Chapter 25
Chapter 25
I lifted my head and stared blankly at the tree.
‘It’s so tall.’
I didn’t know how to climb trees, and this one looked at least three times my height. I’d naively assumed it would only be twice as tall.
“It’s too high… Couldn’t we get a ladder?”
“We’d be caught immediately if we went to get a ladder. A few steps and you’ll be up there. Come on, can’t you do it?”
I looked down at my palms, red and raw, a blister forming on one. If I grabbed the rough bark, my hands would be shredded. How much would it hurt? But I couldn’t refuse.
‘What would happen if I said I couldn’t do it?’
Just as the twins didn’t seem to want to kick me out, I didn’t want to be kicked out either. Perhaps it was the constant warnings about the dangerous world outside, or perhaps I’d been brainwashed.
The unknown terrified me. If this place was hell, then surely out there was hell too. How could a girl like me, alone, with no skills or resources, survive out there?
All my knowledge came from books. I had no practical experience.
“….”
My gaze shifted between the necklace hanging from the tree and the trunk before me. It wasn’t a smooth trunk; branches jutted out at intervals, offering plenty of footholds. Gritting my teeth, I started to climb.
* * *
This was a new kind of fear. Every movement swayed the branches. Looking down, it didn’t seem that high, yet I felt like I was about to plummet.
I hadn’t even climbed far, but sweat dripped down my face. I clenched my jaw, trying to focus. Just a little further. Just a little more.
Crack, crack. An ominous sound came from the branch. I was almost close enough to grab the necklace, but the branch felt like it would snap first.
‘I’ll break the branch the necklace is on. I’ll lean back, then reach out and break it.’
Then the necklace would fall, and I could climb down safely.
It was a good plan. The problem was my weak body and the surprisingly sturdy branch. Hanging onto the trunk, I tried to break the branch, but it was impossible with one hand. I hoped shaking it would dislodge the necklace, but that didn’t work either.
‘Why won’t it fall!’
Supporting myself with one arm was becoming increasingly difficult. One arm clung to the trunk, the other strained to break the branch. If I relaxed even slightly, I’d slip and fall.
My blisters stung, but I held on tight. And finally, the branch snapped.
“Oh? Oh?”
The recoil sent my weight forward. Before I could react, I was falling.
‘What? What’s happening? I’m falling? Am I going to die?’
They say you can’t scream when you’re truly terrified. Everything seemed to move in slow motion: the twins’ shocked faces, my descent, the clear autumn sky, the falling leaves, and Lizzy’s face as it was scratched by the branch that fell with me.
Then, with a thud, I hit the ground. I thought I’d shattered. The moment I landed, my heart pounded in my chest.
* * *
When was the last time I saw a doctor? Not since I was seven. Even with a cold, I was left alone in my room with some medicine, told I’d get better eventually. I couldn’t leave. My parents shouted that I might infect my siblings.
“Lizzy, are you alright?!”
“We heard you were hurt, Lizzy!”
“You should have been more careful! You’ll be the death of your grandmother yet!”
Amidst the commotion, Lizzy, pale-faced, stared only at me. Lane glanced at my arm and stifled a giggle.
“Oh, my dear, look at your beautiful face!”
“What if it scars? Why were you playing so roughly?”
“Who told you to play like that?”
Everyone fussed over Lizzy’s face. She had a tiny scratch, covered with a gauze pad, caused by the branch that fell with me.
“It was you again, wasn’t it? You can never sit still, can you! You call yourself the eldest daughter of this house?”
“What did you do to trick Lizzy this time? Look how pale she is!”
“Mom. It’s not like that. This time it was my fault. It wasn’t my sister. Mom? Dad?”
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