After Yvonne moved her present into her room, she chirped happily, "Can you come with me on the graduation trip, Mom?" She took out her phone and presented her proposal. There, she had a list of all the cities she wanted to see.Yvonne chirped and happily introduced all the spots on the list. My mother seemed a little out of it. She stared at the phone, her brows furrowed. Yvonne called out to her, but she said nothing.A few times later, she started tearing up, and her voice cracked, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't do this. Jessica's still brooding. I can't think about the trip."My mother snapped out of it and felt her heart ache seeing her beloved daughter cry. So, she hastily hugged Yvonne and cooed, "This isn't your fault. Jessica is just being a child.""However, I just got a call." Mom said hesitantly, "My colleagues said they found a female corpse in a dumpster about six miles away. They've determined that it's an abduction and murder case. Do you think it could be your sister?"Y
I asked her the same question a long time ago. I was in Grade Nine, and studies were hard. My mother fell ill, and she needed thousands for her treatment. To lessen her burden, I traveled to a lot of cities and joined many competitions to win any cash prizes possible.Then, I did nothing but go to school and the hospital to care for her. I lost so much weight back then. I nearly ran myself to the bone out of sheer exhaustion. My mother seemed to be moved, and she smiled at me for the first time in my life.When we ran into our neighbors, she would praise me and call me a good girl. I would follow her around, carefully tugging on her sleeve. Still, I always had a smile on. It was a timid but blissful smile.I thought I could touch my mother for the first time in my life. I thought my efforts could get her to love me, to be gentle to me. Everything seemed to be getting better, but then the afternoon came. Yvonne was holding her opened piggy bank.She came up to me, crying like a hurt
A week went by, and the cops finally released the DNA report. My DNA report. When they called my mother, she was making breakfast for Yvonne.I stood beside her, numbly looking at my mother as she delicately plated every single dish. She knew her beloved daughter cared about details."Melanie, we have the victim's DNA report. She's an adult woman aged twenty. She was abused horrifically before her death. More than thirty fractured bones and two dozen knife wounds. They were done before she died."My mother froze and stopped pouring milk. Her arm was a little petrified. She didn't even think when she blurted, "Really? We have a cruel killer, then.""I know. I just want to arrest them and give the victim the justice she deserves.""Yeah. I'll get to work later," my mother answered and poured the milk into Yvonne's mug. She even placed Yvonne's favorite cartoon spoon by the mug.Then, my mother went to Yvonne's room and was about to rouse her for breakfast."Sure, Melanie. We'll be
When my mother and Yvonne came rushing to the station, I was already lying in the coffin. My mother pleaded and pleaded with her colleague. In the end, they relented and opened the lid. When she saw my rotting corpse, her eyes went red.Then, she said tremulously, "Where's the report? Give me the report!""My condolences, Melanie." The forensic doctor handed a report to my mother. She took it and went through the report. It showed who the victim's next of kin was.It was her. Melanie Larson.My mother hurled the report away like it was some scalding stone. I was curious. My mother would only look so distraught when Yvonne was hurt. It was surprising she'd do that for me.My mother looked at her comrades and muttered, "No, it can't be. It can't be Jessica. This must be a mistake. It must be. Jessica's a prankster. She's just pulling this to ruin her sister's coming-of-age celebration. That must be it!"She tried to convince herself, "Give me a moment. I'll make a portrait. I'll pr
My mother worked for three days. She didn't sleep or rest. My mother lay on the ground, caressing my head inch by inch as she drew the portrait line by line. When the tenth portrait was made, her sanity finally crumbled.I was crouching right beside her as I looked at all the portraits she made. Yes, she was a good artist. The portraits were spitting images of me. I kept staring at the portraits and was a little surprised that my mother would make such a beautiful rendition of me.When I was eight years old, I, in my childlike naivete, thought that my mother was a great artist. I had no idea what her job really was about. So, I bragged about it to my classmates.They then wanted to find out how brilliant my mother was. They bet she wasn't better than Van Gogh, but I raised my head and said without hesitation, "Of course. She's the best in the world!"After school was out that day, I got home and did all my chores. Then, I carefully asked my mother if she could make a portrait of me
The video ended, and chaos ensued in the autopsy room. Everyone was cursing the killer's cruelty. My mother remained on the ground, unmoving. It was as if she was petrified by some sort of higher power.I hung my head low, smiling bitterly. Ah, so that was it. No wonder the kidnapper never wanted money. No wonder he only wanted my mother to show up. This was nothing but revenge.I didn't know what to feel. Sadness, maybe. There was also relief, though. I was heartbroken about how little my mother cared about me. I was also glad she didn't come.Although my mother never loved me, she was a pro when it came to her job. There must be a reason why she refused to give the man's brother the portrait he asked for.I did resent her, but I would never want her to die. She was my mother, after all. I always held out hope that perhaps she would finally love me, even if the love she had for me was minuscule.That hope was dashed for good. After all, the dead had no use for love.…My mother
