The Perfect Family's Failure

My family is perfect. My dad is a computer science Ph.D. from Harvard. My mom is a professor of medicine at Stanford. My older brother is an International Math Olympiad champion. And then there’s me. I scored a 60 on my math final. My brother was so furious he stayed up all night writing three mock math exams just for me. "You are such an idiot," he spat. "You're a disgrace to me and Mom and Dad!" "Until you finish these tests, don't even think about leaving this house. You're not going out there to embarrass us again!" Mom shoved a "Smart Pill" she’d developed down my throat, ignoring how I gagged and my eyes rolled back. "Don't give me any excuses about being tired or sleepy," she snapped. "This pill will keep you awake for twenty-four hours. That’s plenty of time to finish the tests!" Then Dad activated "Strict Mode" on the smart home system he built. "Don't even think about sneaking out or calling for help," he said coldly. "I'm locking the house down and jamming the signal. If you don't finish those tests, no one will come for you, even if you die in here!" With that, the three of them left for their vacation in Hawaii. As the front door slammed shut, a vase full of water on the shelf rattled and crashed onto the smart home control panel. I was choking on the pill, gasping for air, pounding on the door for help. The malfunctioning panel just repeated, over and over: "Student, please complete your exam on time. Study hard. Be a good child." "Study hard. Be a good child..." "Study hard. Be a good child..." I clutched the exam paper in my hand, pain searing through my chest. My last thought was: Is this answer good enough for you? Is my life enough? 1 The pill Mom fed me was lodged in my windpipe. I couldn't cough. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe! The smart home Dad built had sealed every exit. I pounded on the door until I felt the bones in my hand crack, but it didn't budge. It felt like a boulder was crushing my chest. Soon, my strength gave out, and I slid to the floor by the door. As my consciousness faded, I prayed silently. Mom, Dad, please come back and save me! I'm scared. Nina is dying. Nina doesn't want to die all alone. Please don't leave me! Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, answered only by the cold, mechanical voice. "Student, please study hard. Be a good child." "Be a good child..." But Nina is about to be a dead child. I'll never be good again. I closed my eyes in despair. Just then, the smart speaker crackled to life, broadcasting a voice call from Mom. "Nina, have you started the test?" "Hmm? Why aren't you answering? Oh, so you're giving us the silent treatment now?" I shook my head weakly. No, Mom! Think! If Nina isn't talking, something is wrong! Your Nina is dying! But Dad's cold voice cut in. "Whatever. I set the Smart Butler. If she doesn't finish the test, the kitchen and fridge stay locked. No food for her!" "She wants to be stubborn? Let's see how long she lasts!" Tears streamed down my face. The mirror reflected my turning blue, the life draining from my eyes. No, I'm not being stubborn! Nina is a good girl. You told me to take the test, and I was going to take the test. My brother's impatient voice chimed in. "Come on, get in the car. Let's go have fun in Hawaii. Stupid Nina can just stay home and be jealous!" The car door slammed shut. Silence. I listened to my own heartbeat slowing down. Thump... thump... Until finally... Thump! My heart sank like a stone into a frozen lake. No more echoes. ... When I opened my eyes again, I was in a bustling airport terminal. Mom and Dad were chatting and laughing. My brother was playing a game on his phone. I used to want to play with him, but he'd always tell me to get lost and go do my homework. He said playing was a privilege for honor students. But now, I floated over to watch him play, and he didn't chase me away. It was nice. As if sensing something, my brother suddenly put down his phone. "Nina is so dumb. She got a 60 in math. She won't cause trouble at home, will she?" Mom's smile instantly vanished. "What trouble can she cause? Just throwing a tantrum! That dead child, never studies properly, always up to no good!" She bit her lip. "Fine, I'll bring her back some cookies from Hawaii. She loves junk food anyway." "Honey, you tell her. Only good children get rewards!" Dad pulled up the home surveillance feed on his phone. But the camera showed the last frame before the smart panel malfunctioned—me, choking, clutching the exam paper in agony. Dad flew into a rage. "She tore the test! That little brat, does she think she can fight us?" He immediately called the Smart Butler. "Smarty, change of plans. No food for Nina Bell for three days. If she's thirsty, she can drink from the toilet!" Mom was furious too. "We're an Ivy League Ph.D. and a Professor! Do you know how much effort we put into raising that little piece of trash? And she doesn't even try! She makes me a laughingstock among my colleagues!" I tried to grab them, to explain, but my brother told them to stop. "Quit yelling, people are staring. Honestly, you guys shouldn't have had a second kid. She's the shame of this family. She should have just died at birth!" My fingers passed right through their arms. I watched them nod in agreement. They regretted having me. I smiled bitterly. Okay then. Now that I'm really dead and can't embarrass you anymore, will you and Alex be happier? 