3,000 Steps on the Highway Chapter 1

"What's one plus one?"

My older brother suddenly asked me from the back seat as we sped down the highway.

I hesitated. "It's..."

Before I could finish, my mother exploded in rage, turning around and slapping me hard across the face.

"I have a master's degree from an Ivy League! Your father has a PhD!"

"Your brother is a math prodigy! And you hesitate to answer what one plus one is?! You are completely useless!"

My cheek burned like fire, but the terror in my heart hurt worse.

I cried and shook my head. "Mommy, please don't be mad. I'm not useless! My brother told me..."

But my mother refused to listen. The car slammed to a halt on the shoulder, and she shoved me out the door.

"You're a defective mutant! You don't deserve to sit in the same car as us! Get out and walk back!"

I ran after the car, crying and begging, but my parents drove away with my brother.

Suddenly, a massive truck roared toward me. I felt my body become incredibly light.

I floated all the way to my parents' car and told them:

"Mommy, Daddy, I'm not useless. My teacher called me a little artist. She said everyone is good at different things!"

* * *

"A child's stride is usually between 1 and 1.5 feet."

"I did the math. It's exactly 3,000 steps from here to the next rest stop."

"This is your punishment. I'm doing this to push your limits, so a slow child like you can finally fit into this family."

After my mother said that, she turned around and got back into the car without a second thought.

I chased after her, panicking.

"Mommy, please don't leave me!"

The window rolled down just enough for her to toss out a small, boxy camera.

"This is a body cam. It's recording. Don't you dare try to cheat and stop counting."

"Stay safe and only walk on the emergency shoulder."

With her final instructions delivered, the window rolled up, sealing me outside.

I watched helplessly as the car sped away.

The taillights grew dimmer and dimmer until they completely vanished into the dark night.

"Mommy, it's so cold."

The weather lady on the radio said it was 14 degrees Fahrenheit today.

But Mommy forgot to give me my coat.

I dejectedly held up the little camera, looking into the lens.

"Mommy, I'm not useless."

"I'm the best drawer in my whole class. My teacher said everyone is good at different things."

But the camera didn't talk back.

I sniffled, trying my hardest not to cry, and started counting.

"1... 2... 3..."

But it was so freezing. Every breath I breathed out looked like ice.

I counted slower and slower, and my steps got smaller and smaller.

By the time I reached 1,000, my legs felt like two heavy boulders.

I tripped over something in the dark and fell hard to the ground. A sharp, piercing pain shot through my knee.

My whole body hurt. I cried into the camera lens, apologizing:

"Mommy, I'm sorry. Lily hurts so much. I just need to rest for ten numbers."

In our house, we played number games all the time. If you won, you got a prize. If you lost, you got a punishment.

My brother always won the prizes.

I always lost. So Mommy would punish me for ten numbers.

Ten smacks on the hand, or ten smacks on the bottom.

I used to think ten numbers took forever. But right now, they went by so, so fast.

When the ten numbers were up, I struggled to stand back up.

I dragged my legs, moving inch by inch. The blood from my knee soaked through my pants, and every step was agonizing.

I gritted my teeth. I just had to take 1,970 more steps, and then I could go to Grandma's house.

Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us to eat our New Year's dinner.

But my body was getting colder and colder. Huge white flowers started blooming in my vision. I cried to the camera:

"Mommy, I don't think I can walk anymore."

Mommy didn't answer.

Suddenly, blinding, piercing lights approached from behind me. Without realizing it, I had stumbled into the middle of the highway.

When I woke up, I realized my body had become incredibly light.