The interrogation was over. Victor requested a meeting with my mother, and she agreed. They met up, he looked at her, and he laughed."Are you crying? Finally? Finally feeling something for the girl?" He clicked his tongue. "It's such a pity. She called out to you right until the very end, you know."He pranced around in a sick imitation of my struggle before my death. "She flailed her arms just like this. 'Mommy, Mommy, save me!' Oh, she cried. Yes, she did. Right, right. You don't know this, but I called your youngest daughter first."He asked, "Know what she said? 'Just kill her. It's not like my mother loves her anyway. She wouldn't cry even if she died.' He cackled. "She's your daughter, alright. Every bit as despicable and heartless as her mother is."Victor cackled, gloating some kind of perverted satisfaction. My mother bent over in agony and spat a mouthful of blood. That only made Victor laugh harder.A long while later, my mother wiped the blood off her lips and said, "
This again. This was one of the tactics Yvonne loved to use on me. She'd 'accidentally' bring up the fact that I could live well even without them to my mother. She'd tell her how I was nice to everyone but them, that I was always distant when it came to them.That was how she deepened the conflict between my mother and me. That was how she made my mother hate me more. However, that tactic of hers finally failed. My mother swiveled around and stared into her soul with a gaze so chilly, it could freeze the whole house."Mom…" The moment she said that, my mother gave her one tight slap. That stunned her. My mother was holding my therapy records. It had the contents of my conversation with my therapist.'When did you start cutting yourself?''Grade Nine.''And how did these thoughts manifest themselves?''My sister framed me, and my mother didn't believe me. I didn't steal her money. She lied. She said I should've died like my brother did. She said I'm an omen. She said I'm someone
I wasn't too surprised. Yvonne was always the one she loved. However, my mother came into my room and locked herself inside when night fell. She was holding my portrait, caressing it with trembling fingers."I'm sorry, Jessica. I'm sorry. You must've been in a lot of pain. We failed you. I failed you. Wait for us. Your sister and I will go to you. You'll get the apology you deserve."She pulled open a drawer and took out a bottle of pills. She'd been having nightmares over the last few days, and they always woke her up. Eventually, she got herself some sleeping pills at the hospital.I watched her crushing a whole bottle of pills and dissolving the powder in water. The next day, she made a whole feast of Yvonne's favorite foods. Every single one of them was laced with sleeping liquid.Yvonne started feeling sleepy after the meal. So, she staggered back to her room and slept. My mother opened the door of Yvonne's room and took out her phone. She then locked the gate and shut all the
My mother woke up early the next day and went to the market. She was a frequent seafood buyer. The moment she showed up, the owner eagerly tried to sell their goods. They said they had big, fresh prawns."Why don't you get some, Melanie? I bet your daughter would love them."My mother said dazedly, "My daughter doesn't like prawns. She's allergic to seafood."The owner was stunned. "What? But I thought Eve loved prawns." My mother said nothing and went to the vegetable kiosk. She strolled around, picked up a carrot, and put it down. She did the same to the bell peppers. Odd.Even the owner found her behavior weird. So, they inquired, "What kind of cooking do you have in mind? Maybe I can give some recommendations?"I saw my mother standing in her spot, trying to think of something, but nothing came to her. Oh, right. She had no idea what my favorite food was. I never had the privilege of ordering the food I wanted, nor was I a picky eater like her.I had no freedom to choose. I
This again. This was one of the tactics Yvonne loved to use on me. She'd 'accidentally' bring up the fact that I could live well even without them to my mother. She'd tell her how I was nice to everyone but them, that I was always distant when it came to them.That was how she deepened the conflict between my mother and me. That was how she made my mother hate me more. However, that tactic of hers finally failed. My mother swiveled around and stared into her soul with a gaze so chilly, it could freeze the whole house."Mom…" The moment she said that, my mother gave her one tight slap. That stunned her. My mother was holding my therapy records. It had the contents of my conversation with my therapist.'When did you start cutting yourself?''Grade Nine.''And how did these thoughts manifest themselves?''My sister framed me, and my mother didn't believe me. I didn't steal her money. She lied. She said I should've died like my brother did. She said I'm an omen. She said I'm someone
