Last time around, my stepmother and stepsister got me killed. I can't believe I'm back, reborn, with a chance for revenge. My stepsister, Jessica, slung her arm around the guy I used to crush on, basically strutting right in front of me. "Taylor," she sneered, "you'll never win against me." Oh yeah? Back for round two, you think I'm just going to roll over and die again? 1. The Williams' house. I was locked in a dark storage room, staring blankly at my own hand. Just a second ago, there was a hole here, deep enough to see bone. I'm back. I've been reborn. In my past life, after Jessica's mom, Linda, married my dad, Jessica became my stepsister. I treated her like gold, like a real sister. But Dad always misunderstood, called me a troublemaker, a little menace. One time, Jessica ran away from home. When I went looking for her, I got kidnapped, tortured, and eventually killed. Only before I died did I find out: Jessica planned the whole runaway thing just to lure me out. And she'd been poisoning Dad against me the whole time, trying to steal my inheritance! It was Thanksgiving night. They dumped my body, barely clothed, right on our front lawn. I died with my eyes wide open. And now, somehow, I'm reborn. This is my chance, given by fate, or whatever. This time, I'm exposing Linda and Jessica for the frauds they are. I'm fighting for what's mine, and I'm going to live, really live, for myself! Just as I was thinking this, the door creaked open again. This time it was Richard Williams, my actual father. But right now, his brow was deeply furrowed. Linda and Jessica hovered behind him like shadows, shooting me mocking little smiles. "Taylor, have you learned your lesson?" Just a little while ago, Jessica smashed Dad's favorite crystal sculpture. She was scared of getting yelled at, so she pinned it on me. And I was stupid enough to take the fall. I lifted my chin. My stomach cramped from not eating. "What lesson?" I asked slowly. "What did I do wrong?" Richard immediately lost his temper. "Are you telling me you didn't break that crystal sculpture? You mess up and won't even admit it? What's gotten into you, Taylor?!" 2 I snorted, pushing myself up slowly using the wall. "Wrong is wrong. I didn't do it! Maybe you should ask your little informant exactly how she saw me break it." "Jessica! You tell me!" Richard was furious now, pulling Jessica forward to explain herself. Jessica jumped, startled. She probably didn't expect me, the usual doormat, to suddenly find a backbone. She hadn't rehearsed this part. She stammered for a bit, then tears started welling up. "Dad!" she sobbed to Richard. "Don't blame Taylor! She didn't mean to do it!" I rolled my eyes. Why is the air in here suddenly thick with fake sweetness? Oh, right. Jessica's here. The second Jessica started crying, Linda rushed over, grabbing her hand and dabbing at her own eyes for Richard's benefit. "Richard, this girl Taylor is just dragging my Jessie's name through the mud for no reason! You have to stand up for us!" Watching this mother-daughter drama unfold, I felt sick. Richard couldn't stand Linda's waterworks. He tried to soothe her while glaring daggers at me. "Taylor! Get over here and apologize to your sister!" Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Getting angry just made me feel strangely calm. Richard saw I wasn't moving and looked ready to shout again. I beat him to it, looking up, letting two clear tears splash onto the floor. "Dad, do you remember what you promised Mom?" "I..." "You said you'd never, ever treat me badly. But look at you now! You're condemning me based on Jessica's word alone. If Mom knew about this, how sad, how heartbroken would she be?" "That's enough!" Richard's anger deflated. He looked guilty. He didn't have much ground to argue on. His biggest regret in life was my mom, who died years ago. She didn't just support him when he had nothing; she sold her own family heirlooms to fund his business. And Richard? An ungrateful jerk. He actually got back together with his high school sweetheart while married to Mom, cheating on her for over a decade behind her back! Richard mumbled something, clearly remembering how good Mom had been. Linda saw things weren't going her way and quickly jumped in, "I saw it!" I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. Only Jessica and I were there when the crystal sculpture shattered. Let's see what kind of story she cooks up. 3 Linda started explaining, very dramatically, "Taylor brushed against the bookshelf as she walked past, and that's what knocked the sculpture over and broke it!" Hearing this, I burst out laughing. Richard's face visibly darkened. Jessica tugged at her mom's sleeve, whispering, "Mom! The sculpture was on the table!" Linda faltered for a second, then quickly regained her composure. "Well, maybe I remembered wrong, but Taylor definitely broke that crystal sculpture!" "Enough!" Richard finally roared. He couldn't watch this anymore. He shot Linda a glare. "We're dropping this." He turned to leave. I stopped him. "Dad, it's pretty obvious what happened. Are you still going to pretend you don't see it?" I pushed, not letting Jessica get off easy. "That crystal sculpture, Mr. Henderson gave it to you, didn't he? If he found out it was broken, wouldn't he think you don't value his gift? Wouldn't that affect the business deal between our families? Dad, you need to think this through." I knew how crucial Henderson Corp, our biggest partner, was to Richard. Mentioning Mr. Henderson meant Richard couldn't just sweep this under the rug. Sure enough, Richard whipped his head around, glared resentfully at me, then yelled at Jessica, "You're grounded for the rest of the summer! Stay in your room, no going out!" "Dad!" Jessica wailed, chasing after Richard as he stormed out of the dark room. Linda glared at me, teeth clenched. "Taylor, is this you declaring war?" "I'm just taking back what's mine. What belongs to the Williams bloodline." Hearing this, Linda's face changed. "What do you know?!" she demanded frantically. Heh. I know plenty. Like, for instance, whether Jessica is actually my dad's kid at all. I just don't have proof yet. I need backup. 4 Summer vacation flew by. With Jessica locked in her room and Linda rarely home, I actually had a pretty peaceful time. After summer, Jessica and I both started Senior year. The day before school started, Richard suddenly announced that my older brother, Stephen, was back from studying abroad. From now on, he'd be driving Jessica and me to and from school. Hearing Stephen's name brought a handsome, sharp face to mind. He's my full-blooded brother, but in my last life, we barely spoke. We were practically strangers. He didn't like me much. Seemed to prefer Jessica, actually. As for the private chauffeuring? That was always for Jessica. When did I ever get a ride? Sighing inwardly, I decided not to bother Stephen. The next morning, when I was ready and went outside, sure enough, not even a shadow of the car. So, I had to lug my twenty-pound backpack and walk to school. My time estimate was off, and I was late. And just my luck, I ran right into Dean Evans doing his rounds. The pot-bellied middle-aged man looked me up and down, took off his glasses, and sighed. "Taylor Williams, now you're showing up late too? School just started. Are you even planning on applying to college?" "I'm applying to college," I stated. "What?" Dean Evans looked like he'd heard the funniest joke ever. His tone was exaggerated. "Ranked dead last and aiming for college? What are you gonna rely on, miracles?" Ignoring his mockery, my voice was firm. "Not only am I going to college, I'm getting into Harvard!" "Oh, for crying out loud!" Dean Evans spun around in a circle. "If you get into Harvard, I'll do anything you ask." I opened my mouth to respond, but the door suddenly cracked open. A head poked in, looking mischievous. "So, if I get into Harvard too, Dean, will you bark like a dog over the school intercom?" I looked over. It was a boy with sharp features, radiating youthful energy. Dean Evans irritably threw a notebook at him. The boy sidestepped smoothly as he entered and caught it. The Dean asked, "Alex Miller, what are you doing here?" Alex shrugged. "I was late. Homeroom teacher sent me here for punishment." The Dean looked at Alex, then at me, and sneered. "Three-thousand-word essay. Write it now. You're not leaving until it's done!"
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