

I pushed the cancellation screen toward him.

“Take back your vote. If you revoke your consent, I can still live.”

His finger hovered above the screen.

Laura suddenly dropped to her knees and clutched his sleeve.

“Mason, please. Claire saved your life. You have to help her.”

He closed his eyes.

A long time passed before he lowered the phone.

“Anna, I’m sorry.”

My hand suddenly began to fade.

Mason lunged forward to grab me.

I stepped back.

“Don’t touch me. This is what you chose.”