My Sister Had a Death Countdown, But Mine Hit Zero First Chapter 03
“Ava.”
Marcus spoke softly to the door.
“I brought you some bread. Eat a little. Don’t go hungry.”
I floated in front of him and crouched down to look at him. His eyes were red. The lines at the corners of his eyes were deeper than last year. There was gray hair at his temples. He was only forty this year, but he looked like a man in his fifties.
“Dad, I’m right here.”
“I’m dead.”
“Will you go in and look at me? Please?”
“Ava?” he called again.
I reached out and tried to touch his face. My fingers passed through his body. Marcus sighed and stood up in disappointment.
“She’s still throwing a fit.”
He pushed the bread through the crack under the door.
“Then stay in there and be good. Once this thing with Stella is over, I’ll make this up to you.”
He never found me.
I looked at his back and whispered, “No need, Dad.”
“You don’t have to make anything up to me anymore.”
You would never get that chance.
After Marcus left, the hallway became silent again. A little while later, Helen came out of Stella’s room. She gently shut the door and stood in the hallway in a daze. She looked at the storage room door.
Her lips pressed into a tight line, as if she were struggling with herself. At last, she walked over.
She crouched down in the same spot where Marcus had been.
“Ava.”
Her voice was soft.
“Don’t hate me for this, okay?”
“I know you feel wronged.”
Her fingers unconsciously picked at the splinters on the door.
“But Stella only has one day left. Give her this one last day. Let her leave happy, okay?”
I floated in front of her and saw the wetness in the corners of her eyes. She quickly raised a hand and wiped away her tears. As if she couldn’t bear to let anyone see her break.
“When Stella is gone, I’ll make your favorite beef stew. A big bowl of it. All for you.”
Her voice grew smaller.
“I’ll buy you a new dress. One with a bow. You always wanted one, didn’t you?”
“I’ll take you to the amusement park. We’ll ride the carousel and the roller coaster. Didn’t you say every kid in your class had gone except you?”
Her tears finally fell. They hit the old wooden floor.
“I promise. All of it.”
“So today, just for today, stop causing trouble, okay?”
I reached out, wanting to wipe away her tears. But after she waited for a while, nothing answered from behind the door. The sadness on Helen’s face slowly faded. Anger took its place. She stood up so fast that she almost stumbled.
“That child… she’s so thoughtless!”
She muttered under her breath. Her voice trembled with tears.
“She never thinks about what we’re going through. I raised her all these years, and this is how she treats me?”
She turned and walked away quickly.
At dusk, the sky slowly darkened. Helen came out of the kitchen with a small basket. Inside the basket were silver-white ribbons, moon-shaped paper ornaments, and scissors.
They were decorations for Stella’s full-moon birthday.
She had just reached the West Wing sitting room when the doorbell rang. It was Grandma Nora.
Nora carried a cloth bag in her hand. It was bulging. When she saw Helen, she forced a smile.
“Nora, why are you here?” Helen sounded surprised, but she quickly invited her in.
“I came to see Stella.”
Nora’s voice was hoarse. She placed the cloth bag on the table. Then she took out several apples and a few honey cakes she had bought in town.
“Tomorrow is the child’s birthday. I came to check on her.”
“Stella is resting in her room.”
Helen took the things from her.
“Please sit. I’ll call her.”
“No. Let her rest.”
Nora sat down on the couch.
Her eyes swept around the sitting room. Then her brows drew together.
“Where’s Ava? I haven’t seen her.”
