When the Number Vanished, So Did My Parents’ Love

I spoke for the first time when I was five. Pointing at the little boy next door, I called out the number floating above his head. “Two.” My parents had no idea what I meant. Two days later, the boy was hit by a car while riding his skateboard in the street. He died instantly. My parents dismissed it as a coincidence. Then my grandma had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor told us there was nothing more he could do. “She won’t make it through the night. You should start making arrangements.” I spoke for the second time. Pointing at my grandma, I said, “One hundred eighty.” They brought her home, and to everyone’s surprise, she began to recover. Exactly 180 days later, she passed away peacefully. That was when my family finally realized the numbers I saw were counting down to people’s deaths. Afraid of the trouble my ability might bring, they warned me never to reveal another number. Then, on my sixth birthday, I looked in the mirror and saw one floating above my own head. “1,095.” Exactly three years. My parents’ faces went white. From that day on, I always got the best food and the prettiest clothes. Whenever we went to an amusement park, they even left my little sister behind so they could focus entirely on me. One day, she asked timidly, “Can I come with you too?” My parents gently reassured her. “Be good. Cece doesn’t have much time left. Let Mommy and Daddy spend this time with her.” The three years passed quickly. On my ninth birthday, Dad hired a performer dressed as my favorite character, and Mom kissed my forehead through her tears. I blew out the candles. Then I went to my room, lay down, and obediently closed my eyes. The clock struck midnight. Sobbing drifted in from outside my room. I felt my heartbeat, opened my eyes, and happily ran out. “Mom! Dad! I didn’t die!” They froze. Then, little by little, the warmth drained from their faces. Chapter 1 The crying in the living room stopped. My little sister froze. Then she pulled the lollipop from her mouth and held it out to me with a wounded look. “You can have it, Cece.” She’d been giving me whatever I wanted for three years. The gesture had become second nature. But this time, Mom stopped her halfway and pushed the lollipop back into her hand. “Cecilia Miller, what’s going on?” Her expression was stern, with a hint of anger at having been made a fool of. I nervously twisted the hem of my shirt between my fingers. “I don’t know.” I pointed at the red number above my head in the mirror. “It already reached zero.” Mom’s brow furrowed. For the first time, she questioned whether I’d been telling the truth. “Can you really see those numbers? “Or have you been lying this whole time?” Before she could finish, Dad cut her off. He looked at me, then at the clock on the wall, and let out a long sigh. “The 1,095th day isn’t over yet. “Let’s give it one more day. We’ll wait until midnight tonight.” Mom said nothing, but she accepted his explanation. For the rest of the day, they treated me the way they always had. They woke me up and made sure I ate. Dad still gave me the largest chicken drumstick. Mom still took the remote from my sister and switched the TV to my favorite cartoon. Only my sister seemed confused. She kept tugging at Mom and asking the same question over and over. “Why hasn’t Cece died yet?” Mom patted her back. “Just wait a little longer.” Everyone still acted as though I came first. But something had quietly changed. At eleven fifty that night, my entire family gathered around my bed. Dad tucked the blanket around me. “Cece, if you miss us, come visit Mommy and Daddy in our dreams.” My sister placed a new lollipop in my palm. “Goodbye, Cece.” Mom gently brushed the loose strands of hair from my forehead. Her voice finally softened. “Cece, we’ve treated you well these past three years. You can go in peace.” I nodded and closed my eyes. The room became so quiet that I could hear the minute hand ticking. Then the clock struck midnight. Nothing happened. I kept breathing steadily. My heart continued beating. No accident came to claim me. Clutching the hem of my shirt, I cautiously opened my eyes. The number above my head had changed to negative one. Mom’s face twisted with rage. She raised her hand high above me. “I knew she was lying!” Chapter 2 Dad caught Mom’s wrist just inches before her hand struck my face. “Why are you hitting her? “Isn’t it a good thing that she’s still alive?” Mom yanked her arm free, her eyes turning red. “Then what about Lana? She’s the younger sister. Was she supposed to spend those three years giving up everything for Cece?” Lana burst into tears and hurled the lollipop at me. “I hate Cece! Why won’t she just die?” “Don’t cry, Lana. It’s okay.” Mom pulled her into her arms, growing angrier by