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358words
Darkness swallowed my vision,consciousness fading.
I’d been too hungry—my blood sugar dropped too low.
When I woke,I was in a hospital,my wrist bandaged,a drip stand with nutrient solution.
In the private room,only Mr.Thompson listened to the doctor’s instructions.
That night,he arranged for my discharge.
“Claire,we 've treated you well.So young,yet you resort to self-harm?Starved for two days for misbehaving,and you act extreme.You’ve broken your parents’hearts.”
Mrs.Harper clutched my hand,pretending to be distressed.
“No more,you scared me to death.”
I glanced at a sullen Jessica and said weakly,“Mom,I was impulsive.I won’t self-harm like this again.”
Mrs.Harper froze,unsure if I meant no self-harm or just a different method.
The Harpers were cautious now.They hadn’t expected an orphanage girl to be so stubborn—unswayed by wealth,unbowed by punishment,and bold enough to resort to self-harm if pushed too far.
For Jessica’s health,they had to bide their time.
That night,I ate.The rice,each grain separate,filled my empty stomach,reviving my spirit.
Next day,in the car to school,Jessica opened her mouth to mock me but thought better of it.
She’d learned a lesson.
In class,classmates noticed my bandaged wrist and asked Jessica,“What happened to your your sister’s hand?”
From the Harpers’treatment,they deduced I was of low status foster daughter,more like Jessica’s toy.
“Sigh,Claire complained our food was bad,went on a hunger strike for days.She got so thin,I told her to eat,but after a few words,she slit her wrist.It frightened me terribly.”
Jessica whispered,patting her chest for effect.
Classmates stared at me,incredulous.
“Don’t look,or she’ll hold it against you.As her sister,I can’t say a harsh word now,lest she tries suicide again.”
Sure enough,a boy passing my desk slammed into my back,my ribs crashing into the edge of the table.
I gasped,clutching the bruised spot.
“Sorry,Claire,I tripped.”
He strode off,his apology hollow.
As the pain eased,I resumed studying.
“Claire,stop wasting time.You study so hard but still fail every test.”
I put on earphones,blocking the noise.
As the saying goes:the gentle fear the tough ones,the tough fear the reckless,and the reckless fear the suicidal.
Compared to last life,their bullying was small stuff,so restrained I almost believed the Harpers saw me as a real daughter.
