Chapter 1The Fault Line: Buried in the Rubble with My Sister

The rescue worker’s voice was grim. "The rubble is completely unstable. If we pull one out, the whole thing could pancake and collapse."

Without a second of hesitation, my parents screamed, "Save Savannah first!"

My sister echoed them from the dark, screaming, "Save me! Save me first!"

The firefighter had repeatedly warned us not to move a muscle during the extraction.

But Savannah didn't listen. She panicked, violently shoving at the debris around her.

The shifting weight triggered a collapse, and I was crushed to death under the concrete.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the earthquake.

* * *

I jolted awake, my heart pounding against my ribs.

I grabbed my phone. The date on the screen confirmed it—it was the day the earth would split open.

I had exactly two hours. The quake was slated for 2:00 AM.

It was midnight.

I didn't waste time thinking. I jammed my feet into my sneakers and bolted out the door.

In my past life, the collapse claimed so many lives. Since I was given a second chance, I couldn't just walk away.

Even saving one person was worth it.

I started on the ground floor of our apartment complex, hammering on every single door.

Once I heard sleepy, confused voices acknowledging me, I moved to the next.

By the time I reached the seventh floor and woke the last tenant, I had five minutes left.

I sprinted back into my own apartment with two minutes on the clock.

In my previous life, I lost my only window to escape because I was desperately trying to wake Savannah up.

This time, I’d leave that "privilege" to the mother who loved her most.

I threw open my parents' bedroom door. "Mom! Dad! Earthquake! Get up!"

They groaned, squinting at the lights. I glanced at my watch. Forty seconds.

"I tried to wake Savannah, but she won't budge! What do we do?" I cried, feigning panic.

My dad scowled. "Who says there's an earthquake? It's the middle of the night—"

Before he could finish the sentence, the floorboards bucked violently beneath us.

"What do we do? Savannah is still asleep!" I yelled.

My mom’s face twisted in sheer terror. She sprinted toward my sister's room, shrieking, "Savannah! Get up, baby! Wake up, it’s an earthquake!"

My dad grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the stairs.

The quake was ruthless. It gave no one a chance to hesitate.

Just as my dad and I burst through the front doors and into the street, a deafening roar shattered the night.

The building folded in on itself.

Mom and Savannah were buried in the ruins.

All around us, the night was filled with the sounds of wailing sirens and screaming neighbors.

A high-pitched ringing pierced my ears, my vision blurred, and the memories of my past life flooded my mind.

In that life, when the building started to shake, I immediately ran to Savannah’s room. I shook her, pulled her arm, but she was a heavy sleeper and wouldn't wake up. My parents had already made it out. I missed my chance. We were both trapped in the suffocating darkness. When dawn broke, the search and rescue teams finally found us. I could hear my mom sobbing outside, calling out—but only for Savannah. "Hang in there, Savannah! They're coming for you! You have to hold on!"

The rescue worker surveyed the wreckage and delivered the grim news: "The structural integrity is compromised. If we pull one out, the debris will likely shift and crush the other. We recommend extracting the girl on the left first; the load-bearing beams are more stable there."

Savannah and I both heard him. I didn't even have to guess; I knew Mom wouldn't choose me. Savannah was the golden child. I was the unwanted second daughter. Sure enough, Mom’s voice was desperate but firm: "Save Savannah. The one on the right. The one in the white shirt."

Savannah began wailing, "Mom, help me! My legs hurt so bad! Save me first, Mom!"

I laid there, freezing. Through the cracks in the concrete, I could see my mother’s tear-streaked face. Her eyes were locked solely on my sister. The firefighters moved with extreme caution, trying to save us both. They kept warning Savannah: "Do not move. If you shift your weight, your sister is going to be crushed."

But as they slowly hoisted her up, Savannah ignored them. She started kicking and shoving at the loose cinderblocks around her shoulders. Ignoring the firefighters' screams to stop, she pushed a massive slab of debris away from herself. The moment she was free, the entire weight of the ceiling crashed down onto my spine. It crushed the air from my lungs. The pain was blinding. "Mom, help me!" I screamed, choking on dust. "Mom, it hurts! Please!"

The crew frantically tried to dig through the new collapse to reach me. But then I heard my mother’s voice, cold and hollow: "Don't bother. Even if you pull her out, she'll be paralyzed. I don't have the money or the energy to raise a cripple."

I watched the sliver of daylight above me get permanently blocked out by falling stones. Just like my life, fading to black. I lay in the agonizing dark, waiting for death. When I finally closed my eyes for the last time, I woke up in my bed, hours before the disaster. This time, it was their turn to feel what it's like to be abandoned.