My Parents Chose the Wrong Daughter

Mom and Dad always used to tell me I was their precious little princess. They bought me countless pretty dresses and hair clips. Every weekend or holiday, they took me on road trips. I truly believed I was the happiest kid in the entire world. Until my dad's late military buddy's daughter, Cecelia, came to live with us. From that day on, my lovely bedroom belonged to her. My clothes and hair clips became hers, too. I was even forced to eat only whatever leftovers she didn't want. Earlier today, I picked up the half-eaten popsicle she had tossed onto the floor, and she suddenly burst into tears. Mom was furious. She kicked me hard, knocking me straight to the ground. "Are we starving you or something?! Why do you always have to steal Cecelia's food?!" "A bully like you needs to be taught a harsh lesson!" Without another word, Mom grabbed me and threw me into the deep chest freezer in the pantry. "You love ice so much, don't you?! Then stay in there and eat all the ice you want before you come out!" With that, Mom took Cecelia out to the mall to buy her an apology gift. Before they left, Cecelia had secretly plugged the freezer's power cord into the wall outlet and clicked the child safety lock into place without Mom noticing. "Joy Miller," Cecelia whispered with a smirk, "from now on, I'm the only little princess in this house." A biting chill swept through my entire body. I felt like the blood in my veins instantly turned to ice. I curled up tightly into a tiny ball, trying my best not to make a sound. Just hold on a little longer. Mom will calm down soon. I tumbled headfirst into the bottom of the deep freezer. The icy frost rushed up from my lower body, making me shiver violently. My clothes soaked up the condensation, freezing instantly against my skin like jagged needles. I scrambled desperately to push open the heavy lid, but my feet kept slipping on the slick frost. After falling several times, raw terror finally seized me. "Mom! I'm so cold!" "Please let me out! I'm sorry, I know I was wrong!" I slammed my tiny fists against the metal walls, praying someone would hear me. "Mom! My legs are freezing solid!" "Please save me! I'm sorry, Mom, I know I messed up!" My arms and legs grew completely numb, gradually losing all sensation. I watched helplessly as frost crept across my body, freezing me from the outside in. It reminded me of an afternoon when Mom and I were caught in a sudden downpour. We had gotten drenched like drowned rats. The rain had felt freezing against my skin, too, but the moment we got home, Mom ran a steaming hot bath for me. Even though her own clothes were dripping wet, she bustled around getting me warm, cozy pajamas and brewed me a warm drink. Mom loved me so much. How could she bear to let me freeze to death? If I just hold on a little longer, Mom will come back and pull me out into a warm hug! I tried to cheer myself up, praying Mom's anger would fade quickly. The air inside the freezer grew dangerously thin. Every breath required me to gasp with my mouth wide open. Frost clung to my eyelashes and coated my lips. My limbs were completely rigid, unable to move an inch. I could feel my core temperature plunging, and even my heartbeat was slowing down. I wanted to scream for Mom to save me, but when I parted my lips, not a whisper came out. Just before darkness swallowed me whole, a memory flashed before my eyes. I saw Mom and Dad holding me tight in their arms. "Sweetheart, you're the little princess of our family." "Mom and Dad will love you forever and ever." When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on our living room hardwood floor. Did I escape from the freezer? I wanted to head into the kitchen to see how I managed to get the lid open. But before my hand could touch the kitchen door, my entire body passed straight through the wood. I floated up to the chest freezer. The heavy lid was shut tight, locked from the outside. I reached out to lift it, but my fingers went right through the handle. I couldn't touch anything solid anymore. Had I... become a ghost? While despair washed over me, the sound of keys jiggling came from the front door. I rushed over to the foyer. It was my grandma! She came to visit me! "Joy! Grandma's here!" "Come see what delicious treats Grandma brought for you!" Grandma muttered to herself as she swapped her outdoor shoes for slippers. "That's strange. Normally this sweet girl would come flying into my arms by now!" "I'm right