The Disappeared Sister

8

August 12th, Friday

My dad let me out.

He still prepared lunch for me.

I took the lunch box to the office, and my colleague Irene was happy to see me and wanted to come over and say hello.

Just as she approached, she stepped back.

She asked me why I smelled worse and worse and if I had taken a shower.

I was excluded by everyone and stayed in a corner of the office.

When I got off work, a colleague asked me, "Is your sister really not coming?"

I angrily shouted at her, "I don't have a sister!"

The colleague waved at me with a smile and left, ignoring my words.

When I got home, I saw Caleb pacing back and forth downstairs.

He saw me and walked towards me.

He asked me what happened to my mom and if something went wrong.

"Did your dad do something to your mom?"

I looked at him and saw the anxiety and concern in his eyes, as well as his determination to seek the truth.

I didn't really understand my dad's anxiety before.

But at that moment, I suddenly understood a little.

Caleb might really take my mom away.

9

August 13th, Saturday

I had a dream last night.

I dreamt that I killed someone.

It was a beautiful girl.

I dreamt that I killed her. I scraped meat off the beef bones, hid it in the fridge, and put the beef bones in the suitcase, then dragged the suitcase out of the house and found a piece of land to bury them all.

At the end of the dream, I heard the sound of a dog barking miserably.

When I woke up, I found myself not at home.

I was standing at Caleb's door, and there was a knife beside my feet, which was very familiar, just like the one in my dream.

Why am I here?

Whose knife is this?

I stumbled back home. It was still dark.

I couldn't remember who the woman in my dream was.

I returned home.

My dad actually got up, wearing a coat and staring at my mom.

My mom wore a sleeveless dress that she used to like, except for the big hat on her head. The several "bruises" on her arms were exposed to the cold air.

My dad sighed when he saw me coming back.

"The meat in the fridge is almost used up."

10

August 14th, Sunday

Early morning.

I dreamed that I was dragging a suitcase and kept walking and walking, covering a long distance.

When I suddenly opened my eyes, I was really dragging a suitcase.

The bottom of the suitcase was covered with blood, and when I opened it, it was empty.

I was confused and couldn't figure out why I would drag an empty suitcase.

I dragged the empty suitcase back home.

When passing by Caleb's house, his front door was half open.

Why doesn't he close the doors and windows at such a late hour?

When I got home, the air conditioning was too strong, making my nose uncomfortable and unable to smell anything.

I fell back asleep and when I woke up in the morning, I saw my dad happily cooking in the kitchen while humming a song.

He said I had fresh meat to eat again.

I looked in the fridge. Besides what was left before, there was a lot more meat, stuffing the fridge so full that nothing else could be put inside.

My dad's previously loved beer was nowhere to be seen now.

Even the air conditioning couldn't stop the greasy meat smell. I felt familiar yet uncomfortable, and I wanted to throw up when I smelled it.

I forcefully closed the fridge door.

My dad quickly cooked a plate of Beef Bourguignon, and it was indeed much fresher.

But I felt sick and didn't want to eat.

My dad's smiling face disappeared. He muttered that I had become more particular about food when I had a better life. He said he didn't know what I was going to eat if I didn't eat the fresh meat.

To avoid his continuous nagging, I forced myself to eat two more pieces of beef.

I didn't know when I could stop eating Beef Bourguignon.

While my dad was taking care of my mom, I quickly slipped out to take a walk, so as not to be forced to eat Beef Bourguignon again.

When I went out, I passed by Caleb's door again.

The front door was still open, and several people seemed to be anxiously discussing something inside.

I instinctively wanted to avoid it, but I was stopped by a familiar neighbor who forcibly pulled me to chat with her.

She took the initiative to tell me that Caleb had disappeared.

Last night, his family woke up in the middle of the night and found that the front door was open, and Caleb was not home. It was already noon, but he hadn't come back yet. His phone was also unreachable. They didn't know where he was. His family was extremely worried and even called the relatives over.

"Is it true that Caleb had a thing with your mom?"

The woman laughed cunningly and asked me.

I didn't know how someone could have the audacity to ask such a question in front of a daughter.

I turned around to leave, but the woman grabbed me by my back and dragged me back.

"Do you get angry too? I'm just asking. Maybe your mom knows where he went. By the way, it seems like I haven't seen your mom and your sister taking you out for a walk for a long time. No, I haven't seen anyone in your house for several days. Where did your mom, dad, and sister go? Have they disappeared too? Hahaha."

My heart trembled, and I didn't want her to know about my mother's illness, so I told her to shut up.

"Why are you getting angry? Can't I ask?"

This woman is really annoying.

I struggled free from her grasp and quickly ran back home, not giving her another chance to catch me.

Today is really frustrating.