The interrogation was over. Victor requested a meeting with my mother, and she agreed. They met up, he looked at her, and he laughed."Are you crying? Finally? Finally feeling something for the girl?" He clicked his tongue. "It's such a pity. She called out to you right until the very end, you know."He pranced around in a sick imitation of my struggle before my death. "She flailed her arms just like this. 'Mommy, Mommy, save me!' Oh, she cried. Yes, she did. Right, right. You don't know this, but I called your youngest daughter first."He asked, "Know what she said? 'Just kill her. It's not like my mother loves her anyway. She wouldn't cry even if she died.' He cackled. "She's your daughter, alright. Every bit as despicable and heartless as her mother is."Victor cackled, gloating some kind of perverted satisfaction. My mother bent over in agony and spat a mouthful of blood. That only made Victor laugh harder.A long while later, my mother wiped the blood off her lips and said, "
The video ended, and chaos ensued in the autopsy room. Everyone was cursing the killer's cruelty. My mother remained on the ground, unmoving. It was as if she was petrified by some sort of higher power.I hung my head low, smiling bitterly. Ah, so that was it. No wonder the kidnapper never wanted money. No wonder he only wanted my mother to show up. This was nothing but revenge.I didn't know what to feel. Sadness, maybe. There was also relief, though. I was heartbroken about how little my mother cared about me. I was also glad she didn't come.Although my mother never loved me, she was a pro when it came to her job. There must be a reason why she refused to give the man's brother the portrait he asked for.I did resent her, but I would never want her to die. She was my mother, after all. I always held out hope that perhaps she would finally love me, even if the love she had for me was minuscule.That hope was dashed for good. After all, the dead had no use for love.…My mother
My mother worked for three days. She didn't sleep or rest. My mother lay on the ground, caressing my head inch by inch as she drew the portrait line by line. When the tenth portrait was made, her sanity finally crumbled.I was crouching right beside her as I looked at all the portraits she made. Yes, she was a good artist. The portraits were spitting images of me. I kept staring at the portraits and was a little surprised that my mother would make such a beautiful rendition of me.When I was eight years old, I, in my childlike naivete, thought that my mother was a great artist. I had no idea what her job really was about. So, I bragged about it to my classmates.They then wanted to find out how brilliant my mother was. They bet she wasn't better than Van Gogh, but I raised my head and said without hesitation, "Of course. She's the best in the world!"After school was out that day, I got home and did all my chores. Then, I carefully asked my mother if she could make a portrait of me
When my mother and Yvonne came rushing to the station, I was already lying in the coffin. My mother pleaded and pleaded with her colleague. In the end, they relented and opened the lid. When she saw my rotting corpse, her eyes went red.Then, she said tremulously, "Where's the report? Give me the report!""My condolences, Melanie." The forensic doctor handed a report to my mother. She took it and went through the report. It showed who the victim's next of kin was.It was her. Melanie Larson.My mother hurled the report away like it was some scalding stone. I was curious. My mother would only look so distraught when Yvonne was hurt. It was surprising she'd do that for me.My mother looked at her comrades and muttered, "No, it can't be. It can't be Jessica. This must be a mistake. It must be. Jessica's a prankster. She's just pulling this to ruin her sister's coming-of-age celebration. That must be it!"She tried to convince herself, "Give me a moment. I'll make a portrait. I'll pr
A week went by, and the cops finally released the DNA report. My DNA report. When they called my mother, she was making breakfast for Yvonne.I stood beside her, numbly looking at my mother as she delicately plated every single dish. She knew her beloved daughter cared about details."Melanie, we have the victim's DNA report. She's an adult woman aged twenty. She was abused horrifically before her death. More than thirty fractured bones and two dozen knife wounds. They were done before she died."My mother froze and stopped pouring milk. Her arm was a little petrified. She didn't even think when she blurted, "Really? We have a cruel killer, then.""I know. I just want to arrest them and give the victim the justice she deserves.""Yeah. I'll get to work later," my mother answered and poured the milk into Yvonne's mug. She even placed Yvonne's favorite cartoon spoon by the mug.Then, my mother went to Yvonne's room and was about to rouse her for breakfast."Sure, Melanie. We'll be
I asked her the same question a long time ago. I was in Grade Nine, and studies were hard. My mother fell ill, and she needed thousands for her treatment. To lessen her burden, I traveled to a lot of cities and joined many competitions to win any cash prizes possible.Then, I did nothing but go to school and the hospital to care for her. I lost so much weight back then. I nearly ran myself to the bone out of sheer exhaustion. My mother seemed to be moved, and she smiled at me for the first time in my life.When we ran into our neighbors, she would praise me and call me a good girl. I would follow her around, carefully tugging on her sleeve. Still, I always had a smile on. It was a timid but blissful smile.I thought I could touch my mother for the first time in my life. I thought my efforts could get her to love me, to be gentle to me. Everything seemed to be getting better, but then the afternoon came. Yvonne was holding her opened piggy bank.She came up to me, crying like a hurt