During the Great Quake, my sister and I were buried under the rubble. The rescue worker told my parents, "The structure is unstable. If we pull one out, the whole thing might collapse on the other." Without a second of hesitation, my parents screamed, "Save Sarah first!" Sarah, my older sister, screamed too. "Save me! Get me out first!" During the rescue, the firefighter kept telling her, "Don't move. Stay still." But Sarah didn't listen. She panicked, thrashing and pushing against the debris around her. Because of her, the secondary collapse happened. I was crushed to death under tons of concrete. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back. It was the day of the earthquake. 1 I jolted awake in bed, sweat clinging to my skin. I checked the date on my phone. It was that day. Two hours left. The quake would hit at 2:00 AM. It was exactly midnight. I didn't waste a second thinking. I shoved my feet into my sneakers and ran out the door. In my past life, so many people in this building died. Since I was back, I couldn't just let them perish. Even saving one life would be worth it. I started from the first floor, pounding on doors like a maniac. "Wake up! Gas leak! Everyone out!" I made sure people were awake before sprinting to the next unit. By the time I had woken up all seven floors, there were only five minutes left. I sprinted back to our apartment. Two minutes. In my last life, I wasted the best escape window trying to wake Sarah up. This time? I'd leave that honor to Mom, the one who loved her most. I burst into my parents' room. "Mom! Dad! Earthquake! Get up!" They groaned, waking up groggy. I checked the time. Forty seconds. "I tried to wake Sarah, but she won't budge! What do I do?" My dad sat up, annoyed. "Who says there's an earthquake? Are you crazy? It's the middle of the night..." Before he could finish, the floor lurched. "Sarah's still asleep!" I screamed, feigning panic. Mom’s face went white. She scrambled out of bed and ran toward Sarah's room, shrieking, "Sarah! Sarah, baby! Wake up! Earthquake!" Dad grabbed my arm. "Run!" The quake didn't give us time to think. It was violent, immediate. Just as Dad and I stumbled out of the building entrance, a deafening BOOM tore through the air. The building collapsed. Mom and Sarah were trapped inside. Screams and sirens filled the air. Dust choked my lungs. My ears rang, but my mind flashed back to my previous life. That night... the shaking started. I ran to Sarah’s room. She was dead to the world. I shook her, screamed at her, but she wouldn't wake up. Mom and Dad had already run out. I missed my chance. We were both buried. When dawn came, the rescuers found us. I heard Mom's voice, frantic and terrified. "Sarah! Hold on, baby! They're coming! Don't be scared!" The rescue captain examined the wreckage. "Ma'am, it's tricky. The debris is interlocking. If we pull one girl out, the shift will likely crush the other. We recommend taking the one on the left first; the structure is more stable there." That was me. The one on the left. But I knew. I knew who she would pick. Growing up, Sarah was the golden child. I was the spare. "Save Sarah," Mom said instantly. "The one on the right. In the white pajamas." Sarah started screaming then. "Mommy, save me! My leg hurts! Me first!" I lay there in the cold dark, watching through a crack as Mom’s desperate eyes fixed solely on Sarah. The firefighter was gentle. He kept warning her, "Kid, do not move. If you move, the debris will fall on your sister." But as they pulled her, she thrashed. She kicked. She pushed away a support beam. The moment she was free, the weight of the world slammed down on me. I screamed. "Mom! Help me! It hurts!" The rescuers wanted to dig again. They called for backup. But I heard Mom’s voice, cold and final. "Leave it. Even if you get her out, she'll be crippled. I don't have the energy to raise a vegetable." The small hole of light was sealed up. I died in the dark, abandoned. I blinked, coming back to the present. I looked at the ruins. This time, you get to feel what it's like to be chosen. Or rather, not chosen. 2 "Dad! Watch out for aftershocks!" I pulled my shell-shocked father toward the open park. He was trembling. It was his first time seeing his world end. But I’ve died once. Every breath I take now is a bonus. Rescue teams arrived fast. Dad rushed over, begging them to save his wife and daughter. The building was a pancake. He had no idea where they were. But I did. I "accidentally" led the first team in the wrong direction, where we saved an old lady instead. By the time we circled back to where Mom and Sarah were, six hours had passed. "Dad! I hear Mom!" I shouted. Dad grabbed the captain. They assessed the situation. Then came the verdict. The same verdict. "Sir, it's complicated. The structure is compromised. We can likely only extract one safely without causing a secondary collapse." I peeked through a gap. I saw Sarah’s pale face and Mom’s terrified eyes. Dad hesitated. Both were his loves. How could he choose? Unlike Mom in my last life, he struggled. Then, Sarah’s voice pierced the air. "Dad! Save me! I don't want to die! I'm young! I can make money, I can marry rich, I can take care of you when you're old!" She sobbed, desperate. "Mom is just a housewife! You can find another wife easily! I'm worth more than her, Dad!" I watched Mom’s face contort in shock. