My parents, behind my back, took out a three-million-dollar accidental death insurance policy in my name. That weekend, my dad took me fishing for the first time, out in the secluded area by the reservoir. He even bought me a hotdog, something usually only Chloe got. He knelt down, his voice heavy with emotion, as he adjusted my collar. “My little girl, don’t blame your dad.” “Your sister needs to study abroad, and we just can’t come up with that kind of money.” “Just help the family one last time, okay? Just go to sleep, and all the pain will be gone…” The words barely left his lips before he kicked me, hard, right into the reservoir behind us. 1 The icy, bone-chilling water instantly filled my nose and mouth. I couldn’t swim. Pure survival instinct made me thrash wildly, my arms and legs flailing without purpose. On the shore, my dad watched me with cold indifference, like he was looking at a dying insect. Beside him, my mom pulled out her phone, seemingly checking the time. Chloe, my sister, took out a compact mirror, meticulously touching up her lipstick, her voice laced with impatience. “Dad, why is she flailing for so long? What if someone sees?” Mom calmly reassured her. “Don’t worry, no one’s around at this hour. I checked. Adults drown in three to five minutes. She’s just a kid, it’ll be even quicker.” Dad nodded, his voice devoid of any warmth. “Just wait a little longer. Once she sinks, we’ll call 911 and say she accidentally fell in.” My strength was draining away, bit by bit. My consciousness started to fade. Why? All because Chloe wanted to go to an exclusive boarding school in the UK, which cost a million dollars a year. And the beneficiary of that three-million-dollar accidental death policy? My mom and dad. So, that hotdog I’d never been allowed to eat? It was my last supper. And my dad, calling me “my little girl” so gently for the first time? It was to send me to my grave. I hated them. A tearing pain ripped through my lungs, and I choked on several gulps of water. Just as I was about to lose consciousness completely, my body slowly sinking, a blinding light suddenly shone from not far away. Then, a man’s furious roar. “What the *f*?! Who’s out there?! Crew! Where’s the freaking crew?!” “Is someone in the water over there?! Get help, now!” I heard my parents and Chloe scream in panic on the shore. “Run! Someone’s coming!” In the chaos, something plunged into the water with a splash. I felt strong hands pulling me up to the surface. The last thing I saw was the anxious face of a young man in a black T-shirt. 2 When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a customized production van. A dry jacket, smelling faintly of tobacco, was draped over me. A gorgeous, super stylish woman with flawless makeup was gently drying my hair with a towel. “Awake? How do you feel?” I tried to speak, but my throat was burning, and no words came out. The stylish woman handed me a cup of warm water. “Drink slowly. You choked on a lot of water; your throat’s all scratched up.” I took small sips, looking around. Besides the beautiful woman, there was a man with silver hair, even more handsome than a movie star, leaning against the window, playing on his phone. And a burly guy with a buzz cut sat in the driver’s seat, his brows furrowed tightly. I remembered it was him who jumped in and saved me. The van door suddenly slid open, and a grizzled, middle-aged director with a scruffy beard and a wrinkled vest poked his head in. “She’s awake?” His voice was the same furious one I’d heard before I passed out. He sized me up, his tone impatient. “Hey, kid! Where are your parents? What are you doing by the reservoir in the middle of the night? If you’re having suicidal thoughts, don’t do it near our set! This is *so* freaking unlucky!” The stylish woman glared at him. “Director Jensen! She’s just a child!” The man, Director Jensen, grunted. He reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, started to light one, then glanced at me and irritably shoved them back. “Alright, alright, Ava. Ask her for her family’s number. Get her folks to pick her up, so she doesn’t delay our shoot.” Family’s number… My body started to tremble uncontrollably. I couldn’t go home. If I went back, they’d push me into the water again, or find another way to kill me. Seeing me shake, Ava thought I was cold and wrapped the jacket tighter around me. She asked softly, “Skylar, right? Your student ID was in your pocket. Can you tell me your parents’ number?” I bit down hard on my