the second. After unwrapping the lollipop and putting it back in Lana’s mouth, she turned and walked toward me. Slap! Her palm struck my face. My ears immediately began ringing. “You little liar!” Mom glared at me with pure hatred. I wanted to explain. Over those three years, I’d offered more than once to share my toys with Lana. I’d asked my parents to bring her to the amusement park with us and buy her a pretty dress too. But Mom and Dad always said the same thing. “You don’t need to worry about your sister. We’ll make it up to her later. “All you need to do is enjoy the three years you have left.” Still, part of me felt that it really was my fault. The number above my head had caused all of this. I curled up in the corner of the bed, covering my burning cheek as tears rolled down my face. Mom snorted. “Stop pretending to be the victim.” She carried Lana out of the room. Dad followed them, slamming the door behind him. “Cecilia, think carefully about what you’ve done. Tomorrow, you’re going to apologize to your mother and sister!” Early the next morning, several workers arrived and began carrying things out of my bedroom. My family sat on the couch, with Mom holding Lana close. Her eyes were still swollen from crying. “Cecilia, come here. “Starting today, all the clothes we bought you over the past three years are being thrown away. Your toys and books will be moved into your sister’s room. “And she’ll be getting your princess bed too.” I kept my head down. “Okay.” “This is your punishment for lying!” “I didn’t lie.” Mom froze halfway to her feet, then raised her voice. “What did you just say, Cecilia?” “I said I didn’t lie.” I pointed at my reflection in the mirror. “The number above my head is still changing. It changed again today.” Mom let out an angry laugh. “You still refuse to admit it? “Fine. Tell me, then. What number do you see today?” I stared seriously at the bright red number above my head. “Negative three.” Dad’s expression faltered. Mom grabbed my shirt and dragged me to the bedroom door. “You used these lies to trick us into buying you all this, and you’re still doing it? “Fine! I’ll have them clear out this entire room and turn it into a piano room for your sister!” Dad tried to stop her. “If you take away her room, where is Cece supposed to sleep?” “I don’t care! She can sleep on the balcony, on the floor, or out on the street! “I just want her to stay away from my daughter!” Mom screamed with red-rimmed eyes, shielding Lana like a mother wolf protecting her cub. Dad tried to calm her down again. Mom shoved her phone in front of him. “You think I’m accusing her without proof? “Look for yourself!” Dad picked up the phone. The moment he saw what was on the screen, his face changed. “Cecilia, is this true?” Chapter 3 The phone showed every update I’d posted for the 1,095-day wish-list challenge. “Mom bought me new shoes today. Checked off.” “Mom and Dad took me to Disneyland. Checked off.” “Aunt Susie gave me a huge cash gift just for me. Checked off.” Dad looked at me with more than anger now. He was utterly disappointed in me. Mom continued fueling his anger. “She posted all of this online to show off. She lied about dying so we’d feel sorry for her and give her whatever she wanted. “She’s so young, yet she can lie without even blinking. And she’s this vain already.” I shook my head and hurried over to explain. “That’s not true. “The man running the challenge said that if I posted for 1,095 days, I could win a beach vacation for three people. “I wanted to surprise you, Dad, and Lana.” “Stop mentioning that number!” Mom shoved me away. “You said you’d die after 1,095 days. So why aren’t you dead?” I stumbled and landed hard on the floor. The fall hurt. But her words hurt far more. Dad came toward me. I looked up at him. “Daddy, I really didn’t lie.” He refused to listen to another word. His patience snapped, and he picked me up and carried me toward the back of the house. “You want to go play in the water? “Fine. I’ll let you play as long as you want!” No matter how hard I struggled or cried, he didn’t stop. He carried me into the bathroom and threw me into the bathtub. The freezing water cut straight through me. I thrashed around before managing to stand. “Daddy, I’m sorry. But I really wasn’t lying.” Dad stood in the bathroom doorway and gave a cold laugh. “Fine. Then tell me what those numbers actually mean.” I froze. I didn’t know how to answer. The last trace of hope disappeared from his face. He turned away and shut the door. “Your mother was right, Cecilia. We trusted you too much.” I stood there, staring blankly at the number above my head. The moment Dad spoke, it changed again. Only this time, it wasn’t a number. It was a line of words. I read them one by one. Suddenly, everything made sense. I pounded on the door. “Mom! Dad! I