After I got into a car crash at three years old, I was accidentally bound to a “Savior System.” [Mission Objective: Obtain 100 Affection Points from mother, Susan Hayes.] [Mission Reward: One (1) Revival Card.] [Friendly Reminder: Host has only seven days to be revived. Mission failure will result in immediate death.] My little hand touched the gauze wrapped around my head, and my eyes lit up. I’m Mommy’s little sweetheart! Of course, she’ll give me a hundred points. “Nina!” The hospital room door suddenly burst open. Mommy rushed in, her face etched with worry and heartache. “Does your head still hurt? Mommy was so, so scared.” See? Mommy loves me the most. A sweet warmth spread through my chest. The next second, the system’s cold voice echoed in my mind. [Target acquired. Displaying current Affection Value.] A string of numbers materialized above my mother’s head. [Affection Value: -999.] 1. I froze, my little face turning pale. The system said that -999 meant “extreme loathing.” Only 999 meant “deeply loved.” “Nina, you must still be feeling awful after the crash,” Mommy said, gently stroking my head. She pulled out a little teddy bear thermos. “Mommy made you your favorite chicken soup. Here, have a taste.” She smiled at me, her eyes crinkling as she brought a spoonful to my lips. I obediently opened my mouth. My confusion and fear melted away. Mommy made me soup. How could she possibly hate me? The system must have made a mistake! Just then, Daddy strode into the room, his face filled with panic. He swept me into his arms. “Sweetheart, let Daddy see. Are you hurt anywhere?” I hugged him back tightly, my voice small and milky. “Daddy, I’m okay!” “Our little piggy is tough as nails,” my older brother, Leo, drawled, leaning against the doorframe with a grin. “The doctors said it was a bad crash, and all you got was a concussion.” He winked. “I bet the car saw how much you weigh and swerved to get away.” “Leo!” Mommy’s face hardened instantly. She grabbed my brother’s ear. “How can you talk like that? Is that how you show concern for your sister? Go stand outside!” “Mom, I was just kidding! Why are you always on her side?” Leo howled as he was banished to the hallway. See? Mommy really did love me the most. I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to give her a happy kiss when the numbers above her head flickered: [Affection Value: -1000] I froze again. My lip trembled, and a knot of panic and tears formed in my throat. How could this be? Mommy loves me. I quickly rummaged through my little bag and pulled out the present I’d bought for her before the accident. It was a cute little bunny brooch. “For Mommy,” I said, carefully holding it out to her. “Mommy, do you like Nina’s present?” “It’s beautiful! My Nina is so thoughtful!” Mommy’s face lit up with surprise. She took the brooch and immediately pinned it to her collar. “Mommy loves it so, so much.” Seeing her smile, I couldn’t help but smile too, pushing the system’s scary words to the back of my mind. After lunch, Mommy said she was going out to buy me some fruit. I slid off the bed, wanting to ask her to bring me a lollipop because the medicine tasted so bad. Before I could say a word, I saw her face turn to stone. She unpinned the bunny brooch, snapped it in half with a sharp crack, and threw it into the dark trash can. My heart squeezed tight. My nose stung, and tears rolled down my cheeks. Why? But Mommy said she liked Nina’s present… Just then, her phone rang. “Yeah, she’s not dead, just a concussion,” she said, her voice tight. “But Laura, the older she gets, the more her face looks just like that rapist’s!” Her voice broke with a sob, growing more agitated. “Sometimes I just want to tell my husband the truth! That Nina isn’t a symbol of our love!” “She’s a demon seed! Every time I hear her call me ‘Mommy,’ I feel sick to my stomach. Holding her feels… filthy!” 2. I stood frozen, my small body rigid. I didn’t really understand words like “rapist” or “demon seed,” but I knew they were bad things. Very, very bad things. Auntie Laura was trying to calm her down on the other end. “Susan, get a hold of yourself. Your husband and son adore her. Your life is so good now. If you tell them what happened three years ago, you’ll be the one destroying your family!” “I know… but it’s so hard to keep it all inside…” Mommy’s voice was filled with pain and resentment. “Why did she have to live? Why couldn’t she have just died in the crash?!” Slowly, step by step, I backed away until I hit the corner of the room, curling myself into a tiny ball. Fat tears plopped onto the back of my chubby hands, hot and stinging. So… Mommy really, really hated me. That bright red -1000 wasn’t a game. It was real. The system reminded me again: I had to raise my mother’s Affection Value to live. Otherwise, in seven days, I would die. I didn’t want to die. Daddy and Mommy and Leo all loved me. When I grew up, I was going to make lots and lots of money for them. I thought about how every time Mommy took care of me, it