lip, shaking my head desperately. The tears just wouldn’t stop. “I… I don’t want to go home…” Director Jensen got even more annoyed. “Hey, are you going to freeload off us now? If you don’t go home, are we supposed to feed you? I’m telling you, our crew is flat broke, we can’t afford any freeloaders!” The silver-haired man, Liam Hayes, put down his phone and spoke lazily. “Jensen, why bother getting upset with a child?” He walked over to me, knelt down, bringing his eyes level with mine. “Hey, kiddo, did you run away from home after an argument? Running away won’t solve anything. How about I take you home?” I cried, shrinking back and burying my face in Ava’s arms. “I didn’t run away… I just fell in by accident…” “My parents… they don’t know I’m here…” I didn’t dare tell them the truth. They were strangers. Why would they believe that my own parents tried to kill me? If they sent me back, it would be a death sentence. I had to lie. 3 Director Jensen looked at me, puzzled. “You fell in by yourself? What about your parents?” I clutched at the hem of my shirt, lowering my head and whispering, “They… they’re always very busy with work. I’m usually home alone.” “Then why were you out at such a secluded reservoir?” “I… I heard the scenery here was nice, so I wanted to come see…” My lies were full of holes. How could a teenage girl be out alone at a secluded reservoir in the middle of the night? Liam Hayes smiled faintly, saying nothing. Leo Stone, the guy with the buzz cut in the driver’s seat, looked back at me, his voice low. “Director, maybe we should call 911? Let the police find her family.” Call 911! The police would definitely contact my parents! I shuddered, grabbing Ava’s arm suddenly, pleading. “No! Please, don’t call 911!” My reaction was too intense. The three men in the van froze, all staring at me. Ava patted my back, soothing me gently. “Okay, okay, no 911, don’t get so worked up.” She looked up at Director Jensen. “Director, look how scared she is… How about we let her stay here for tonight? We can figure it out tomorrow?” Director Jensen’s brow furrowed so deeply it looked like he was trying to crush something between them. “This is a film set! Not a welfare center!” Though he said that, he still waved his hand, then turned and got out of the van. “Fine, fine! Just one night! But she has to be gone by tomorrow!” The door closed, shutting out the cold wind. Ava found me a clean set of clothes to change into and poured a bowl of hot porridge from an electric cooker. “Eat up. It’ll warm you.” The millet porridge was fragrant and soft. I held the bowl, and tears started to fall again. Ever since my grandma passed away, no one had made me hot porridge. Mom said cooking wasted time and interfered with her career. Meals at home were always made by the cleaning lady. The cleaning lady only knew how to make two dishes: plain steamed veggies and boiled plain veggies. Because Chloe had to watch her figure, Mom said plain veggies were best. And I just had to eat whatever they ate. Ava saw me only drinking the porridge and not speaking, and thought I didn’t like it. She dug a bag of teddy bear cookies out of her bag. “Not to your taste? Want some cookies instead?” I quickly shook my head, drinking the porridge clean, even licking the edges of the bowl. “It’s delicious! Thank you, Ava!” Ava smiled, stroking my head. “Silly girl.” That night, I slept on the long bench in the production van. Though it was narrow, I slept incredibly peacefully. But that peace was utterly shattered the next morning. I woke up to a commotion. Opening my eyes, I saw my parents and Chloe standing outside the van. Mom was holding Director Jensen’s hand, looking distraught and crying dramatically. “Director, thank you so much for saving our Skylar! We looked for her all night!” Dad’s eyes were red too, as he thanked them repeatedly. Chloe stood by, and when she saw I was awake, she immediately yelled at me. “Skylar! How could you be so thoughtless?! Threatening Mom and Dad by jumping in the water just because you don’t want me to go abroad! Do you know how worried everyone was about you?!” 4 Chloe’s words exploded like a thunderclap among the crew. Everyone looked at me with strange eyes. Turns out, I was the malicious sister who, out of jealousy for her sibling, jumped into the water to threaten her parents. Director Jensen’s face instantly darkened. Ava frowned too, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. I was ice cold, unable to speak. Mom rushed into the van and hugged me