know what the numbers mean now!” A lock clicked on the other side. Lana slowly climbed down from the stool and copied Mom’s tone. “Cece is a liar!” “Mommy and Daddy said they never want to see you again! Neither do I!” Then she deliberately raised her voice to drown me out. “Mommy, Daddy, I really want to go to the beach too.” Mom picked her up, her voice unbelievably gentle. “Okay. We’ll leave right now.” Dad immediately booked the tickets and began packing. “Let’s go. We’ve spent the last three years taking care of that little liar. We haven’t taken Lana anywhere in ages.” Lana glanced at the bathroom and snuggled deeper into Mom’s arms. “What about Cece?” That only made my parents angrier. “There’s plenty of food and water in the house. She can come out when she gets hungry. “We’re not going to take care of her forever.” I stood there drenched, my teeth chattering as the cold seeped into my bones. “Mom! Dad! I can’t get out!” “Let’s go. Ignore that little liar!” The front door slammed shut. Chapter 4 I curled up beside the door and waited for a long time. The only light in the bathroom came through a small window high on the wall. The light brightened, then faded. It faded, then brightened again. I didn’t know how much time had passed. Then my body became weightless. I floated out of the house and found Mom and Dad. Overjoyed, I rushed toward them. But my hands passed straight through their bodies. I was already dead. Maybe this was for the best. Mom and Dad wouldn’t have to see me again, and Lana wouldn’t have to be upset anymore. They were at the beach. Dad was taking pictures of Lana while Mom held her hand and taught her how to swim. Their laughter filled the air. “It’s been so long since we took Lana anywhere,” Dad said. “Seeing her this happy makes me happy too. Let’s take more pictures later.” Mom smiled brightly. “Exactly. If Cecilia hadn’t lied to us, Lana wouldn’t have been neglected for so long.” “When we get home, I’m going to print all these pictures and put them in the family album.” The moment she mentioned me, a flash of disgust crossed her eyes. I saw it. Dad nodded. “The service here is incredible. Someone picked us up as soon as we landed, the hotel is great, and we even have a private tour guide.” “You planned this trip well.” Mom froze. “I thought you planned it.” Dad paused. “I only booked the plane tickets.” Just then, their private guide approached with a survey. “Are you satisfied with your prize? If you are, please leave us a five-star review.” My parents stared at him in confusion. “What prize?” “The prize from our family challenge. Your daughter, Cecilia, posted online every day for three years to earn this beach vacation for your family.” “She was the only child who completed the entire challenge and claimed the prize. Sticking with it for three years shows how much she must love you.” I stood beside them, suddenly feeling a little shy. “Thank you, sir.” My parents couldn’t hear me. They stood frozen. Only then did they realize the entries on my phone had been real. “Lana, that’s enough playing,” Mom called. Dad filled out the survey. Neither of them was in the mood to continue the vacation. They immediately booked flights home. Once they were on the plane, Dad waited until Lana had fallen asleep before voicing his doubts. “So Cece wasn’t lying. She completed that challenge because she wanted to give us a present.” “Then what about the number above her head?” “Who knows?” Mom replied. “Children will say anything when they’re desperate for attention.” She took out the vacation photos the hotel had printed at checkout and began placing them into the family album one by one. Dad still wasn’t convinced. “What about the boy next door?” “Accidents happen every day. That was just a coincidence.” “And my mother? After Cece said 180, she came home and lived exactly 180 more days.” “Will you give it a rest, Daniel Miller?” “She fooled us for three years. Are we supposed to keep favoring her? Isn’t Lana your daughter too?” Dad finally fell silent. I lowered my head beside him. “You’ll understand soon, Daddy.” Mom finished arranging the new photos and began flipping through the album. Suddenly, her gaze stopped on an old family photo. It had been taken three years ago, on my birthday. As she stared at it, something seemed to occur to her. Her face drained of color. She grabbed Dad’s arm and screamed, “I know what the number above Cece’s head meant! We have to get home!” The moment their plane landed, they raced home without stopping. Dad carried Lana through the front door. Mom abandoned the luggage and rushed inside, nearly in tears. “Cece! Mommy and Daddy misunderstood you!” But the moment they opened the bathroom door, all the color drained from their faces. Their legs gave out beneath them, and they collapsed to the floor.