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Surprise, Mom. The daughter you worship sees you as a replaceable servant. Dad made his choice. "Save my daughter." Mom screamed. "David! Don't you dare! If I die, I will haunt you forever!" "And you, Sarah! You selfish little brat! I can't believe I raised you!" Sarah, pinned and in pain, snapped back. "So what if I'm selfish? It's the truth! Dad is making the smart investment!" Mom’s eyes were full of pure hatred. It was beautiful. But I couldn't let Mom die just yet. I leaned close to the gap. "Mom! Don't be scared! I'll get you out! Don't give up! I promise I'll save you!" Such a good daughter. Such a contrast to the ungrateful Sarah. I wasn't saving her because I loved her. I was saving her because I wanted her to live with the knowledge of her favorite daughter's betrayal. The rescuers worked hard. They pulled Sarah out. Her legs were black. Necrosis. "Likely amputation," a medic muttered. Surprisingly, the secondary collapse didn't happen this time. Maybe because Sarah was too weak to thrash around, or maybe the physics were slightly different. They got Mom out too. Both went to the hospital. Dad stayed with Sarah. I stayed with Mom. I wondered... now that she knew Sarah's true colors, would she still love her? 3 I sat by Mom’s bed, staring at her sleeping face. It was the first time I'd looked at her this closely in years. She never really looked at me. Grandma told me Mom wanted a boy. She paid a fine to have a second child, hoping for a son. When I popped out a girl, she was furious. She dumped me at Grandma's in the village. I survived on rice porridge and the charity of neighbors until I was eight. Then Dad brought me to the city for school. Sarah was two years older, already a star student. I was a village kid who barely knew the alphabet. I struggled. I was always last in the class. Mom hated me. I became the live-in maid. Dishes, laundry, sweeping—all mine. I had no time to study. Sarah was the princess. My birthday was a month after hers. They never celebrated mine. They said I would "steal her luck" if I ate her cake. But now? Sarah’s legs were gone. Her face was slashed by rebar. Mom woke up. She looked at me, confused, then relieved. "Mom? You awake? I'll get the doctor." She grabbed my wrist. "How is your sister?" I kept my face neutral. "Not good. Her legs... they had to amputate. And her face is badly scarred. She hasn't woken up yet." Mom went silent. She stared at the ceiling. When Mom was discharged a few days later, Sarah finally woke up. She lay in bed, seeing Mom alive and well. Her expression was a mix of shock and disappointment. "Mom... you're okay. That's... good. Don't be mad at me, I was just scared." Mom looked cold. She remembered everything. I walked over and held Mom's arm. "Mom, sit down. You're still weak. It's a miracle you survived. If you hadn't..." I trailed off, but the implication hung in the air. If you hadn't made it, Sarah would have been happy. Sarah glared at me. "Lily, shut up! Stop trying to drive a wedge between us! Mom will never love you!" That snapped something in Mom. She turned, grabbed my hand, and teared up. "I'm sorry, Lily. I treated you badly. I promise, I'll make it up to you. You're my good daughter." I smiled back. We'll see about that. 4 Dad came in with takeout boxes. Three of them. One for him, one for Mom, one for me. None for Sarah. "Why don't I get one?" Sarah demanded. Dad didn't look at her. "Doctor said you need a liquid diet. I'll get you porridge later." "Why? What surgery did I have?" Silence filled the room. Sarah started to panic. "Tell me! What happened?" Mom, impatient, walked over and ripped the blanket off Sarah’s lower body. Empty space where her calves should be. Sarah’s mouth opened in a silent scream. Tears streamed down her face. Mom wasn't done. She took a photo of Sarah's scarred face with her phone and shoved the screen in front of Sarah's eyes. Sarah screamed. A raw, animal sound. "Shut up!" a nurse yelled from the hallway. "This is a hospital!" Sarah shook her head violently. "No... impossible... I was saved... how..." I ate my chicken, watching the show. "You thought you'd be living the good life?" Mom sneered. "You told your dad to find a new wife? Look at you now. If he finds a new wife, do you think she'll take care of a cripple? Do you think he will?" "I spoiled you rotten, and you wanted me dead. I raised a wolf." Dad chimed in, trying to save face. "Honey, I never wanted to leave you. Sarah begged me..." Mom shot him a look. "I only heard Lily promising to save me. Don't treat me like an idiot." We moved into a temporary shelter. Sarah needed 24/7 care. She couldn't use the bathroom alone. Mom refused to touch her. Dad said it was inappropriate. So, naturally, they looked at me. In the past, I would have done it. But Sarah was enjoying ordering me around. One afternoon, Sarah said she needed to poop. I "didn't hear her." I was outside washing dishes loudly. Mom and Dad were out. I finished the dishes and started hanging laundry. Mom came back. "Lily, let me help you." THUMP. A crash from inside. We ran in. Sarah had tried to crawl to the commode and fallen. She was covered in her own filth. Mom gagged and walked out. Dad came back just then. He pulled me aside. "Lily, I found a boarding school in Beijing that will take you. Transfer immediately." I packed my bag in five minutes. I left Mom and Sarah in the stinking shelter. Mom had to clean her up. She scrubbed Sarah in a plastic tub while Sarah cried. They didn't speak. But I saw it. The bond. A mother never truly abandons her favorite. But me? Why was I so easy to throw away?
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