tight, but her hand viciously pinched my lower back. “Skylar, you scared your mother half to death! Come home with Mom, we can talk about anything there, don’t bother these nice people here!” The sharp pain made me gasp, and tears welled up involuntarily. To everyone else, it looked like a touching scene of mother-daughter reunion. Chloe also got into the van. She affectionately linked her arm through mine, but her nails dug into my flesh. She leaned close to my ear, whispering in a voice only we could hear, “Skylar, you got lucky. But it doesn’t matter, we have plenty of ways to deal with you at home.” “You’d better be a good girl, or next time, it won’t be as simple as pushing you into a reservoir.” I was so scared I stiffened, my legs completely unable to move. Dad walked over, a ‘kindly’ smile on his face, and said to the director, “I’m truly sorry, children can be so naughty and cause trouble. We’ll take her away now.” He reached out, trying to grab my arm. I flinched back in terror, screaming, “No! I’m not going with you!” Mom’s face hardened, her voice laced with threat. “Skylar! Stop acting up! Do you want me to discipline you in front of strangers?” Dad also lost his patience. He reached out directly, roughly dragging me out of the van. “Come on! Just wait till we get home, you ungrateful little monster!” The crew watched, but no one stepped forward to help. In their eyes, this was just a typical family dispute, parents disciplining a disobedient child. Despair instantly swallowed me. I was doomed. Just as my feet were dragged out of the van, and I was about to be shoved into my family’s car, a cool, clear voice suddenly spoke up. “Wait.” It was the silver-haired man, Liam Hayes. He leaned against the van door, slowly dangling something in his hand, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at my dad. “Mr. Miller, before you go, shouldn’t you explain this first?” My dad followed his gaze, and his face instantly turned chalk-white. In Liam’s hand was my dad’s car key, which he’d dropped by the reservoir yesterday. Attached to the key was a customized metal keychain. Engraved on it were the words: “Wishing Chloe success in her studies abroad and a bright future.” Liam jingled the key, smiling like a fox. “Your daughter ‘accidentally’ fell into the water in the middle of the night, and you, her parents, searched for her all night, yet you didn’t even realize your car key dropped at the scene of the incident?” He paused, his gaze sweeping over my parents, finally settling on my sister, Chloe. He spoke meaningfully, “And these words… wishing your esteemed daughter success in her studies abroad?” “Also, that three-million-dollar accidental death insurance policy, that must be for her tuition, right?” The words “accidental death insurance” dropped, and my parents and Chloe’s faces completely changed. 5 Mom shrieked, “What are you talking about?! What accidental death insurance?! We don’t know anything about it!” Dad also blustered, “Who are you? How dare you slander us! I’ll sue you for defamation!” Liam raised an eyebrow, ignoring their shouts, and turned his gaze to Director Jensen. Director Jensen understood. He cleared his throat and yelled to the surrounding crew members, “What are you all staring at?! Set up the cameras! It’d be a shame not to record such a brilliant scene as footage!” “Lights! Point the lights at their faces! Yes! I want that interrogation room effect!” The production assistants and lighting technicians immediately sprang into action. Several powerful lights instantly focused on my parents’ and Chloe’s faces. Leo, the cameraman, lugging his heavy camera, pointed it directly at my dad. “Mr. Miller, how do you manage to maintain your perfectly styled hair and spotless shoes after searching for your daughter all night? Could you share your grooming secrets?” Another PA held a boom mic right up to my mom’s mouth. “Madam, you just said you searched for your daughter all night, but your makeup is exquisite, and you don’t look like you’ve been up all night. Could you recommend the brand of foundation you use to our actresses?” My parents were stunned by this setup and couldn’t utter a single word. Chloe, being younger, couldn’t keep her composure. She pointed at Liam and shrieked, “You… you’re invading our privacy and infringing on our image rights! I’ll call 911!” “Call 911? Fine.” Liam smiled. He took out his phone and, right in front of them, dialed 91
