Chapter 1 The Dutiful Dove
All my life, I was the picture of compliance. Tell me to walk east, and not once would the west cross my mind.
When my affluent biological parents brought me back, my foster sister, Hailey Johnson, whispered smugly, "I'm going to be the rightful Miss Johnson. You'd better get out of here!"
I nodded meekly and, without any hesitation, dashed into the chaotic highway traffic.
My parents raced after me, yanking me back into the car, their faces ghostly pale with shock.
My brother, Sam Johnson, cast a shadowed look in my direction, murmuring, "Stir up trouble again, and you'll be back in that doghouse before you know it."
That evening found me obediently curled up in a dog cage.
Sam was flabbergasted, pulling me out with gritted teeth, his face a mask of disbelief.
Later, when Hailey feigned sickness and Sam pressured me to donate blood, I took a blade and, without a second thought, cut open my wrist.
My parents burst in just as the blood began to flow.
Panicked, they clamped down on the wound, shouting, "Doctor! We need a doctor!"
Sam's face mirrored their dread. It took him a while to stammer, "I only asked for a little blood for Hailey, not for her to do this."
I blinked in acknowledgment.
Sam was right. He never actually taught me that.
It was the human traffickers, during those five grueling years after my parents had given me away, who drilled the rules into me.
*****
For three straight hours, a team struggled to save me.
Only then did my heartbeat, a whisper from flatlining, flicker back.
Watching the fury on my parents' faces, Hailey couldn't keep up her façade. "I swear it's not my fault. She just did it on her own. I was terrified too."
Her voice quivered with desperation, eager to dissociate herself from any blame.
Seeing the situation unfold, Sam urgently stepped forward to protect her, his voice carrying a steely determination. "Mom, Dad, this is all just a ploy engineered by Sarah. If she truly intended to end her life, she would have gone for her neck, not this calculated wrist-cutting, which she knew would get her rescued in time. She's more clever than you think!"
I was just emerging from a foggy haze when these words hit me.
Quietly, I edged into a shadowy corner, unnoticed, and picked up the still-present knife.
The echoing laughter and the fiery pain from my past swirled vividly in my mind.
I tried to quell the shiver running through me, forcing a smile in search of approval. "Sam, Hailey, I'll do whatever you ask."
With those words, I pressed the knife's point to my neck and drove it in with brutal resolve.
The family's attention snapped to me at the faint sound of my voice, their faces stricken with horror.
Chaos erupted instantly, the room spiraling into a frenzy of screams and panic.
It took all of my parents' pleading and consoling to finally pry the knife from my grip.
Sam shot me a dark look, readying to speak again, but Dad cut him off with a powerful slap.
"Enough!" Dad barked, casting the knife to the floor with disdain.
His trembling finger pointed fiercely from Hailey to Sam.
"What kind of person seeks attention like this? Just look at what you two have done to Sarah!"
Hailey and Sam exchanged incredulous glances, eyes wide with shock.
Hailey stomped in frustration, tears welling up as she simmered with anger.
Sam scowled at me, his voice a seething growl. "Sarah, mark my words. Upset Hailey again, and you'll regret it!"
Poking my head out from behind Mom, I was filled with trepidation.
My body acted of its own volition.
I tugged on Sam's sleeve gently, my tone appeasing. "I'm sorry, Sam. It's my fault. I never meant to upset Hailey. I'll apologize right this minute."
Before they processed what I intended, I had already sidled toward the window, opened it, and, under their stunned gazes, launched myself outside.
The world hushed for a split second.
Then the room exploded with a shrill cry. "Sarah!"
My parents rushed to the window.
One glance down, and Mom crumbled, fainting from the shock.
Dad frantically hunted for a doctor, stumbling in his chaotic haste.
Sam and Hailey stood there, frozen, utterly speechless.
The wind whistled sharply past my ears.
A warm, sticky sensation engulfed me, swiftly followed by a searing agony.
As consciousness slipped away, I let my eyes flutter shut.