here, Grandma!" "I'm right here waiting for you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but Grandma couldn't hear a thing. She walked straight through my translucent body. Calling my name, she checked the living room and my bedroom. When she couldn't find me, she walked over to the kitchen. Grandma placed her hand on the kitchen door handle. Right then, the front door clicked open again. Mom, Dad, and Cecelia walked in, their arms full of shopping bags loaded with new toys. Grandma peered behind them, looking for me. "Where have you all been? Where is Joy?"Mom dumped the shopping bags onto the couch, clearly still angry. "Joy actually snatched the popsicle right out of Cecelia's hand today." "Before Cecelia even moved in, I drilled it into Joy's head that she has to share and set a good example." Dad crossed his arms, his face dark with irritation. "Exactly, Mom. I never imagined Joy could be so manipulative and vicious." "Aren't kids raised with love supposed to be forgiving and kind?" "We spoiled her rotten, and she still turned out rotten." "I ran into Cecelia downstairs and found out Joy had bullied her again. It's sickening!" "Joy Miller! Get out here right now! I'm going to teach you some manners today!" Dad roared toward my bedroom hallway. I shook my head frantically, desperate to explain. "That's not what happened, Dad! I didn't steal her popsicle!" "She threw it away and said she didn't want it! It was my favorite flavor and the only one left, so I picked it up!" Neither Dad, Mom, nor Grandma could hear a single word. Seeing no movement from the hallway, Mom's brow furrowed deep. "Joy, you think playing deaf and dumb will save you?!" She stormed toward my bedroom, but Grandma intercepted her. "I already checked everywhere. Joy isn't in the house!" Mom paused, letting out a sharp breath. "Then where on earth did that kid run off to?" Cecelia piped up in an innocent, sweet voice. "Mrs. Miller, earlier this morning I heard Joy say she was going downstairs to play with her classmate Lily. She's probably at Lily's apartment!" Lily was my best friend from school. Since we lived in the same building, I often went over to her place to play. Dad let out a cold scoff. "Throwing a tantrum and running away from home at her age?!" "Fine, let her stay at Lily's! Don't you dare go pick her up." Grandma sighed heavily. "She's still just a little girl. Don't be too harsh on her. Go bring her back." "I'll make dinner. Those chicken wings I bought for Joy last time should still be in the freezer, right?" "I'll make her favorite sweet glazed wings!" My heart instantly leaped into my throat. If Grandma opened the freezer, she would find my frozen body! Grandma was old, and she had high blood pressure. My frozen corpse must look horrifying—it would give her a heart attack! I threw myself in front of Grandma, trying to block her, but it was useless. She walked right through me toward the kitchen door. I watched in terror as Grandma stepped inside. "Mom, don't bother cooking!" Dad called out, pulling out his phone. "Cecelia is here, let's just order pizza via DoorDash!" Dad stopped Grandma just as her hand reached for the freezer handle. Grandma paused, but concern was written all over her face. "Call Joy to come home and eat. It's rude to impose on the neighbors like that." Mom waved her hand dismissively. "Mom, leave her alone! I just texted her smartwatch." "I told her we're ordering her favorite extra-cheese shrimp pizza. In less than ten minutes, that greedy little brat will come running back with her tail between her legs!" Hearing Mom mention it, I looked down at my wrist. My wrist was empty. Oh no! My smartwatch was trapped inside the freezer with my body! Mom and Dad had given me that watch for my birthday last year. Now that it was ruined, Mom was going to be even angrier at me! I really am a bad kid. I always make Mom mad. Mom was right to throw me in the freezer. I huddled into the corner behind the sofa, sobbing silent tears. Half an hour later, the DoorDash delivery arrived. Seeing that I still hadn't returned, Mom gritted her teeth in frustration. "That ungrateful Joy! Just because I scolded her a little, she's actually giving me the silent treatment!" Dad ripped open the pizza box. "Let's just eat! Don't wait for her. It's not like Lily's parents will let her starve!" Grandma opened her mouth to defend me, but Dad cut her off sharply. "Mom, stop interfering with our parenting!" "If she dares to defy her parents today, who knows what crime