The Hide-and-Seek That Broke Us Chapter 2

The closer the car got to our old neighborhood, the more violently my mother's body trembled.

Nearly five years had passed since the earthquake. Most of the area had been rebuilt with new high-rises, but the block where our house used to stand was still a field of ruins and scarred earth.

I could still remember that day, my parents clawing at the rubble like mad animals, ignoring the stones that tore their hands to ribbons, their fingers dripping with blood.

"Lily loved BBQ chips. I bought a few extra bags," Dad said, pulling the snacks from the trunk. "And some chocolate milk, too." He carefully arranged them on a flat piece of concrete.

Mom's eyes were already swimming with tears. When Dad lifted the suitcase from the car, she lunged for it, but he held her back.

"Please, just let me look one more time..." she pleaded, her voice breaking.

Dad’s brow furrowed, his eyes filled with a mixture of exhaustion and pity. He placed his hand on the combination lock, hesitating.

My non-existent heart was in my throat.

Will they find out? Will they realize they took the wrong suitcase? That inside isn't their daughter's belongings, but their other daughter's body?

"Looking will only make it harder to let go," Dad sighed. "Let's not open it. It's time to let the past be the past."

But Mom didn't pull her hand away.

As they stood in a silent standoff, Dad's phone rang. He answered it. It was our housekeeper, Mrs. Davis, her voice frantic.

"Mr. Sterling, I can't find Ella anywhere! I don't know where she's hiding this time!"

Mom snatched the phone from his hand, her rage instantly ignited. "Why are you even looking for her? She does this on purpose, making trouble for us on a day like this. Mrs. Davis, you lock her bedroom door. Let her hide until she rots."

A flash of irritation crossed Dad's face as well. He told the housekeeper not to worry about it and hung up without another word.

"She's clever, that one," Mom sneered. "Does she think if she stays out of my sight, I'll forgive her?"

The air grew heavy with unspoken resentment. Dad didn't say anything, silently preparing to start the fire. But the flames of hatred in my mother's eyes burned hotter and hotter.

"It's all Ella's fault!" she spat. "It's because of her that I can't even keep these last few things of Lily's. We were so good to her! How could she be so cruel? Tricking her sister into hiding during an earthquake... Now Lily is dead and can't even be reborn. Did she hate her that much?"

She hissed the words through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing. I had heard this tirade countless times. I knew my mother's pain was a bottomless pit, and she needed somewhere to pour it.

I looked at my father. The flicker of pity he'd shown for me earlier was gone, replaced by a dull, numb expression. Because of me, he’d lost his youngest daughter. Because of me, his wife suffered from a severe mental illness. Dad was a lawyer; logic and reason were the pillars of his life. But years of relentless grief had eroded those pillars. He couldn't look at me without seeing everything he had lost.

There was a time, when Mom hurt me, that he would secretly slip me candy while I was hiding in the closet. He'd lean against the door and whisper apologies. "Ella, Mommy is just sick right now. Just hide a little longer. I know it's not fair to you."

But later, he started drinking heavily in secret. He would grab me and demand to know why, why did I have to play hide-and-seek with Lily?

And then, later still, he stopped caring when Mom hit me. He would lock my door and forget to bring me food for an entire day.

And now, he just said quietly, "Yes. After we send Lily off, I'll send the child to live with her grandparents. Then... we can start over."

As if I were a piece of trash to be disposed of.

My heart seemed to skip a beat. I wanted to smile, to be happy for them. They were finally escaping the nightmare, finally finding the courage to start again.

But the flames in front of me were already leaping, eager to consume the last trace of my existence.

My empty chest ached.

Mom was clutching Lily's little teddy bear, her expression lost. I let my soul drift into the stuffed animal, imagining I was back in her arms. A long-forgotten warmth enveloped me.

I remembered when they first pulled me from the rubble. Before I could even see my surroundings, Mom had pulled me into a hug. But that last shred of warmth was shattered by a single slap, the moment I uttered the words "hide-and-seek."