A Family Trip Killed Their Good Girl

When the gas leak happened, Mom instinctively grabbed my screaming sister, Emma, first. By the time the rescue crew pulled me out of the kitchen, the gas had already damaged my brain. After that, my mind never developed past the age of five. For the next thirteen years, Mom held me every night and promised through her tears that she'd never leave me again. Even when Dad was away on business, he'd video-call me every night and help me count the little stars on my wall. Then Emma got into Harvard. Mom asked what she wanted to celebrate. Emma's eyes filled with tears. "I just want one graduation trip with the two of you," she whispered. "No taking care of anyone. Just once. Please?" Mom and Dad looked at her red, swollen eyes and finally gave in. Before they left, Mom sat me down on the little stool behind the door. "Lily, be good. When we come back, Mommy will bring you your favorite strawberry cake." I nodded. I sat by the door. I waited for them to come home. But that same day, the neighborhood lost power during scheduled maintenance. The apartment went dark. Within three days, the fridge started to stink. Everything inside went bad. I was so thirsty and hungry. I called Mom and Dad for help. But they thought I was lying. They warned me that if I kept lying, they wouldn't want me anymore. Eventually, I got severe food poisoning and died alone beside the stinking fridge. When Mom and Dad finally came home from their trip and found my body, they broke down, consumed by regret. …… The day Emma's acceptance letter arrives, her tears drip on to the back of her hand, one after another. Her voice cracks with pleading. "Mom, Dad… I want one graduation trip. Just the three of us. Three normal people, okay?" The living room goes dead silent. I'm sitting on the carpet. I look up at her, a little lost. "Emma, what's three normal people?" "Is Lily normal too? Lily wants to go on a trip!" I drop my Legos and reach for her hand. Emma steps back. She yanks her hand away from me. "You're NOT! You are NOT a normal person!" She's screaming at me, eyes bloodshot. "Do you have any idea what my last thirteen years have been like because of you?" "Even when I got straight A's, all Mom and Dad ever cared about was whether YOU ate on time!" I flinch as she yells. "Emma, don't cry. You can have my Legos." I hold them out, trying to please her. "I don't want your stupid blocks!" Emma smacks the blocks out of my hand. The plastic pieces hit the wall and clatter to the floor. Dad's face darkens. He pulls Emma behind him. "Emma. How can you talk to your sister like that?" "If we hadn't saved you first back then, Lily's brain wouldn't have been damaged by the gas. How can you resent her?" Mom pulls me into her arms. "Lily, sweetie, don't be scared. Mommy's right here." Then she turns to Emma, and there's a warning in her eyes. "Emma, Lily can't be left alone. If we all go on a trip, who's going to take care of her?" Emma sobs grow louder. "It's just a few days! Just this once!" "All your love has always gone to her!" "What about me? I'm your daughter too. Don't I deserve to have my parents to myself, even once?" Her shoulders shake violently. "I'm leaving for college soon. I won't be home much after that." "Is it really too much to ask for just one trip—no weird looks, no one to babysit every second?"

Dad's face shows a flicker of conflict. He looks at Emma's tear-streaked face. Finally, he sighs. "She's right." Mom looks at him. "Honey, we really have focused too much on Lily these past years. We've neglected Emma." "Lily's older now. We can stock the fridge and set up the cameras. A three or four day trip shouldn't be a problem." Mom's resolve begins to crack. Emma sees it. She kneels at Mom's feet. "Mom, I'll teach Lily how to use the microwave. Please, Mom. Just this once." Mom lets out a long sigh. She turns to me, her voice careful. "Lily, what if Mommy, Daddy, and Emma go away for a few days? Can you be good and wait for us at home?" "Where's Mommy going? Why isn't Lily going?" Mom forces a smile. "Mommy's going to bring you something yummy. You're a big girl now. You can stay home by yourself for a few days, right?" I nod quickly and puff out my chest. "Lily's a big girl! Lily can stay home alone!" The next few days are busy. Mom fills the fridge. Emma holds my hand and shows me everything again and again. "If you're hungry, take a meal from the top shelf. Put it in the microwave and press the red button. If you're thirsty, the milk and juice are on the second shelf." I nod seriously, repeating after her. "Got it! Red button when Lily's hungry! Milk when Lily's thirsty!" On the morning they leave, Dad stands by the door with two big suitcases. Emma is smiling for the first time in days. Mom kneels in front of me and sits me on the little stool behind the door.. "Lily, be good. Wait for Mommy right here." She grips my shoulders. "And listen—you absolutely cannot open this door yourself. There is the Big Bad Wolf out there who takes little girls away. You wouldn't want to never see Mommy again, would you?" I nod hard, scared. "Lily won't go out. Lily will wait right here." Mom kisses my forehead. "Good girl. When we come back, Mommy brings you your favorite strawberry cake." "Strawberry cake! I want a BIG one!" Mom smiles. She looks at me one last time. Then she turns and walks out. Bang. The deadbolt closes. The apartment goes quiet. Just the clock on the wall. Tick. Tick. Tick. I stare at the closed door without blinking. Outside, the sky darkens, making the lights inside seem brighter. My stomach growls. I'm just about to get up and head to the fridge when— Click. Every light goes out. The whole apartment goes dark. Startled, I fall back onto the stool. “Mommy?” My voice echoes through the empty rooms. The darkness presses in from all sides. I can't even see my own hands. “Mommy! I'm scared!” Tears start streaming down my face. I fumble for the smartwatch on my wrist and tap Mom's contact. A moment later, her voice comes through the watch. "Hello? Lily, what's wrong?" Mom sounds rushed. I hear ocean waves behind her. "Mommy, it's dark! The apartment is dark!" I cry into the watch. "Lily's scared of the dark! Mommy, come home!" Silence for a second. Then Dad's voice. "What's wrong? What'd she say?" "She says the house is dark. You think the power's out?" Mom sounds tense. A moment later, Dad again: "That's impossible. I just checked the power company app. The bill's paid. There's no way it's out." Mom's breathing gets heavier. "Should we… go back early?" Emma's voice cuts in from somewhere nearby, guarded. "Mom, don't freak out. If you're worried, just check the camera feed." A few seconds of silence. "Why is the camera offline?" Mom sounds confused. Emma again: "Probably the WiFi. Our router glitches all the time. I bet she's just throwing a tantrum because we're not back yet." Mom pauses. "You're right… she pulls this every time I'm gone." "Lily, are you being difficult?" Mom's tone hardens. "You're a big girl. Big girls don't lie." I shake my head hard. Tears fly off my face. "Lily's not lying! It's really dark! I can't see!" "Enough, Lily. Listen to Mommy." She cuts me off. "You can't just lie because Mommy went out. If you keep this up, Mommy won't want you anymore." The instant I hear “Mommy won't want you,” I go completely still. "Lily's good. Lily won't be trouble. Mommy, please don't stop wanting Lily." "Mm. Good girl. Go turn on the lights. Eat your dinner." Mom hangs up. "Lily will turn on the lights. Lily's a good girl." I feel along the wall in the dark. I find the switch. I press it hard. Click. No light. I press it again. And again. Still dark. Tears run down my face without a sound. "Mommy lied. The light's broken." I don't dare call again. What if Mommy really doesn't want me? "Lily's not scared. Mommy's coming home soon." I whisper it to myself, over and over, until exhaustion pulls me under.