she'll commit tomorrow!" "Let's eat. Nobody pay any attention to her!" Cecelia delicately picked out the largest slice of pizza from the box. "Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, Joy loves this kind. Should we save this big piece for her?" Mom and Dad looked at her with pure adoration, gently stroking her hair. "Cecelia is so considerate." "Don't worry about her, honey. Let's eat. Forget about Joy!" I watched Cecelia sit in my special chair at the dining table. Mom, Dad, and Grandma gathered around her, happily devouring the pizza I loved so much. It looked as if they were born to be a family, and I was just an unwanted intruder. A sharp, agonizing pain gripped my chest, and tears streamed down my face. Why does a ghost still feel pain? Is this God punishing me for being a bad child? I curled up in the dark corner of the living room, trembling with grief. Until Dad took the leftover pizza and started walking toward the freezer in the pantry. My breath hitched in my throat."Honey! Don't save anything for Joy!" "A bad kid who ignores her parents' texts doesn't deserve pizza!" Mom snatched the leftover box from Dad's hands and tossed it straight into the trash can. Outside, the sky had completely darkened. Grandma had to head home. She slipped on her coat, pleading with my parents one last time. "She's just a child. Go downstairs and bring her home soon. Don't be a burden to the neighbors." "When Joy comes back, don't yell at her anymore. I know deep down she didn't mean to cause trouble." Hearing Grandma's words, a fresh wave of tears welled up in my eyes. Grandma believed me! I really wasn't a mean, spiteful kid who bullied people. But now Mom and Dad believed I was, and they didn't love me anymore. At that thought, the ache in my chest flared up again. Mom fired off several more messages on Snapchat to my smartwatch. After waiting a few minutes without a reply, she kicked the trash can over in a rage. "That wretched child didn't even reply with a single word!" "She's really trying to cut ties with us, isn't she?!" I immediately drifted over in front of Mom. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't ignore you on purpose." "My watch and I are frozen stiff in the freezer. I can't reply to you." "I'm sorry, Mom... Please forgive me, okay?" No matter how desperately I apologized, Mom couldn't hear a sound. Dad was sitting at the coffee table, helping Cecelia with a school craft project. "Since she doesn't want to come home, let her stay at Lily's!" "Let's see how long she can keep up this stubborn act!" Dad was always busy with work. Every craft project for school had been done by me alone. I had always dreamed of Dad sitting down to help me with a project just once. But a dream I never achieved in life was now being handed to Cecelia effortlessly. Dad gently reminded her to be careful with the scissors and patiently arranged the tools for her. My tiny spirit sat down beside Dad, pretending he was teaching me how to make the craft, too. Yet Dad's eyes passed right through me, looking only at Cecelia with warm affection. He didn't spare me a single glance. Cecelia suddenly grabbed Dad's hand. Her eyes welled with tears as she asked timidly: "Mr. Miller, can I call you Dad?" Seeing Dad hesitate, Cecelia put on an even more pitiful expression. "Ever since my dad passed away, I've missed him so much. I can't sleep at night." "My dad was your closest friend in the unit. Could you please just answer to 'Dad' for him once?" "Dad!" This time, Dad didn't hesitate. He pulled Cecelia into a warm embrace. "Yes! Daddy's right here, sweetheart!" That scene felt like a dagger twisting in my heart. "I'm right here, Dad! I'm your real daughter, Dad!" "Dad, don't you want me anymore?" I clawed frantically at them, trying to pull them apart. It was completely useless. Dad comforted her for a long time, softly telling her: "From now on, you're my second daughter. Whenever you want to come home, this is your home." The pain in my chest choked the air out of me. Dad, didn't you always say I was your one and only precious treasure? I felt no different from the stray cats and dogs abandoned out on the streets. Later that night, seeing that I still hadn't replied, Mom locked the deadbolt on the front door. "I really spoiled that brat rotten!" "Let her stay out there forever if she wants!" Cecelia brought Mom a mug of tea. "Mrs. Miller, please don't be mad. I made you some tea." Touched by her gesture, Mom took Cecelia's small hands into