“Hello, Officer? This is at Apricot Lake, just outside the city. Our film crew was shooting, and we’ve discovered a case that appears to be intentional homicide to defraud a large sum of insurance money…” At the words “intentional homicide,” my mom’s legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed. Dad’s face also turned from white to green, his lips trembling, unable to say a word. “Don’t… don’t call 911!” Dad finally reacted, snatching Liam’s phone and quickly hanging up. He forced a smile that looked worse than a cry. “Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding! We were just playing a joke with our child…” “A joke?” Liam took his phone back, his eyes turning cold. “Kicking your child into a reservoir, you call that a joke?” Dad’s cold sweat instantly broke out. “How… how do you know…” “Oh, I forgot to tell you.” Liam pointed to an inconspicuous corner on a nearby hillside. “We installed high-definition night vision cameras over there for our night shoots. The kind with audio recording.” “Every word you spoke and every action you took on the shore last night has been clearly recorded.” At these words, my parents and Chloe lost their last shred of color. Mom dropped to her knees with a thud, clutching Director Jensen’s leg and wailing. “Director, we were wrong! We’re not human! We were just confused for a moment! Please, let us go!” Dad also knelt, repeatedly bowing his head. “We’ll never dare again! Please, delete the video! We’ll pay whatever it takes!” Only Chloe remained standing. She glared at me viciously, her eyes like poisoned daggers. “Skylar! You bitch! How dare you conspire with outsiders to harm your own family! May you die a horrible death!” *SMACK!* A crisp slap echoed. It was Ava. She had gotten out of the van at some point and stood in front of Chloe, her eyes as cold as ice. “Watch your mouth. Say one more curse word to her, and I’ll rip your tongue out.” 6 Chloe clutched her face, looking at Ava in disbelief. “You hit me? Do you know who I am?” Ava sneered. “I don’t care who you are. I hit you because you’re an ill-mannered brat.” Chloe trembled with rage, wanting to lunge at Ava, but Dad yanked her back. “Stop it!” Dad roared, wanting nothing more than to defuse the situation. Director Jensen waved his hand, signaling Leo to move the camera. He walked over to my parents, looking down at them. “The video can be deleted.” My parents’ eyes lit up, as if they’d found a lifeline. “However,” Director Jensen’s tone shifted, “you must agree to one condition.” “What condition? Not just one, we’ll agree to a hundred!” Director Jensen pointed at me. “From today on, this child has no more connection to your family. You are not allowed to look for her again, nor are you allowed to harm her. ” “She’s with our crew now.” Mom paused, then a look of ecstatic joy spread across her face. “Good! Good! No problem! We promise never to look for her again!” To my mom, I was nothing but a burden. Now that someone else was willing to take me, she couldn’t be happier. Dad also nodded repeatedly, afraid Director Jensen would change his mind. Only Chloe, unwilling, cried out, “Dad! Mom! Are you crazy?! What about the three million? What about my tuition?!” Dad glared at her fiercely. “What’s more important, money or jail?!” Chloe immediately deflated. Director Jensen pulled a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket, tossing them in front of my dad. “Words aren’t enough. Write an agreement, in case you go back on your word. Clearly state that you voluntarily give up your parental rights to Skylar. From now on, her life, death, and everything in between, has nothing to do with you. And I’ll delete the video in front of you.” Dad picked up the pen without hesitation and quickly wrote the severance agreement, even pulling Mom to press her fingerprint. After doing all that, Dad didn’t even glance at me, looking expectantly at the director. “Now can you delete the video?” Director Jensen pulled a USB drive from his pocket and, in front of them, burned it with a lighter. “This was the only backup.” Seeing the video completely destroyed, my parents breathed a sigh of relief. They grabbed Chloe and fled in disarray. As if chased by ghosts. Watching their heartless backs, my heart felt like it was soaking in ice water, cold and numb. A warm hand gently rested on my head. It was Ava. She knelt down, gently wiping the tears from my face. “Don’t be scared. We’re your family now.” Liam also walked over. He took off his jacket and draped it over me. “Come on, let’s go get some good food.” Leo silently brought the production van closer. Director Jensen, his face stern, stuffed the severance agreement into his pocket and grumbled, “Raising a kid is such a pain in the ass.” Though his tone was harsh, I saw that his eyes were red. That day, they took me away from the reservoir, to the best restaurant in the city. For the first time, I ate lobster bigger than my face, and for the first time, I drank sweet fruit juice. That night, Ava took me to the mall and bought me many beautiful new dresses, and a big, fluffy teddy bear. Holding the teddy bear, lying on the soft bed in the hotel, I felt like I was dreaming. A beautiful dream where I wouldn’t drown, wouldn’t be abandoned. 