The next two days, the power doesn't come back. When I'm hungry, I go to the fridge and grab a container. But the microwave doesn't light up either. I press the red button, but nothing happens. I have to eat the food cold. It tastes worse and worse. The milk starts tasting weird too. By the third day, the fridge starts to reek. I'm scared to eat the food. But my stomach roars at me. So I press Dad's icon on the watch. "Daddy, Lily's hungry." The second he picks up, I burst into tears. On his end, I hear music. And Emma laughing. "Lily? Why are you calling again? There's a whole fridge full of food. How are you hungry?" Tears drip off my face. "The microwave doesn't turn on. The fridge smells bad. The food tastes sour. Lily can't eat it." I try to explain. "Sour? That's impossible. It's been in the fridge, it can't have gone bad already. Lily, did you grab the wrong one? Top shelf, on the left, the blue container. Did you grab that one?" "Lily doesn't know… it's dark in the fridge too. I can't see the colors." "Still with the dark thing?" Dad's voice turns cold. "Didn't your mom tell you yesterday? The house is NOT dark." "It IS dark!" I slap the watch in frustration. "The milk and juice went bad too. Lily wanted water, but nothing comes out of the sink." Silence on the other end. "The water's out?" Dad's tone shifts. "Lily, hang on. Let me call the building super." I hear him dialing. A minute later, his voice comes back, ice cold. "Building management said the water supply is fine. No outage." "But… there's really no water…" "Lily Harper!" Dad uses my full name. "Yesterday you said the power was out. Today you say the water's out. Are you doing this on purpose because we didn't bring you along?" I whimper. "There's really no water. Lily turned the handle so many times…" Mom takes the phone from Dad. "Lily, I know you're upset. But you can't keep doing this to worry us. Every time we check, it turns out to be nothing. How am I supposed to believe you?" "Lily's not lying…" My voice shrinks smaller and smaller. "Enough. There are two water bottles in the cabinet under the stove. Drink those. We'll be home in a few days." I whisper okay. Emma's voice drifts over from the background: "Mom, don't let her pull you back every time. Yesterday it was the power, today it's the water — is it gonna be an earthquake tomorrow? You finally came on a trip with me, and you're STILL making everything about her?" Mom doesn't answer. But the line goes quiet for a long moment. Dad sighs. "Lily, I'm so disappointed in you." "Eat your food. Stop lying. Do you hear me?" "Daddy, no, Lily's really so hungry. Lily wants to come find you." The second I say I'm going out, Mom's voice snaps. "Lily Harper! Don't you DARE open that door!" "Did you forget what happened last time you ran off? You almost got taken by strangers!" My whole body jerks. The memory floods back — that one time I snuck out to look for Mom and got lost on the street. When she found me, she slapped me across the face. Hard. "You run off again, I'm done with you! I'll give you away to strangers!" That was the first time I ever saw Mommy that angry. I can still feel the sting on my cheek. I yank my hand back from the door handle. "Lily won't go out. Lily's good. Mommy, please don't stop wanting Lily." I beg through my sobs. "Then sit still and behave!" Mom hangs up. The dial tone drones in my ear. I stare at the dead screen. My stomach roars again. So hungry. So thirsty. I feel my way to the cabinet under the stove. Mom said there's water here. I reach inside and sweep my hand around. Nothing. I reach again. My fingertips touch the wood at the very back. There really is nothing here. I sit there for a while, frozen. Then I crawl toward the fridge. I pull the door open. A wave of rot slams into my face. I gag. I reach into the top shelf, find a container, pop the lid, scoop a handful into my mouth. Slimy. Sour. Bitter. I want to throw it up. But I'm too hungry. I swallow every bite in that container. Then I reach for the milk on the second shelf. The carton is bloated. I bite the straw open and suck hard. A blast of sour rot shoots straight up my nose. I gag and vomit everything onto the floor. A minute later, my stomach explodes with pain. I curl up by the fridge, cold sweat pouring off me. I bite my lip so hard I taste blood. I choke back every sob.