hers. "You're such a good, thoughtful girl, Cecelia." "If only you were my real daughter. Let that wretched brat die out there on the streets! I hope she never comes back!" Mom, your wish came true. I really am dead. But I didn't die out on the streets. I died right here at home. Cecelia slipped into my favorite pajamas, lay down on my little bed, and fell soundly asleep in Mom's arms. Later, when Mom thought she was asleep and went back to the master bedroom, Cecelia jumped up. She put on her slippers and walked straight into the pantry. Standing in front of the chest freezer, Cecelia sneered into the darkness: "Joy Miller, are you completely dead yet?"She kicked the freezer twice. Hearing no sound from inside, she smiled with satisfaction and headed back to bed. I had no idea what I had ever done to offend her. Why did she have to kill me, just to steal my mom and dad for herself? The next morning, Dad frowned when he saw there was still no reply on his phone. "That kid is unbelievable." "Maybe I should walk downstairs and check Lily's apartment?" Mom was putting on her blazer for work and stopped him. "Don't bother. She probably went straight to school with Lily." "Lily's parents are famously good people. There's nothing to worry about." "True. Then let's leave her alone! She can come back whenever she's ready!" Mom and Dad dropped Cecelia off at school and rushed to their offices. A whole week passed by like that, with Cecelia living in our home. Mom and Dad completely erased me from their minds, as if I had never existed in their lives at all. Until Saturday afternoon, when my homeroom teacher, Ms. Jenkins, knocked on our front door. Mom and Dad were lounging on the sofa watching a documentary with Cecelia. They froze when they saw the teacher standing outside. "Ms. Jenkins? What brings you here?" "I came to see why Joy had been out of school all week." Ms. Jenkins' tone turned playful and conspiratorial. "And, of course, to celebrate our top student's birthday!" From behind her back, she revealed a huge, beautiful frosted birthday cake. A group of my classmates, who had been hiding behind her in the hallway, jumped out with bright smiles. "Joy! We came to celebrate your birthday!" "Happy Birthday, Joy!" My classmates and Ms. Jenkins walked past my parents into the apartment. Mom and Dad stood frozen in place. Partly because the teacher said I had been out sick all week. And partly because they had completely forgotten that today was my birthday. My shattered heart felt like it was being pieced back together, just a tiny bit. So there really were people in this world who remembered me. They even remembered my birthday. Seeing everyone heading toward the kitchen and dining area, Cecelia panicked. "Joy isn't home! She's staying over at her best friend Lily's house!" From the crowd of kids, Lily suddenly stepped forward. "What are you talking about? My parents and I went on a road trip out of state and only got back this morning!" "I remembered it was Joy's birthday today, so I met up with our classmates to come over. I haven't seen Joy all week!" Hearing Lily's words, Mom and Dad's faces drained of all color. "What? You're saying... you haven't seen our Joy all week?!" Ms. Jenkins pulled out her phone, opened a chat thread with my dad, and held it out to them. "Why are you asking Lily? Didn't you text me saying Joy wasn't feeling well and needed to rest at home for a week?" Dad stared at the screen, dumbfounded. The profile picture was his, the account was his, but he had never sent any message to the teacher! He yanked his own phone out and opened the chat with Ms. Jenkins, but the thread was completely wiped clean—even past messages were gone. The only person he had lent his phone to recently was Cecelia, so she could look up study materials. His gaze snapped violently toward Cecelia. Terrified by his glare, Cecelia took two steps back. Ms. Jenkins called my name a couple of times. Hearing no answer, she carried the cake toward the kitchen pantry. "Since Joy isn't back yet, let's keep the cake in the freezer for a few minutes until she gets here." "The buttercream is getting soft. We need to keep it cold!" Cecelia turned pale with terror and tried to grab the teacher's arm. Ms. Jenkins ignored her and pushed open the pantry door. She released the exterior safety latch and lifted the lid of the chest freezer. The birthday cake instantly slipped from her hands, smashing against the floor. She collapsed backward, paralyzed with pure horror.