2 I watched them fly to Hawaii. I watched Mom and Dad put on wetsuits, and Alex wax his surfboard. The sun warmed the sandy beach. My body was still lying on the cold floor back home. Dad looked in the direction of home and gripped his phone. "That little waste of space is probably crying from hunger by now." Mom smirked. "Good! Unless she copies that torn test a hundred times, I'm not letting her off the hook!" But Mom, dead kids can't write tests. I'm sorry... Alex clicked his tongue in annoyance, just like always. "Guys, you forget she's an idiot! If she gets too hungry and dizzy, I'm worried she might accidentally burn the house down. Ugh, so annoying! Better check on her." Dad must have thought I was an idiot too, because he quickly opened the app. Mom frowned at the screen. She looked ready to scream. I panicked and tried to block the screen. If they saw the glitch, they'd know Nina was dead! If I died and made a mess of the house, Mom and Dad would hate me even more! I was sobbing, trembling all over. Dad gasped at the screen. "What?!" The feed glitched and switched to the living room. It was a disaster zone! Trash everywhere! It's all because Nina didn't study properly. And she fell on the floor and got in the way. The Smart Butler had decided Nina was "trash" that needed to be removed. It was controlling the Roomba, which was ramming into everything. Vases shattered. Chairs were overturned. Dad was livid. "Nina Bell! You dare trash the house?! You stupid, evil thing, why don't you just go die!" Mom screamed, "You think throwing a fit will get you out of this? Three days isn't enough? Fine, ten days! I'll lock you in there until you learn!" "Buzzkill... Smarty! Clean up the living room!" Dad threw his phone aside in disgust. He didn't see the Roomba crashing into the walls. Its casing shattered, becoming sharp and jagged. It picked up porcelain shards from the floor and charged at my body. Like a knife, cutting into flesh. My body became a bloody mess. I cried and threw myself at their feet, begging them to stop it. I'm already dead. Why do you have to destroy the last chance for us to see each other? I looked pleadingly at Alex. He sneered. "That damn idiot touched my stuff?" I realized with horror that there were pieces of a model on the floor. Alex's battleship model that took him a month to build! I shook my head frantically. [Alex, believe me!] Nina is dumb, but she knows to protect Alex's things. Nina held onto the test Alex wrote until she died. I'm waiting for you to come back. When you see it... You'll forgive me, right? Suddenly, a cheerful voice piped up. "Alex! You guys are vacationing here too?" It was Chloe, my desk mate and neighbor. The "good kid" Mom and Dad always compared me to. The one who put gum in my hair. The one who told boys to put a dead rat in my backpack. Because I had bad grades, because I was a "bad student," she said the teachers wouldn't listen even if I told on her. She feigned surprise. "Where's Nina?" Alex, blinded by anger, snapped, "Why would we bring a retard? Chloe, I really wish you were my sister!" My heart seized. A heart that should have been dead hurt so much I couldn't breathe. They can hit me, scold me, but please, don't throw me away! But Mom and Dad laughed. "Chloe, your grades are so good. We wish we could trade our trash for you." "Exactly. You're much easier on the eyes than that idiot!" I watched helplessly. My parents praised the bully who tormented me. My brother told me to learn from her. 3 Chloe looked at them like they were idiots. But why? My parents and brother are geniuses. Nina was so proud of them. That's why I never let anyone bully them! I tried to push her away, but Mom spoke up, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Chloe, are you hungry? Have some cookies..." But Mom, those were the cookies you promised me! Even though I can't eat them anymore. How could you reward the bad person who hurt your daughter? Tears fell from my eyes. It felt like a hole had been punched in my chest, bleeding endlessly. Someone spoke up. "Who wants your cookies? Your crazy daughter will just get mad and say Chloe bullied her again!" It was Principal Tao, Chloe's dad. He stood protectively in front of her, looking smug. When I tried to report the bullying, he was the one who threatened to expel me! But Mom bowed her head and apologized! "I'm sorry. It's all because that little liar makes things up!" She took off her jade Guan Yin necklace and shoved it into Chloe's hands. "Take this as an apology. My idiot daughter has been eyeing this for ages. Chloe, you wear it. Let her be jealous!" I stared at the pendant Mom put on Chloe. Grandma gave that to Mom. Mom said she would give it to me one day. She said the Goddess of Mercy would protect Nina and keep her healthy and happy forever! But Nina is dead. The necklace is gone. Mom's love is gone too. Principal Tao huffed, satisfied. "Your daughter is rotten! Slandering me, saying I'm biased? You better put out a statement clearing this up!" My furious parents didn't hesitate. They posted on Facebook and Twitter, saying I was jealous of my classmate and made up lies! They were fair and just parents. Only Nina was the bad child! Relatives commented, criticizing me. [I always wondered why her parents are so smart but she's so dumb. Turns out she spends all her energy being devious!] [A leopard can't change its spots. This kid has no future!] Suffocation washed over me again. But Mom and Dad played happily with Chloe's family. My parents, who were always "too busy with work," went snorkeling with Chloe to see the coral reefs. My brother, who "hated idiots," patiently taught her how to surf. Tired from playing, Chloe snuggled into my mother's arms. She faked sweetness. "Auntie, you guys are so nice to me! If my mom was still alive, I bet she'd be just like you..." Mom hugged her tight, heartbroken. "From now on, you can be my daughter!" Then what am I? Dad laughed. "Why don't you come stay with us for a while, Chloe? Let me think which room..." Alex suggested, "Kick the idiot out of her room. Send her to a boarding cram school. Don't want her upsetting Chloe!" I listened as my family planned how to abandon me. To make room for my bully. For the next five days, they didn't think of me once. Until a neighbor called. "Mr. Bell? I called the police." "I noticed the three of you left for vacation, but I haven't seen your youngest daughter. And now... there's a terrible smell coming from your house. Like... something dead."

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