I swallowed all the warnings I wanted to give her. Including but not limited to: your father is skilled at burying people, your mother likes making dolls, and that mute housekeeper… Never mind, let her explore and discover for herself. Later, I agreed to help her by locking her in a room to do homework, slapping her once for each wrong answer. She endured the slaps and thanked me from the bottom of her heart. When I was six, a nanny joked: “Lily really doesn’t look anything like her parents. She must be adopted, haha!” The next day, that nanny disappeared. I was digging in the garden with my little shovel, tending to my roses. When I dug down, blood seeped out of the soil. Mom picked me up and gently wiped my face: “Stop playing, you’re filthy. Don’t be like your dad.” Mom brought me to the dining table. I stared at the fancy china plate holding a bloody steak, hugging my teddy bear silently. Dad’s smile was even gentler than Mom’s: “Why isn’t Lily eating?” “Daddy found you a new nanny. She definitely won’t say anything to upset you.” Because she couldn’t speak at all. “It’s okay, even if you’re not our biological child, you’re still Mommy and Daddy’s precious daughter.” My hand shook a little as I cut the steak. I accidentally knocked a piece off the plate. It flew across the table, leaving a trail of blood. The mute nanny quickly pulled out a napkin and wiped the blood off the table and my hands. Just as efficiently as she had cleaned up the previous nanny’s blood in the kitchen. Before she arrived, we went through nannies quite frequently. But she ended up staying with our family for ten years. From that moment on, I knew there wasn’t a single normal person around me.
They finally found my parents’ biological daughter. She lived in a run-down house. Her mother – my birth mother – had committed suicide years ago due to mental illness. All that was left was an alcoholic, gambling addict father. The day we arrived, he was grabbing his daughter’s hair and slamming her head against the wall. “I told you to go work the streets, why did you run away?!” “You’ve been freeloading off me for years, time to earn your keep!” “Useless, just like your crazy bitch of a mother!” Dad cleared his throat at the door: “Ahem.” When the drunk realized the daughter he’d raised for years belonged to the wealthy man before him, his eyes lit up greedily. “I raised her for 12 years, a full 12 years. $120,000 wouldn’t be unreasonable, right?” Turns out he wasn’t my birth father either. My mom had remarried him when the real daughter was 4. I had no idea who my birth father was. After the tearful family reunion, the true daughter cried hard. Her gaze towards me changed from envy to hatred. Mom took us home first. Dad stayed behind to discuss “compensation” with that man. I turned back and gave him a sympathetic look. The man’s greedy gaze grew stronger. Clearly he had no idea what was about to happen. The true daughter, now renamed Daisy, sobbed in the car: “Why did it take you so long to come get me?!” Thunder suddenly cracked across the sky as rain began to fall. I answered for Mom: “Because it’s raining today.” Rainy days make things easier to clean up. Mom smiled, giving me an approving look. Daisy paused, then continued crying. Ten days later, when debt collectors came looking for that man, he had vanished. Rumor had it he’d suddenly come into money and left the country. No one cared which sewers he’d been washed down.
My parents renamed the true daughter Daisy Foster. Her room was arranged next to mine. The night she arrived, Mom and Dad prepared a feast. Our dinner conversation was perfectly harmonious. Except for when we each went upstairs to our rooms. SLAP— Daisy slapped me hard across the face. She lifted her chin haughtily: “Listen here you little bastard. You’ve been impersonating the real daughter for years. From now on, you’d better know your place.” She glared at me one last time before slamming her bedroom door. After her light went out, I changed into a white nightgown, let my hair down, and grabbed my teddy bear before slipping out of my room. Her door was unlocked. How careless. How convenient for me. I opened her door just wide enough to peer inside, standing perfectly still. Motionless, I stared at her. The hallway was lit. When she rolled over, she’d be able to see me. Ahhhh— AHHHHHHHHH! Daisy’s bloodcurdling scream echoed through the entire house. Mom and Dad came running, flipping on the lights. Daisy was huddled in the corner. When she recognized my face, she flew into a rage: “Lily Foster, are you trying to kill me?!” I squeezed my teddy bear’s paw. “I couldn’t sleep. I just wanted to talk.” Daisy refused. In the end, Mom and Dad soothed her briefly before we all returned to our rooms. This time she locked her door and drew the curtains tight. Mom and Dad knew about Daisy slapping me earlier. They were observing in secret, waiting to see how I’d react. Judging by their smiles just now, they seemed satisfied with my “performance.” Mom and Dad hate boring people. Mom and Dad don’t like useless children. Oh right, when I was little, after the DNA test results came back, Mom and Dad went to check the hospital security footage. There was a gap in the nursery camera feed. They searched for a long time before finally spotting a woman in black. Unfortunately she wore a hat and mask, so nothing could be made out. Two weeks later, the hospital went bankrupt. The kind where even the building gets demolished. This was followed by reports of missing hospital staff, but those were quickly buried under other news. Dad patted my head at the time: “What do you think we should do with you?” I patted my teddy bear’s head: “Turn me into a teddy too?” Dad laughed heartily and scooped me up: “You’re thinking too much, Lily. You’re Daddy’s adorable daughter.” Mom smiled: “That’s right, Lily’s not some boring little kid.” Dad chimed in: “You’re far more interesting than those teddy bears. It’d be such a shame if you couldn’t talk.” I smiled faintly and bit down hard on my tongue. I didn’t even dare pinch my arm or leg, afraid they’d see through my forced composure. I didn’t want to be turned into a teddy. I didn’t want to be made into a doll. So my every word and action had to mimic what they liked.
