“Kendrick, why don’t you come with us?”
He nodded and I gave up the passenger seat without hesitation. As the scenery passed by, my heart sank. Wasn’t this road leading to the cemetery?
Before the car fully stopped, I quickly opened the door and jumped out. The crowded tombstones were gone, replaced by fields of crops.
A worker was watering the fields in the distance. I stumbled over, my throat dry and sore. “Hello, wasn’t this a cemetery? Why does it look like this now? What happened to the people buried here?”
The man frowned, then relaxed and pointed to a small hill. “This was a cemetery, but the Anderson family checked the land and found it suitable for growing ginseng, so they planted it.”
A girl weeding nearby looked up, eyes full of envy. “Yes, I heard Mr. Anderson spent a fortune on this land because Mrs. Anderson was unwell.”
Nearby, Kendrick looked away, guilty. Fiona smiled and said kindly, “Don’t worry, Thalia. I had your parents’ ashes moved to the mountaintop so you wouldn’t find them.”
My mind went blank and my legs felt heavy. I ran up the mountain without looking back, but then a heavy rain started pouring.
The rain stung my skin and I fell to my knees in the mud, exhausted. The mountainside was full of broken stone tablets with names I couldn’t read.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the name “Simonds” and scrambled through the sharp rubble. Pain shot through my fingers, reopening all my wounds.
The pain spread through my whole body. I cried until my voice was hoarse and my vision blurred. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Mom and Dad…”
It was all my fault; I misjudged people. The rain grew heavier and thick fog rolled up from the mountains.
Kendrick’s worried voice called from behind. “Thalia, where are you?”
Fiona reached me before him, her eyes full of barely hidden anger. Her sharp nails dug into my wound as she grabbed my neck and shook me violently.
“Thalia, why did you come back? If you were dead, I’d be the real Mrs. Anderson and Kendrick would love only me.”
I could barely breathe as Fiona dragged me to the slope’s edge helplessly. Kendrick grew larger in my view as he got closer.
Fiona leaned close and whispered teasingly, “Thalia, guess who he’ll pick this time?”
Before I could react, Fiona grabbed me and rolled down the slope, holding me tight and using me as a cushion when we landed.
A sharp pain shot through my shoulder. I looked down and saw a branch, as thick as my wrist, stuck in my shoulder. Blood filled my mouth with a metallic taste.
In my blurred vision, I saw Kendrick gently lift Fiona into his arms, wiping the dust off her like she was a child.
Just like during the earthquake, he chose Fiona without hesitation. I was left in the rubble, my legs crushed under a boulder, nearly losing them and becoming crippled.
Tears mixed with the rain as my voice cracked and grew hoarse. “It hurts… it hurts so much…”
Kendrick finally noticed me. He took a step forward, but Fiona fainted in his arms, her little finger hooked on his, brow creased in pain.
“Kendrick, my calf hurts so much…” Clear tears fell onto the back of his hand.
Kendrick quickly looked away and lifted Fiona up. “Thalia, hold on a bit longer. I’ll call an ambulance for you.”