felt like she loved me. Maybe if I took care of her, she would start to like me, just a little bit. The day I was discharged, I saw Mommy rubbing her temples, looking tired. I immediately grabbed my big water bottle and waddled over to the water cooler. “Nina get water for Mommy!” I stumbled as I walked, spilling water all over my dress. When I finally reached her, I stood on my tiptoes, holding the cup up high, my eyes shining. “Mommy, drink water. Then you won’t be tired anymore!” Mommy blinked, then her face broke into that familiar, gentle smile. “Thank you, Nina. You’re such a good girl.” Her voice was still so nice to listen to. But as she took the cup, I saw it clearly. The red number above her head changed. [Affection Value: -1500] I stared at the number as it plummeted. My lip quivered, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. A loud “Waaah!” burst out of me. I felt so hurt and scared. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Why is Daddy’s little girl crying?” Daddy was the first to rush in, his big, rough hands clumsily wiping my tears. “Does your head hurt? Daddy will blow on it for you, okay?” Leo squeezed in too, holding a pudding cup he’d just bought me. “Don’t cry, little piggy. Have some pudding. It’s your favorite strawberry flavor.” They surrounded me. Daddy patted my back gently while Leo made funny faces to make me laugh. Any other time, I would have giggled through my tears and thrown my arms around them. But now, through my blurry, tear-filled eyes, I saw Mommy standing behind Daddy. She looked concerned, and she was saying, “Why is she crying so hard all of a sudden?” But the number above her head was dropping like a broken counter: [-1600… -1700…] Every comforting word from Daddy and Leo sent the number spiraling down. I think I understood. The more Daddy and Leo loved me, the more they spoiled me… the more Mommy hated me. Looking at her worried, yet utterly cold expression, my heart ached. I decided I had to be quieter from now on. I couldn’t be a crybaby anymore. Maybe then… Mommy wouldn’t hate me so much. 3. At dinner, I didn’t chatter about my day at preschool. I just kept my head down, pushing rice around with my little spoon. Even when my favorite custard was served, I didn’t dare shout “More, more!” like I used to. “Nina, you’ve been so quiet lately,” Daddy said, a worried frown on his face. “Is the food not good?” I shook my head hard, swallowing my craving for more custard. “Nina’s not hungry,” I whispered. He frowned but didn’t press. I peeked at Mommy. Her number had only dropped by 3. That night, I tripped over a toy and bumped my knee on the corner of the table. It hurt so much. I opened my mouth to cry, but then I remembered Mommy’s hateful eyes. I clamped my hands over my mouth, stifling the sobs until my face was red and my eyes were swimming with tears. Leo ran over, his face full of concern. “Where did you hit it? Does it hurt? Let brother see!” But I flinched away from him like a scared little rabbit and scrambled onto the couch, curling into a ball. “Doesn’t hurt… Nina’s okay…” I whimpered. Mommy was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching us. She seemed… satisfied with what she saw. Her number didn’t change at all. A wave of sadness washed over me, but it was mixed with a strange kind of joy. A small, hopeful smile touched my lips. Mommy… was she finally not hating me as much? I became even quieter. When Daddy came home from work and tried to give me his usual kisses and lift me high in the air, I would run and hide in my room. When Leo wanted to take me out to play, I’d say I was sleepy. The looks on their faces were full of worry and confusion. “She’s been like a different person since the accident,” I heard them whisper. “Maybe she has some kind of trauma.” “She doesn’t smile anymore. She’s lost all her spark.” They became even more careful around me, even more attentive. And I withdrew even more. But my plan seemed to be working. For two whole days, the number above Mommy’s head stayed stable at “-2000.” The system kept nagging me. [Host, only three days remaining. Please increase the target’s Affection Value as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will die in three days.] But I didn’t dare try to please Mommy. She didn’t like it when I got close. I think… I was more afraid of her hateful eyes than I was of dying. In the middle of the night, I woke up thirsty. I tiptoed to the living room for some water and heard Mommy’s voice coming from the study. It was hushed and full of tears. “…that rapist is threatening me with the video again. He wants a hundred thousand this time. If I don’t give it to him, he’ll tell Daniel everything!” “What am I going to do? I hate him so much! I want to kill that monster!” I stopped, clutching my stuffed bunny tightly. Rapist? Was that the bad man who made Mommy hate me? How could I help her? I asked the system, but it didn’t answer. The next day, Daddy and Leo were going out to buy me my favorite strawberry cake to