7 The film crew’s schedule was delayed by the incident, so they had to rest in the city for a while. I also gained a new identity – Director Jensen’s “distant niece” and the crew’s little assistant. My job was simple: serving tea and water, and handing out things. Everyone on the crew was very kind to me. Ava cooked delicious meals for me every day, and after a month, I finally gained a little weight. Leo was a man of few words, but he would quietly slip me the sweetest fruits and, when he saw I had mosquito bites, silently buy the best insect repellent. Liam was a bit of a jerk, always teasing me and calling me “little pity,” but he gave me all the expensive snacks his fans sent him and taught me how to play video games. Director Jensen always complained that I was clumsy, but he would spend an entire afternoon patiently teaching me how to read storyboards and position cameras. He said, “A girl needs to learn a skill to support herself, can’t always rely on others.” I took his words to heart. During the day, I studied with the crew, and at night, I read books in my hotel room. All my textbooks were lost when I was pushed into the reservoir, so Liam downloaded a full set of digital textbooks onto his tablet for me. I didn’t want to fall behind in my studies. Director Jensen was right; I needed my own skills. Two months of peaceful days passed. One evening, Ava suddenly received a phone call, and her face turned grim. After hanging up, she looked at me, hesitant. “Skylar, your… your parents are looking for you.” My heart sank. They found me here. Turns out, they never intended to let me go. That severance agreement was just a temporary measure to get themselves out of trouble. Sure enough, the next day, my parents, along with Chloe, stormed into the hotel where our crew was staying. Behind them were several reporters carrying cameras. As soon as Mom saw me, she rushed over, clutching me and wailing dramatically. “My daughter! My mom finally found you! You were kidnapped by these human traffickers, you must have suffered so much!” The reporters’ flashbulbs immediately started flashing wildly at us. Chloe also squeezed closer, grabbing my hand and crying to the cameras, “My sister was tricked by this film crew! They won’t let her come home and are forcing her to work! Please, everyone, help us!” Dad, with a look of indignant grief, pointed at Director Jensen. “It’s him! He tricked us into signing some contract and is holding our daughter here, not letting her leave! They’re gangsters! They’re human traffickers!” In the hotel lobby, all eyes were on us. I watched my parents and Chloe’s shameless performance, twisting the truth, and trembled with anger. Director Jensen’s face was as black as a thundercloud. Liam was so angry he actually laughed. “Holy shit, I’ve seen shameless people, but never *this* shameless.” 8 Ava shielded me, looking coldly at my mom. “Madam, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want. It was written in black and white, you voluntarily gave up your parental rights.” Mom immediately scrambled to her feet, pointing her finger at Ava. “You little slut! You’re the one who seduced my daughter! You guys used violence to threaten us into signing! We were forced!” A reporter immediately thrust a microphone in front of my mom. “Madam, are you implying that the film crew used illegal means to force you to relinquish your daughter’s custody?” “Yes! That’s exactly it!” Mom cried even louder for the cameras. “They saw that our Skylar was pretty and wanted to control her, to make her act in inappropriate films to make money! They’re a bunch of beasts!” This was a vicious and poisonous smear. “Acting in inappropriate films”—that accusation was enough to destroy the entire film crew. Director Jensen’s lips trembled with rage. “You… you’re slandering us!” “I’m slandering you?” Dad sneered. He pulled