Part 3Family Reunion, Death Wish

The psychiatrist reported every single word I said back to my parents.

His final diagnosis was this:

I wasn’t sick.

I was simply using an extreme method to both protect myself and retaliate against the world. My mental state was a string pulled so taut that the slightest pressure could cause it to snap completely.

Wanting to die was the ultimate form of self-preservation.

After hearing this, my mother locked herself in her room for an entire day. My father chain-smoked one cigarette after another.

Only Scarlett remained convinced I was putting on an act, playing the victim to win sympathy.

“Caleb is performing for you!” she insisted. “You’re all falling for it! He just wants to get rid of Adam!”

Adam hid behind her, peeking at me timidly, but I could see a flicker of triumph in his eyes.

“Mom, Dad, don’t worry,” he said magnanimously. “I’ll get along with my brother. I’ll help him get better.”

He probably thought that as long as Scarlett was on his side, he was untouchable.

The atmosphere in the house grew heavier, more suffocating. In an attempt to smooth things over, my parents decided to enroll me in the same elite prep school as Adam and Scarlett. They naively believed that integrating me into a normal peer environment might improve the situation.

Adam was the first to protest. His eyes widened as he screamed, “I’m not going to the same school as him! Everyone will make fun of me!”

For the first time, my father’s tone with him was severe.

“This is not up for discussion.”

Adam stormed off to his room in a rage.

But I knew he wouldn’t let it go that easily.

Sure enough, on my first day, I was the talk of the school. The rumor had already spread: the true Sterling heir, the one they’d found after all these years, was a lunatic, fresh out of the psych ward.

A crowd always surrounded Adam, cooing with concern before casting judgmental glances my way.

“Adam, your brother looks so weird. He has such a creepy vibe…”

“I heard he tried to kill his whole family with a gas leak! Isn’t that, like, certifiably insane?”

“You should be careful. You don't want to get hurt.”

Adam would put on a wounded expression. “Please don’t say that. My brother is just sick. We’re family. He would never hurt me on purpose.”

The more he defended me, the more monstrous I seemed to everyone else.

The isolation was swift and absolute. No one spoke to me. A chalk line was drawn around my desk. Ink was spilled on my textbooks.

I didn’t care. Compared to what I’d endured at the orphanage, this was child’s play.

During gym class, the teacher announced free time. The student in charge of equipment sent me to the storage room to get basketballs.

The moment I stepped inside, the door clicked shut behind me. The room was plunged into darkness.

Through the door, I could hear the muffled laughter of Adam and his friends.

“A psycho like that should be locked up. How could they let him out?”

“Hey Adam, you think he’ll go crazy in there and start biting himself?”

“Hahaha, maybe! You should crack the door and take a look!”

“No way, man!”

Class wouldn't be over for another forty minutes. All I had to do was wait.

The darkness and the enclosed space gave me a sense of comfort I hadn’t felt in years. I was even starting to feel drowsy.

After some time, an impatient voice called from outside the door.

“Hey, crazy boy, you dead in there yet? Make a sound if you’re not!”

I ignored him.

A few moments later, the voice called again, this time with a hint of panic.

“He’s not making any noise. You don’t think something actually happened, do you?”

“What’s there to be scared of?” It was Adam’s voice. “Even if something happens, I’ll still be here to take care of Mom and Dad when they’re old. Let him figure out how to break the door down himself. Let’s go.”

Their footsteps faded away.

I closed my eyes, ready for a peaceful nap.

Suddenly, an acrid, choking smell filled the air.

Smoke.