Chapter 2The Monster I Raised

To cultivate a gentler temperament in my brother, my mom bought each of us a pet rabbit.

She smiled warmly. “You have to treat the bunnies well, okay? They are living things too.”

My brother stroked the bunny’s ears, nodding as if he couldn’t put it down.

But the next morning, when my mom went to change the cabbage leaves in the cages, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

I rushed onto the balcony. The bunny my brother was taking care of had been sliced open and killed. Its intestines had spilled out all over the bottom of the cage.

Meanwhile, the bunny in my cage had its ears pinned back, trembling violently in the corner.

My brother stood behind my mom with a huge smile, holding his arms up to be carried. “Mommy, I want another bunny!”

I hugged my bunny tightly to my chest, shivering.

Ever since my brother was born, all my parents’ energy had gone to him. Even my grandma came all the way from out of town specifically to help take care of him.

He became the center of our entire family’s universe.

I had to admit, most of the time he didn’t look any different from other little boys. He had a sweet smile, liked eating snacks, and loved watching cartoons.

But this bright, cheerful boy could turn into a demon the very next second.

Once, my grandma simply told him he couldn’t have a snack before dinner. He bit down hard on her arm and refused to let go, exactly like a wild jackal. No matter who tried to pull him off, his jaws stayed locked.

Another time, I was just sitting there watching cartoons. As my mom carried him to the balcony, he casually grabbed the TV remote and hurled it straight at my head. Blood streamed down my face, and he smiled with pure delight.

When he finally reached preschool age, my parents spent a ton of energy and money to enroll him in a daycare that specialized in early childhood mental health and development.

But not long after, the teachers called my parents in.

The reason: an older kid in the pre-K class had bullied him, making fun of him for being skinny and small.

I don’t know where he learned it, but during nap time, while the teacher stepped out to use the restroom, he sneaked into the pre-K nap room, used a lighter to set the bedsheets on fire, sprinted out, and locked the door from the outside.

If the teacher hadn’t come back when she did, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Even the teachers were horrified. “Does your child watch violent cartoons at home? I’ve never seen a kid act like this! It’s terrifying!”

Under pressure from the other parents, my brother was expelled. My parents bowed, apologized endlessly, and paid a massive settlement just to make it go away.

As my parents were bowing and apologizing, my brother stood to the side, biting his fingernails, giggling. The teacher asked him what was so funny.

He said, “I wanted to burn you all to death!”

My dad’s face went ghost white. He slapped my brother across the face right in front of everyone. My brother fell to the ground.

He started bawling. The bystanders watched coldly. My mom was the only one who threw herself onto the ground to hug him.

“Mommy is so sorry! It’s all Mommy’s fault!”