I was born with a cognitive disability. The day my sister Audrey came to pick me up from school, a man dragged her into an alley. She was assaulted, and killed. I was the only witness. My parents seized my shoulders, their faces twisted with fury and grief. “Tell us! You saw his face. Speak!” I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. They threw me out that night. Unable to care for myself, I became a ghost on the streets. I begged. I scavenged. I slept under bridges. Until the day a man in a black suit found me. He said he was Audrey’s fiancé. He knelt, met my hollow eyes, and spoke gently. “I know a place where we can make you see that day again. But it will cost you your life.” My grimy hands fisted in my stained shirt. I nodded, hard. “I’ll go.” What did I have to fear from death? All I feared was forgetting the killer’s face. Under the stark glare of the live broadcast lights, I stood before the Memory Tribunal. The audience sat watching, the cameras like dark, hollow eyes. They said this trial would be streamed to the world. Julian, who called himself Audrey’s fiancé, stood at my side, his expression unreadable. “You can still walk away.” I shook my head. At that moment, a wave of commotion broke through the entrance. I looked up and saw my parents rushing in. The moment Mom saw me, tears streamed down her face, yet her words cut sharp. “You heartless monster. Audrey was so good to you. She bought you candy, picked you up from school. She died horribly. You saw the killer. Why did you stay silent?” My father stood furious, his voice ragged. “We raised you, even with your condition, and never resented you. Is this how you repay your Audrey?” A murmur rose from the audience. The cameras turned toward them. Mom sobbed, barely able to stand. “You were always jealous of Audrey. Jealous she was smart and beautiful, that everyone loved her. But she never looked down on you, her disabled sister. She did not even have to pick you up that day. She pitied you. She was afraid you would be bullied.” Mom’s voice grew shrill. “She died because of you! Don’t you understand?!” I stared blankly at their hysterical faces, my eyes burning. So they really did hate me that much. So, in everyone’s eyes, I was the one who killed Audrey. Julian’s hand came to rest on my shoulder, his voice low. “Audrey would never blame you.” turned to him, my own voice barely a whisper. “If I go through the Memory Tribunal, the person who hurt Audrey will be caught, right?” Julian was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. It’s a global broadcast. The whole world will see what happened that day.” “Then let’s begin.” Julian looked at me. “But it will be painful.” He pointed to the center of the stand, where a long silver needle stood upright. “That needle will pierce the crown of your head, enter your cerebral cortex, and read your memories.” “The deeper the memory, the deeper it will go.” I paused for two seconds. My gaze drifted to my parents, still weeping and cursing in the audience. Then I offered a faint smile. “I’m not afraid of pain.” Julian’s brows furrowed. “As long as Audrey’s killer is caught,” I said softly, “as long as my parents can forgive me… any pain is worth it.” Julian was silent for a long while. Finally, he glanced at the doctor in the white coat nearby and gave a single nod. “Begin.” The doctor stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over me, then turning to Julian. “Once the Memory Tribunal begins, it cannot be stopped. The neural extraction is irreversible. When the procedure ends, the patient will be brain-dead. The damage is too severe” He paused. “Should we inform the family of these risks before we proceed” I spoke immediately. “No!” My voice was quiet, but steady. Absolute. Everyone looked at me. I met Julian’s gaze, my eyes resolute. “Please don’t tell them yet… okay?” In the audience, my mother was still crying. My father glared at the stage, his face grim. Julian’s throat moved as he swallowed. “Alright.” Then two nurses walked over, helping me lie down on the cold metal table. My body was secured with restraints-my wrists, ankles, waist… Finally, a metal ring clamped onto my forehead. A nurse approached with a syringe and injected a cold liquid into my vein. The world began to blur. Above my head, the long silver needle descended slowly, its tip aligned with the precise center of my forehead. Then, my mother’s horrified cry cut through the room. “Stop, stop it!”
