My Selfish Sister: A Second Chance at Retribution? Chapter 1

My sister and I were unexpectedly given a choice between two systems.

One was the Amplify System, which could make anything 100 times bigger. The other was the Shrink System, which could make anything 100 times smaller.

My sister, Jessica, smiled and chose the Shrink System. That left me with the other one.

Three days later, the apocalyptic rains began. The entire world was trapped indoors, unable to move, and resources became the single most critical issue. Using the Amplify System, I enlarged our meager supplies, and by rationing carefully, my sister and I managed to survive the ordeal.

But the day the rains stopped, Jessica pushed me from the roof of our high-rise apartment building.

"If you hadn't stolen the Amplify System from me, I could have made enough food to save Leo and his family!" she had screamed, her face twisted with rage. "You're a good sister in every way, Kathreen, except for one thing. You're just too selfish!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that moment of choice. Jessica, moving a split second before me, chose the Amplify System. That’s when I knew. She had been reborn, too.

I smiled. Using the Shrink System, I shrank enough food to last me five years, and then… I shrank myself.

And just like that, I vanished from the world.

* * *

"Please select your system."

The words, the scene—why was it all so familiar?

My mind was still foggy. Wasn't I… just pushed off a building by my sister? A dizzying sensation of falling washed over me before I finally snapped back to the present.

Jessica seemed just as stunned, but only for a moment. She lunged forward, her voice sharp with decision. "I want the Amplify System!"

A disembodied voice echoed in our minds. [Affirmative. The Amplify System is now bound to you.]

She shot me a triumphant look, her eyes shining with unconcealed glee.

That’s when it hit me with absolute certainty. I had been reborn. Reborn to the exact day my sister and I were given our systems.

I sneered inwardly. If you love your precious Leo so much that you’d murder the sister who saved your life, then fine. This time, I won’t be lifting a finger to help you.

Seeing Jessica’s ecstatic expression, I said calmly, "Then I'll take the Shrink System."

[Affirmative. The Shrink System is now bound to you.]

Jessica was already eager to test her new power. She picked up a nearby cup and focused. In an instant, the small cup swelled into a massive, oversized mug.

"Wow, it's real! The Amplify System is really mine!" she squealed.

I watched her with cold detachment. This was the sister I had protected with my life.

In my past life, when the apocalyptic rains hit, trapping everyone in their homes, supplies became dangerously scarce. I used the Amplify System on the few cases of instant noodles and bread we had, stretching them out to survive the five-year deluge.

Jessica's childhood crush, Leo, lived in the apartment across the hall. She had begged me to help his family, to enlarge their food, but I refused. In an apocalypse, I told her, you couldn't trust anyone.

Without my help, Leo’s family didn’t last five years. They starved to death early on.

I survived the apocalypse, only to be murdered by the very sister I protected. The irony was laughable.

"Kathreen, the Amplify System is mine now. Aren't you jealous?" Jessica asked, a sly glint in her eye. "I can make anything I want bigger. Your Shrink System seems kind of useless, doesn't it?"

She was testing me, trying to see if I remembered. Her gaze was sharp, laced with suspicion.

I let out a relaxed breath and forced a casual smile. "What's the difference? It's just a system. If you wanted it, you can have it. I don't really care."

Seeing my complete lack of interest in the Amplify System, Jessica finally relaxed, her smile genuine now.

I knew, without a doubt, that this time she would save Leo and his family. And I also knew that the moment anyone else found out about her system, her life in this new world would be in constant danger. Everyone would covet a power like that.

Jessica excitedly ran out of our apartment and knocked on Leo's door.

"Jessica? What are you doing here?" Leo asked, looking confused.

She immediately linked her arm through his, ignoring the flicker of annoyance on his face. "Leo," she said with a sugary sweet smile, "let's talk inside..."

The moment their door clicked shut, I pulled out my phone. The date glared back at me. The 14th.

Three days until the storm hits.

There was still time. I grabbed my car keys and sped to the nearest supermarket, clearing the shelves of everything I could get my hands on. Non-perishables like instant noodles and bread, essentials like toilet paper, combs, and mirrors, and comforts like blankets and pillows. I bought sacks of rice and flour, packets of every kind of vegetable seed imaginable, and, on a whim, a crate of live baby chicks. I even went to a furniture store and bought an entire matching set for a new home.

I was going to build myself a perfect, tiny sanctuary.