「A country bumpkin like you, daring to pass yourself off as Miss Mason? You don't know your place! Get out of here, now!」
Unable to get inside, I stretched my neck and screamed.
「I'm the real Celeste Mason! The one in there is a fake! I'm the true Celeste Mason!」
Hearing the commotion, the Masons came to the doorway.
My birth mother, Rose Henson, looked me up and down. : 「You're saying you're Celeste?」
My birth father, Dylan Mason, wore a look of pure contempt. : 「This girl must have heard we were holding a family-reunion banquet today and wants to steal our daughter's identity. Good thing we already verified everything beforehand and brought our girl home.」
「The one you brought home is a fake! Her real name is Susan Finch. She stole my introduction letter and my tokens. I'm the true Celeste Mason!」
Susan heard the noise and came over too, Craig trailing behind her.
I jabbed a furious finger at Craig. : 「So you didn't die after all, you lying cheat!」
Craig clearly hadn't expected me to track him down. He rushed to speak. : 「Mom, Dad, she's just someone from my hometown. Ignore her. She's a lunatic!」
「It's all lies out of your mouth. I'm the real Celeste Mason. I grew up in Wellspring Lane, raised on handouts from every household there! Susan, you can steal my tokens, but you can't steal my life!」
Rose gave me a helpless look. : 「Child, everything you're saying, I've already confirmed with my Celeste. Her whole life story, her tokens, the documents proving who she is, there's nothing wrong with any of it.」
「Today is our reunion day, a happy occasion. I don't want to invite bad luck by arguing with you. Go now.」
Only then did it hit me. I'd told Craig everything about my childhood. He must have passed it all to Susan!
Susan suddenly burst into tears.
「Back in the countryside you were always ganging up to bully me. You forced me to do your work, and you took my food rations too. I was hungry all the time, so worn out I couldn't even lift my arms. The moment I showed the slightest complaint, you and your little pack beat me black and blue.」
「Now I've finally won a permit to return to the city, and found my real parents. I never dreamed you'd chase me all the way here to steal even my identity!」
「Susan, will you only be happy once you've driven me to my death?」
Dylan flew into a rage. : 「You wild little wretch, how dare you bully my precious daughter like this! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know how the Mason name is spelled!」
「Beat her! Beat her within an inch of her life!」
Several strapping young brutes charged out from behind him, their heavy fists coming down on me blow after blow.
I crashed to the floor, blood pouring from my nose and mouth.
「Mom, Dad, I really am your own daughter, Celeste Mason!」
The text before my eyes began to drift again.
「What do we do? The Masons are convinced Celeste is a swindler. They won't believe a word she says!」
「If this keeps up, Celeste is going to be beaten to death!」
「I seem to remember that when Celeste was little, Rose was tending a fire and accidentally scalded her chest. That scar should work as proof for the reunion.」
It struck me all at once. I did have a burn scar on my chest.
Then I heard Susan sob, : 「Daddy, she even had people strip my clothes off me. I nearly threw myself into the river over it. It was Craig who saved me.」
Dylan, livid, gave the order at once. : 「Strip this little wretch's clothes off her!」
Those men hauled me up and clawed at my clothes with a dozen hands.
I didn't fight them. The burn scar on my chest came bare into view.
The instant Rose saw the scar, her eyes went wide.
「Everyone, stop this right now!」
