Chapter 2 They Didn't Care

I felt as though I had just had a very long and painful dream.

When I woke up, I was no longer in pain. At the same time, my body felt strangely light. It was as if I were floating.

Then, I looked down and saw a pool of blood on the ground. In the middle of it lay a broken little boy.

Was that me? I tried to get a better look, floating closer.

My face had been smashed beyond recognition. However, my eyes were wide open, as if searching for the father who never came.

I looked so ugly. If Dad saw me, he would definitely be terrified and scold me for dirtying the floor with my blood.

I wanted to wipe the blood off the ground, but my hands passed straight through the ground.

I couldn't grab anything.

Was I dead? In that case… Could I still go home?

I wanted to go home. I didn't care if Dad would still ignore me, and I could only hide in the stairwell; I still wanted to go back.

I wanted to see Dad one more time.

Perhaps God sensed my wish as I was back home in the blink of an eye.

It was so warm inside the villa, and the air was filled with the cigarette scent I loved.

Dad was sitting on the sofa with Rylan in his arms.

Rylan was wearing that limited-edition blue jersey that Dad had bought for him last month. Back then, I had merely looked at it for a moment when Rylan accused me of trying to steal his jersey, which caused me to be punished by standing all night.

Now, Rylan was playing with a new game console.

Dad picked up a cherry and fed it to him.

"Take it easy. Don't hurt your eyes," Dad said.

Rylan held the cherry in his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a cute little hamster.

I floated in midair and watched Rylan enviously.

I really wanted to eat cherries too. Matthew bought a box of those last time. I only dared to sneak a glance at them, but Rylan said I was greedy and poured all the remaining cherries into the trash rather than let me have any.

"Dad." Rylan suddenly raised his head and asked innocently, "Is it true that Caleb said he was kidnapped?"

When I heard his words, my heart tightened. I floated closer, wanting to hear what Dad would say.

I wondered if Dad would believe me now.

However, Dad snorted coldly and ruffled Rylan's hair. "Don't listen to his nonsense. He's just jealous of you and wants to scam me out of my money to buy a phone. A bad kid like him has a tough life. He wouldn't die that easily."

I lowered my head sadly upon hearing my words.

Dad still didn't believe me.

Rylan blinked his eyes and suddenly giggled. "Dad, if Caleb really got pushed off a building, would he burst open like a watermelon? That would definitely be so much fun! It would look like fireworks!"

I recoiled in fear.

Rylan's smile was terrifying. I didn't know why he would say such bizarre words when he had such a cherubic face.

I remembered when Rylan broke a little bird's wings when he was five years old. At that time, he had also smiled as he said, "Look, it can't fly anymore. This is so much fun."

I was terrified back then and told Dad. However, Dad scolded me for making things up and said Rylan was only playing with the bird.

In Rylan's eyes, I was just like that little bird. My death was nothing more than another form of entertainment for him.

…

On the third day after my death, Dad and Rylan were having breakfast.

Just then, Dad's phone rang.

It was my homeroom teacher.

My teacher was a good person. When he realized I hadn't gone to school, he became very worried.

"Mr. Smyth, Caleb hasn't come to school for three days, and I can't reach him by phone. Did something happen to him?"

I excitedly floated over to the phone and shouted, "Yes, Dad! Something happened to me! Hurry and look for me!"

Alas, Dad couldn't hear me.

He took a sip of coffee and said casually, "Don't worry about him. That brat just doesn't want to go to school. He is just fooling around somewhere."

"But..." The teacher sounded very worried. "Should we call the police?"

"For what?" Dad laughed. "He's the best at pretending to be pitiful. He doesn't have a penny on him. He'll come crawling back on his own after two days of starvation."

After Dad hung up, Rylan clapped his hands and giggled.

"Dad, did Caleb go pick up trash to eat? Last time, I saw him staring at a stray dog eating by the roadside. His eyes were practically glued to the food."

"Maybe." Dad wiped his mouth. "Trash is exactly what a worthless bastard like him deserves to eat."

As I floated in the air, my tears fell.

I drifted around the house until I finally floated into my room.

It was the storage room beneath the stairs. It was dark inside. There was nothing but a bed made from wooden planks and a thin quilt spread over it.

Although it was very simple, it was the only place where I felt safe enough to cry.