Daisy transferred into my class. She was very popular. The other students loved hearing her rags-to-riches story. With her outgoing personality, she quickly gathered a large group of friends. In comparison, people didn’t like me much. “Bastard child, it’s a miracle the Fosters were willing to keep you.” “You barely say three words a day. What’s the difference between you and a mute?” “Look how gloomy she is, I bet she’s growing mushrooms. Ugh, I can almost smell the stench of decay.” “Daisy, it must be awful living with her, right?” They said these things right in front of me while Daisy smirked. At first it was just mean words. Then they started hitting me. Daisy especially loved slapping my face. She said she enjoyed the sound and rhythm as she hit me over and over: “This is all payback.” “You stole my parents for over a decade. You deserve to suffer. I’ll make sure you pay for every day.” “How dare you try to scare me that night, you little mongrel.” SLAP— SLAP SLAP— Two girls flanked me, pinning my arms so I couldn’t fight back. “Still not making a sound? You really are pathetic.” She grabbed my face. I cried out in pain, whimpering: “Please, stop…” They all burst out laughing. A boy eagerly filmed the scene on his phone. They had taken over the girls’ bathroom. No one else would come in. Daisy’s arm got tired. She shook out her wrist and kicked over a red bucket. The bucket was filled with dirt they’d dug up from the school garden. They smeared mud all over my face and clothes. “Tsk tsk, so filthy. Let’s clean her up.” I was dragged to a toilet. The two girls shoved my head towards the bowl. “Please, don’t—” I had already begged them. I had already given them a chance. “AHHHHHHH!!!” The two girls shrieked like pigs being slaughtered, even louder than Daisy that night. “Snake! There’s a snake! From her bag, ahhhh!” “Get away!” “Kill it! Kill it!” I was there when they dug up dirt from the garden. I could guess what they were planning, so I brought my pet along. It’s very obedient and listens to me well. The three girls and one boy ran for their lives, screaming the whole way. The little snake slipped out the window, returning to the garden. I calmly walked out of the bathroom. They stared at me in shock as I entered the classroom, stuttering: “Y-you… did you b-bring it in?” “No,” I answered honestly. I would never actually hurt them at school. It was just to scare them. I smiled. “But if you try to hurt me again, it might come back.”
After this incident, my classmates avoided me even more. I overheard them whispering about going to my house to tell my parents what happened. “We’ll back you up, don’t be afraid.” “We have to get her kicked out, or who knows how you might end up dead one day.” Daisy glanced at me nervously before nodding to them. As school let out, our housekeeper pulled up in the car. There was plenty of room for all of them. They kept their distance from me and hailed a taxi instead. I sat in the front seat. Ms. Yang tilted my chin up, examining my face. Her eyes held a questioning look. I knew what she wanted to say. [Did she hit you again?] I pushed her hand away. “It’s fine. I already got revenge.” Ms. Yang shook her head, her face as expressionless as ever. She signed to me: [How rude. The master and madam should teach her a lesson.] Teach her a lesson? If they found out, they’d probably just enjoy the show. After all, those two often ended up with bruises themselves. From the sounds I occasionally overheard, it was very violent, but they seemed to like it. When I got home, Daisy and her friends had already arrived. They sat on the living room couch. In front of them was a white coffee table with gold trim, set with delicate cake plates and a vase that always held fresh red roses. Mom sat in an armchair, hand on her chin, smiling as she listened to them. “Lily’s home!” The room fell silent when I entered. Only Mom spoke enthusiastically. “You must all be hungry. I’ll check on dinner, it should be ready soon.” “Didn’t you want to see the doll collection room? Lily can show you.” Their faces fell. “Mrs. Foster—” Mom smiled. “I’m sure there’s just been some misunderstanding at school. Why don’t you clear things up today?” “Lily, be a good host. Don’t scare your classmates again.” I nodded to show I understood.