a stack of photos from his bag and scattered them on the ground. The photos showed me working on set. There was one of me handing water to Liam, one of me helping Ava with a makeup case, and one of me sitting behind the director’s monitor, learning. But these photos were taken from extremely tricky angles. The photo of me handing water looked like I was subserviently serving Liam. The photo of me carrying Ava’s case looked like I was being exploited as a laborer. And the photo of me sitting behind the monitor was blurred, the screen’s contents unclear. Combined with what my mom had just said, it easily led to wild speculation. Dad pointed at the photos, heartbroken, and said to the reporters, “Look, everyone! My daughter is only a teenager, still a student! They’re enslaving her like this! How is this any different from child labor?!” The reporters were like sharks smelling blood, turning their cameras on Director Jensen and Liam. “Director, do you have any explanation for this?” “Mr. Hayes, as a public figure, did you participate in the exploitation of a minor?” Liam’s face was incredibly grim. He was an up-and-coming star; this kind of negative news would be devastating to his career. Director Jensen was too angry to speak. They were the ones who saved me, and now, because of me, they were being slandered as human traffickers and beasts. My heart ached as if being cut by a knife. It was all my fault. I had dragged them down. Looking at my parents and Chloe’s smug faces, a huge wave of anger and powerlessness washed over me. I broke free from Ava’s protective embrace and shouted at the reporters, “No! They didn’t trick me! I didn’t want to go home myself!” Chloe immediately ran over, covering my mouth, looking at me with a ‘heartbroken’ expression. “Sister, don’t be scared. With the reporters here, they can’t do anything to you. Have they brainwashed you?” As she spoke, she whispered into my ear with a venomous voice, “Skylar, you can’t fight us. Just come back home obediently, or I’ll make sure this film crew, everyone here, is ruined.” 9 Chloe’s threat was like a poisonous snake, coiling around my heart. I looked at Director Jensen’s ashen face, at Liam’s clenched fists, at Ava’s worried eyes. I couldn’t drag them down. I took a deep breath and pushed Chloe away. Then, to everyone’s shock, I fell to my knees in front of my parents with a thud. “Dad, Mom, I was wrong.” I hung my head, letting the tears fall. “I shouldn’t have run away, shouldn’t have made you worry. I’ll come home with you.” My parents froze, clearly not expecting me to suddenly back down. The reporters were also stunned. Chloe was the first to react. She immediately helped me up, smiling ‘relievedly’ at the camera. “That’s wonderful, my sister finally came to her senses.” Mom also immediately got into character, hugging me and crying disingenuously. “It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back. Mom doesn’t blame you.” Only I knew what I was truly thinking. Compromise was only temporary. I was going home. Back to that hell, to find the direct evidence they wanted to kill me for. I was going to personally send them to real hell. Director Jensen and the others started to come forward, but I subtly shook my head at them. Their eyes were filled with worry and confusion, but in the end, they didn’t move. And so, I followed my parents, ‘escorted’ by the reporters, out of the hotel. The moment the car door closed, the smile on Mom’s face vanished. She delivered a stinging slap across my face. “You little slut, you’ve gotten brave, haven’t you?! Finding helpers?!” Dad also turned around from the front seat, his eyes vicious. “We’ll deal with you properly once we get home!” Chloe sat next to me, smiling triumphantly. She pulled out her phone and played a news report about the commotion at the hotel. “Sister, look, now everyone knows you’re a thoughtless, ungrateful little monster. That film crew is finished too, their movie will never see the light of day.” She leaned closer to my ear, her voice a devil’s whisper: “Forgot to tell you, that three-million-dollar insurance policy expires next month. So, this month, you *have* to die ‘accidentally’.” “Tell me, this time, should we have you fall from a high-rise? Or… maybe an electrical accident?” Outside the car window, city lights sped by. My face was burning with pain, but my heart was calmer than ever before. I looked out the window, silently saying to Director Jensen and the others:
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