My eyes snapped open. A thin, desperate hope flickered in my chest. Was Mom…finally worried about me? But then, Mom’s cold voice came again. “Doctor, please make sure we see what happened that day. Her body doesn’t matter.” Dad chimed in from beside her. “Money is no object. Charge us whatever it takes. Just make sure we catch the monster who killed Audrey!” My heart tightened, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. After hearing their words, Julian’s gaze darkened, a trace of unbearable sorrow flashing in his eyes. The Memory Tribunal continued. The silver needle pierced my forehead, entering my skull. The excruciating pain made my entire body tremble, and I bit down hard on my teeth. I could feel warm blood oozing out, flowing into my ears, soaking my hair. Then the first memory appeared on the large screen. The screen was intensely shaky, like a vision seen through tears. A hazy sky, Audrey’s funeral portrait placed in the center of the wake. I knelt on the ground, the wake filled with people, everyone dressed in black. Mom collapsed onto Audrey’s coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. Dad stood beside her, his eyes red and swollen, his whole body trembling. Suddenly, Mom turned and threw herself in front of me, clutching my shoulders tightly. “Skylar, tell me, what happened that day? You saw it, didn’t you? Who killed Audrey?” Her nails dug deep into my skin, her voice a high, sharp blade. “Speak! Say it!” I looked up, tears streaming unbroken. “I’m sorry, I really can’t remember.” Mom’s voice suddenly rose. “How can you not remember?! Audrey died right in front of you!” She suddenly grabbed my hair, forcing my head down to the ground. Thud. My forehead hit the tile floor hard. “Kneel for Audrey! Beg for her forgiveness!” Another slam. “After all we’ve done for you, how could you do this to Audrey?!” Thud. A vivid red bloodstain was left on the tile. “How could you forget? How could you!” The me on the screen, my forehead a bloody mess, my eyes wide open, pupils reflecting Audrey’s funeral portrait. Blood flowed down from my temple, mixing with tears, dripping onto the ground. I didn’t struggle, I just let Mom press my head, hitting it against the ground again and again. Everyone in the wake watched; no one stepped forward to stop her. I knelt at Audrey’s wake for a day and a night. After Audrey was buried, Mom threw a large bundle at my feet. “Skylar,” she pointed to the door, “Get out!” “Don’t come back until you remember what happened that day. If you can’t remember, never come home again.” I froze, staring blankly at the bundle on the ground, then looked up at Mom. “Mom.” “Don’t call me Mom!” she shrieked. “I don’t have a daughter like you!” Dad walked over, silently grabbed my arm, and dragged me out. I panicked. I burst into tears and clung to Mom’s leg. “Mom, I’m sorry… I’ll remember… Please don’t make me leave… Mom, I’m scared.” Dad pried my fingers away, one by one. His grip was iron. My bones ached. The door swung open. I was shoved outside. The bundle landed at my feet. The heavy door slammed shut in front of me. I knelt on the ground, pounding hard on the door. “Mom… Dad…” “I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…” There was no response from inside. After a very long time, I cried myself out, then picked up the bundle from the ground. Dragging my still-bleeding forehead, I walked down the stairs, step by step. As I exited the building, I looked back at the fourth-floor window. The curtains were drawn tight. The screen dimmed. The entire hall fell silent. Suddenly, Dad’s enraged voice boomed. “What is this?! This isn’t what we want to see!!” Mom also shrieked. “We want to know the truth about Audrey’s death!! What happened in that alley that day?!” “Keep going! Keep watching!” A murmur of whispers rose from the audience. Julian looked at the screen, then at me on the stand, pale and blood-stained, his lips moving. The doctor sighed, his voice amplified by the microphone, echoing through the room. “First-layer memory extraction complete. As the memories deepen, the patient’s pain will continuously increase. The nervous system, under extreme suffering, may cause extraction to be interrupted or…” His words were cut short by Dad. “Continue. Whatever the cost, as long as the killer is caught.” Mom covered her face, crying. “We just want to know the truth!”
The doctor looked to Julian. Julian stayed silent, his knuckles white. “…Proceed.” The doctor’s hands moved over the console. The silver needle drove deeper. I screamed. It felt like a red-hot iron rod was churning inside my brain. My whole body began to convulse violently. Sweat instantly drenched my thin clothes, veins bulging on my forehead. The screen lit up again. This time, the screen showed me cornered by a group of boys. “Look, it’s Skylar, the idiot!” “Still playing in the dirt, dummy?” They picked up pebbles and trash and started throwing them at me. I looked up, staring blankly at them. “Look at her, she doesn’t even cry. Total moron.” “Should we bury her in the sandbox?” “Yeah!” Amid their taunts and laughter, a dirty hand shot out, grabbed my arm, and yanked me hard. I lost my balance and tumbled into the sandbox. “Bury her!” “Yeah! Bury the idiot!” Amid the excited shouts, several hands pushed me down and held me there. Heavy sand began to fall on my head and body, handful by handful. It was so heavy, pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe. The sand covered my waist, then piled up to my chest. I was going to be buried. I couldn’t move, couldn’t cry out. Just as the sand reached my shoulders, a sharp, clear voice cut through the air. “What are you doing?! Let her go!” It was Audrey! She stood at the edge of the sandpit, her high ponytail bright under the sun, hands on her hips. She seemed to glow. “You’re bullying Skylar?” Her voice was pure fire. “Leave her alone, or I’m calling the police!” The boys froze, then released their grip on me. “Audrey, she is just an idiot.” “What did you say?” Audrey took a step forward, eyes wide and blazing. “Skylar is not an idiot! She just… thinks a little slower.” “She’s kinder than all of you!” Cowed by her fierceness, the boys mumbled and scattered. Audrey ran over, dug away the sand, and pulled me out. Her eyes were full of worry. “Skylar, are you okay? Are you hurt?” I shook my head, but tears fell anyway. “Don’t cry.” Audrey hugged me close, gently patting my back. “Don’t be scared, Skylar,I’m here.” “If anyone bullies you again, just tell me.” “I’ll protect you, okay?” The me on the screen buried my head in Audrey’s embrace, sobbing softly. Audrey smelled of sweet-scented soap. Her hands were so warm. In the audience, Mom had collapsed onto her chair, sobbing. “Audrey… my Audrey was so kind since she was little…” “She was good to everyone… especially to this poor, disabled sister…” Dad’s eyes were also red, his voice choked. “Audrey was always so sensible, always knew how to take care of her sister…” Julian watched the screen in silence, his eyes fixed, filled with a deep longing for his beloved. The next second, Mom suddenly turned, glaring at me on the stage, her voice hoarse. “Skylar! Look! Look how good your sister was to you!” “How could you… how could you forget how she died?!” Dad also pointed at me, heartbroken. “Skylar, what happened that day? Your sister was so good to you, why won’t you just say it?!” “Did you really see something… but chose not to tell us?” I lay on the tribunal stand, listening to their accusations. Tears streamed down my temples. I wanted to tell them too. Mom and Dad. I really wanted to know what happened that day. I also wanted to know who killed Audrey. But I… really couldn’t remember. Deep inside my brain, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly erupted. The silver needle suddenly began emitting an electric current. I arched my back violently, and a mouthful of blood spewed from my throat.
