Chapter 4

When I got home that evening, my parents and sister were happily enjoying a BBQ in the backyard.

No one was waiting for me.

No one cared if I was hungry.

It was as if I was just thin air passing through the house.

Clutching my stomach, I went back to my bedroom to pack my bags.

Only to find that my brand-new iPad and noise-canceling headphones were missing.

I had bought them with money from a whole year of part-time shifts at a fast-food place, money I had been trying to save for living expenses.

I rushed out to the backyard like a madwoman, my voice shaking.

"Dad! Mom! Did you see the iPad and headphones on my desk?"

Mom glanced at me while flipping a sausage.

"Your sister is going on a Hawaii vacation package in three days. She needed them, so I packed them in her luggage."

"Oh, and your dad signed you up for a program. Hurry up and fill out the registration and medical consent forms on the table."

I looked down at the documents on the glass table.

Utah Wilderness Therapy Camp.

It was a highly controversial behavior modification facility for "troubled teens." Participants were forced to endure intense hiking and physical labor in the desert, and all electronics were strictly forbidden.

Parenting forums online were filled with exposés about instructors using physical abuse and leaving students traumatized.

Attached to the registration was a thick liability waiver. My parents had already signed the guardian section.

The clause read: The facility reserves the right to implement "necessary behavioral interventions" for non-compliant students, and parents acknowledge and willingly waive the right to seek damages for any injuries resulting from such interventions.

I felt like I had been struck by lightning. I snapped my head up.

"Why does Piper get to go to Hawaii while I have to suffer in some hellhole?"

Dad slammed his beer bottle down.

"Your sister requested the Hawaii trip first thing this morning. What about you? Did you put your summer plans on the calendar?"

"I made an exception for you. I spent extra money out of my own pocket to put you in a psychological development camp, and you come home and throw an attitude at me?!"

Mom clicked her tongue.

"Rowan, your dad saw how terrible your mental state has been lately and specifically signed you up for this. Why are you so ungrateful!"

What I wanted, they never gave me.

What I didn't want, they shoved down my throat.

And they expected me to be grateful?

It was utterly absurd!

I turned my head and glared at my sister.

"Piper, give me back my iPad and headphones right now."

Piper pouted reluctantly.

"Jeez, you can't even use them at that camp anyway. What's the big deal if I borrow them for a few days?"

"Besides, I submitted a request to Mom and Dad!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Fine. Let me see your request!"

With that, I reached for Piper's phone on the table.

Furious, Dad grabbed an empty glass and smashed it near my feet.

Glass shattered everywhere, cutting my calf.

"Rowan, you didn't schedule anything, and you have the nerve to be jealous of your sister?!"

Suppressing the pain from both my incision and my bleeding leg, I opened the glitched app interface and shoved it in their faces.

"This app has been down since yesterday! It's impossible to submit any requests! How did she book it? And how did you approve it?!"

Dad froze for a second before roaring in exasperation.

"Your sister told us verbally! That counts as a request!"

"Then why is it that whenever I ask verbally, you always say no?!"

I yelled back angrily, only for Mom to slap me hard across the face.

My ears rang loudly. I could barely hear anything.

"You think your wings are fully grown just because you graduated high school?! How dare you scream in this house?!"

Mom pointed a finger at my nose, cursing.

"Your sister is younger than you! You're the older sister—would it kill you to let her have something?!"

Holding my burning cheek, I suddenly burst out laughing.

When I was little, they told me this house was built entirely on fairness.

Now, they were demanding I yield to my sister unconditionally.

Every single rule in this house existed solely to serve Piper.

My desires and pain would always be ignored, time and time again.

Since that was the case, arguing was pointless.

I completely ignored them, storming into Piper's bedroom and tearing open her suitcase to get my iPad and headphones back.

But an enraged Dad grabbed me by the collar and dragged me roughly back to my room.

"You're not going anywhere for the next two days! Stay in your room and reflect on your actions!"

I was thrown heavily onto the floor. I wanted to fight back, but the pain paralyzed me.

The throbbing in my incision seemed to spread through my entire body. I felt like I was splitting apart.

Outside the door, my parents gently comforted Piper, telling her not to let me ruin her good mood.

Listening to them, tears streamed down my face without me even realizing it.

That kind of tender care never belonged to me.

Not even in my dreams.

The old AC vent in my room rattled and squeaked, blowing out stuffy, warm air.

I couldn't count how many times I had submitted requests to get it replaced, only for my parents to reject every single one.

"Your sister already scheduled a smart climate control system for her room. The budget is tight, so we have to prioritize her."

But why?

Why did my needs always have to be erased?

Why was my world constantly filled with my parents' biased, hypocritical lies?

I gritted my teeth, pushed myself off the floor, and dragged my suitcase out from under the bed.

It was a 20-inch carry-on, quite small.

But it was enough to pack away the last 17 years of my life.

Hugging my suitcase, I sat quietly in the dark, waiting until midnight.

Then, grabbing my bag, I walked out of this suffocating prison without looking back.

In the Uber to the airport, I blocked my parents and sister's numbers.

I opened the family app. Seeing Piper's avatar sporting a pink unicorn filter, I couldn't help but sneer.

Mom and Dad always said Piper was the purest unicorn in their lives, so it suited her perfectly.

Meanwhile, my avatar was a cold, default icon. The username next to it was just system-generated: Rowan_H.

No photo, no nickname, no love.

I tapped the button to leave the family group and let out a long breath.

Outside the car window, the streetlights flashed by one after another.

And my life was finally moving forward.

The future was full of possibilities.