The doll collection room was exactly what it sounded like – filled with dolls of all sizes. And many teddy bears too. At first glance, I couldn’t even tell which were real dolls and which were… “Wow, so pretty!” “There’s so many! The whole room is full!” The girls were excited. Even Daisy had never been in here before. She had a girlish look of wonder. The boy was clearly uninterested. He poked and prodded randomly before bumping a music box. It began to play. “The dolly and the teddy bear dance, dance, dance…” One girl hugged an ornate Baroque-style doll, her eyes full of envy. “Daisy, your mom is amazing. Look at this dress, it’s so beautifully made!” “Um… can I have this one? I really love it…” Daisy was very generous of course and immediately agreed. I looked carefully at the doll and said, “Maybe you shouldn’t take that one. How about choosing a different doll?” She glared at me. “Daisy already said yes. It’s none of your business. This isn’t your house anyway.” They mocked and ridiculed me. The boy chuckled. “This reminds me of a horror movie about creepy dolls. Have you guys seen it?” “Shut up!” the girls yelled, but their voices lacked conviction. He continued, “It was also set in a mansion. The lady of the house loved collecting dolls. Guess what the dolls were made of?” “Real children.” “Ahh! Shut up!” The girl holding the Baroque doll screamed and started hitting the boy with it. Crack— thunk thunk— The doll’s head fell off and rolled away. “Oh no, I didn’t mean to…” The head rolled into another room. The lights were off and it was very dark. “Lily, where’s the light switch…” After I turned on the lights, they were shocked by the scene before them. “Is… is this a workshop?” There were syringes, gauze, and a trash can with bloody bandages. The table held various knives and a half-finished project that looked quite disturbing. A strange smell wafted from the bathroom, like a foul odor mixed with air freshener. The music box outside was running out of power. It made a buzzing sound and seemed to slow down. “The… dolly… and… teddy… dance…” A girl’s voice trembled: “This is creepy. I’m scared.” Another agreed: “Me too. I want to go home.” BANG— The door suddenly slammed shut, making everyone jump.
The boy yanked on the handle, pushing and pulling with all his might. “It’s locked!” “What’s going on? Is someone out there?” I walked to the window and closed it. “Probably just the wind. This door is a bit old. Don’t worry, I’ll call the housekeeper.” A girl crouched on the floor, sobbing: “Parents who raise a kid like that can’t be normal either. We shouldn’t have come here today!” Another girl scolded her: “Why didn’t you say that earlier?!” “You didn’t say anything either!” Daisy yelled at them: “Shut up! My parents aren’t like that. Do you want me to hit you?” “AHHHHHHHH!” The two girls clung to each other, screaming even louder than before. “Bones! That doll!” They hadn’t dared retrieve the fallen head. Only now did they notice the headless doll still in their hands. “It’s made from a real person, right? Isn’t it?! ISN’T IT?!” They grabbed Daisy by the neck, shaking her violently. The boy panicked too, trying even harder to open the door. The wood creaked loudly with each attempt. Knock knock knock. Someone was at the door. “AHHHHHHH!” They were all in a state of terror. “W-who’s there?!” There was no answer from outside. Daisy suddenly got excited: “Ms. Yang! It’s Ms. Yang! Quick, open the door!” Daisy hated Ms. Yang. She had never sounded so eager to see her before. I warned them: “Step away from the door.” BANG— After two or three hits, the door burst open with a loud crash. Ms. Yang walked in, closed the door behind her, and stood blocking the exit. “Let us out!” “Please, I’m begging you, let us go!” The corners of Ms. Yang’s mouth turned up slightly. This was the closest she ever came to smiling. She began to sign. “Get out of the way!” “What are you saying?! We can’t understand you!” Their voices were filled with terrified sobs. I translated with a cold smile: “I begged you like this too. What did you do then?”
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