try and cheer me up. I tugged on Daddy’s shirt, my heart filled with a strange panic. “Daddy, you don’t have to. Nina doesn’t like cake anymore.” He stroked my head, his eyes full of pain. “What’s this? My little sweet tooth doesn’t like cake anymore? Don’t worry, Daddy and Leo will be back soon.” They left. I watched their car drive away, and the panicky feeling in my chest grew stronger and stronger. Two hours later, Mommy answered a phone call. The color drained from her face. She looked at me, and her eyes were terrifying. Smack. She slapped me, hard. “It’s all your fault! You’re a curse! If my husband and son die, I will never forgive you!” 4. It was the first time I had ever seen Mommy look so wild and broken. I was so scared I trembled all over. My cheek stung, and tears welled up in my eyes, but I didn’t dare let them fall. “Mommy… what happened?” “They were in a car crash. That rapist hit them. It’s because of your accident that he demanded more money from me! I couldn’t pay, so he tried to kill my husband and son!” Mommy was sobbing hysterically, her eyes burning with a deep, chilling hatred. “Nina, why did you have to live?! If you had died, our family would have been fine.” “Mommy…” I listened to her broken questions and curses, and the tears finally spilled over. I think I understood. The bad man didn't just bully Mommy; he had hurt Daddy and Leo, too. And it was all because of me. If I hadn't been born, Mommy wouldn't be bullied by the bad man, and Daddy and Leo wouldn't have gotten hurt. I watched, terrified and helpless, as the number above her head started jumping like crazy. The red deepened until it looked like it was about to drip blood. [Affection Value: -9999] [Target’s Affection Value has dropped below -5000. Triggering Level 3 Punishment: Three minutes of neural shock every hour!] The next second, a buzzing roar filled my head, and a violent pain shot through my body. It felt like a million needles were stabbing me all at once. I collapsed to the floor, my body spasming. It hurt so much. I wanted to cry, but Mommy was so sad already. Nina couldn’t make Mommy even angrier. The system’s warnings flashed in my mind. [CRITICAL WARNING: If target’s Affection Value drops below -10000, host will be immediately terminated! Please increase Affection Value to preserve life!] The pain was so bad I was convulsing, but I stayed quiet. I watched Mommy grab her car keys and flee the house. System-uncle, Nina doesn’t want to do the mission anymore. It’s okay if Nina dies. That way, Mommy can be happy. And Daddy and Leo can be safe. Daddy and Leo’s injuries weren’t serious. After they were moved out of the ER, they just needed to be observed for a few days. They were worried about me being home alone, so they sent Mommy home. She seemed calmer. When she saw the handprint on my face, she silently applied some medicine to it. The number above her head was now -9000. “Mommy, it doesn’t hurt,” I said, clutching my empty, rumbling tummy. I forced a smile onto my pale little face. In the last two days of my life, I wanted to try and make Mommy happy, just once. “I’m not hungry either, Mommy. But you have to eat. You can’t get sick. Daddy and Leo would be worried.” Mommy’s lips were pressed into a thin line. Her voice was harsh. “I don’t feel guilty. I don’t need to feel guilty.” But the number above her head changed to -8000. The system said this was a good thing, but I didn’t care anymore. The next day, Mommy put my coat on. Her voice was flat. “Come on. I’m taking you somewhere.” She didn’t take me to the hospital to see Daddy and Leo. She drove to a run-down, deserted part of town. There was a tall, scary-looking man waiting for us. He had a mean look on his face. He sneered at Mommy, demanding money. But Mommy suddenly let out a cold laugh. She grabbed me by the neck. “I know you’re sterile now. You can’t have any more kids. This is your one and only child!” “I’m telling you, if you ever harass me again, if you ever touch my family again, I will kill her right in front of you! You’ll have no one to carry on your name!” Her fingernails dug into my skin. It hurt so much that tears welled up in my eyes. I gritted my teeth and looked at the strange man. Was this him? The bad man who made Mommy hate me? He scoffed, his cloudy eyes looking me up and down with disgust. “A useless girl is just a useless girl. So what if she dies? It’s not like she’s a son. Susan, you think you can threaten me with this? You’re dreaming!” “Give me the money. Or else.” Mommy froze, fear flashing in her eyes. She let go of me and tried to run. “Trying to run?!” The bad man’s face twisted into a snarl. He pulled a glittering knife from behind his back and lunged at her. “Don’t hurt my mommy!” In that instant, I used every bit of strength I had. I launched myself forward like a little cannonball, right in front of my mother. Shhhk. The knife sank deep into my chest. Blood gushed out, instantly staining my little flowered dress…
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