Chapter 2No Return to the Harbor Anymore

It was strange. Everything was so strange.

After everyone found out Luna had died for me, I became the villain in everyone’s story. The home I had known for over a decade was shattered.

My father's hair seemed to turn gray overnight. "You shouldn't be alive," he told me.

My mother beat me, screaming through her tears, "You're a jinx! You killed my Luna! Give me back my daughter!"

They pulled me out of school. I was locked in the family's old, dusty attic day after day.

But... why didn't they blame the attacker? Why did they blame me?

Wasn't I a victim, too? Was it wrong to be the one who survived?

I didn't know.

All I knew was that, just as they said, I owed Luna a debt I could never repay. I owed her my life.

...

I spent a long time in that sunless attic.

Until my eighteenth birthday.

Derek somehow convinced my parents to finally let me out.

Seeing sunlight for the first time in years, my legs buckled. I could barely stand.

Derek said nothing. He simply knelt down and carried me on his back.

Step by step, he walked to Harborview University.

It was the university I dreamed of attending. It was Luna's dream, too.

The wisteria was in full bloom, and Derek's voice was a soft whisper against my ear.

"Did you know, Sophie? This was Luna's dream, too. But she'll never get to see it now."

I didn't answer. I just cried silently on his back.

That day was my eighteenth birthday.

It was also the last time Derek ever showed me any kindness.

After that, my school enrollment was officially terminated. I was locked away in the main house's attic. My parents moved abroad, washing their hands of me completely.

With them gone, Derek had no restraints.

At first, I would beg.

"Please, Derek, let me go."

But the attic was so dark, so suffocating. Not a single ray of light ever pierced the gloom. Trapped inside, I lost all track of time, of the seasons. Slowly, my mind began to fray.

On another anniversary of Luna's death, Derek demanded that I kneel. We had a violent argument.

"I won't kneel!" I screamed. "I hate her! I hate you all! I never asked her to save me. Why don't you just kill me, Derek? Just get it over with!"

I must have been truly mad then. Derek kicked me hard in the knee. He hated it when I disobeyed.

As punishment for my defiance, he dislocated my wrist. He bound me to the headboard in a humiliating position.

His voice was cruel. "Don't blame me, Sophie. This is what you owe Luna. You have no right to feel wronged. At least you're still alive."

Oh.

So my being alive was the mistake.

In that case, I didn't want to be alive anymore.

On the night of my twenty-second birthday, I couldn't hold on any longer.

I slit my wrists.

As the blood soaked the sheets, I thought, I would finally grant their wish: to give my life back to Luna.