“Blood pressure plummeting! Neural shock too severe!” The doctor’s startled cry was drowned out by my parents’ even shriller screams. “Forget all that! The scene! We need to see the alley scene! Continue! Keep going!” Julian lunged forward, slamming his fist onto the edge of the control panel. “I want the truth too, but can’t you see she’s dying?!” “I don’t care!” Mom cried. “This is what she owes Audrey! This is the only reason she’s still breathing!” A crimson haze swam before my eyes, yet through the agony, my hearing grew unnaturally sharp. Inside my skull, the silver needle churned violently once more. A fresh wave of pain tore through me. The screen flickered violently, then shone with blinding white light. This time, the scene showed me after my parents had kicked me out. I was cornered by a few thuggish youths in a dilapidated construction site. There were broken bricks on the ground, and the air was thick with dust. “Hey dummy, heard your folks don’t want you back?” The leader, a bleach-blond guy, took a drag of his cigarette and jabbed my shoulder with a stick. “So, if we mess with you, ain’t nobody gonna care, right?” I pressed myself into the damp wall, trembling, my fingers curled tight around a sharp shard of broken stone. “a real stare on you, huh?” Another guy stepped in and slapped me across the face. The stinging pain was intense. But clearer than the pain were my parents’ whispers, echoing repeatedly in my ears- “She needs to suffer a bit, then she’ll be scared, then she’ll try harder to remember…” “Audrey can’t die in vain… This is to force her…” Those fragments flashed back constantly. Mom’s back, secretly slipping money to the hoodlums in the alley; Dad, whispering into the phone, “Scare her good, make her suffer a bit.” So all those people who’d been stealing my food, beating me down, even trying to strip my clothes off… they were all arranged by Mom and Dad. My heart shattered into a million pieces at that moment. I suddenly let out a scream, clutching the broken stone, and threw myself at them, heedless of the consequences. They seemed surprised by my resistance, quickly pinned me to the ground, grabbed stones, and started smashing them against my head. The screen shook violently, mixed with crude curses and the sound of blows. It wasn’t until I was covered in blood, lying motionless on the ground, that the thugs cursed and walked away. My vision slowly blurred. A pair of leather shoes stopped in my line of sight. It was Julian. He looked at me, his expression complex and unreadable. “Skylar, do you want revenge for your sister?” I opened my mouth, and bloody foam welled up. “I know a way to get the memory from your brain… what you saw that day.” He paused. “But the process is very painful. And, you…” Julian hadn’t finished speaking when the screen abruptly changed. Finally, it was the scene from that alley. I was carrying my schoolbag, and Audrey stood across the street, waving at me with a smile. She was wearing a new dress today; she looked beautiful. My eyes lit up, and I wanted to run over. Just as I stepped onto the sidewalk and was about to reach Audrey’s side- A tall figure, ghost-like, wearing a black mask and a baseball cap, shot out from the side alley. He clamped a hand over Audrey’s mouth and dragged her, violently, into the shadows of the nearby alley. Audrey’s scream was smothered. Her eyes stretched wide with terror, legs kicking wildly. I froze, horrified. Then I lunged forward on instinct, reaching for Audrey’s hand. Without even looking back, the attacker swung his leg and kicked me hard in the stomach. Thud. I was thrown backward, my head cracking against the pavement. A wave of searing pain and dizziness swallowed me whole. Warm liquid began to spread from the back of my skull. My vision swayed, blurred. No sound rose from my throat. But I forced my eyes wide, straining to see into the alley’s shadows. In the gloom, Audrey was pinned hard to the ground. She thrashed wildly, her hands clawing at empty air. Enraged by her struggle, the attacker raised his arm. In that split second, Audrey snatched upward. The black mask tore away in her grasp. The faint light from the alley’s mouth fell directly onto the face now laid bare.
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