My sister Iris almost died from anemia. The day she was hospitalized, my whole family started blaming me.

I'd been frail since birth, so Mom and Dad had always poured all their attention into me.

The new school supplies were mine, the new clothes were mine, and even on the birthdays we shared, the cream and chocolate part of the cake always went to me first.

I used to hear Iris crying at night.

But whenever I tried to comfort her, she just shoved me away.

On my twelfth birthday, I came home from school with a perfect score on my test, beaming as I pushed the door open.

Mom and Dad's eyes were red, and they looked at me as if I'd done something terrible.

“Why can't you ever be nicer to Iris? We give you everything, and you should be thinking about her too.”

“The doctor said her health problems are all because of how she feels.”

“You're so spoiled, so selfish.”

I lowered my head. They didn't know that I was frail because I'd made a deal to take Iris's death for her.

Tomorrow, I was going to be erased.

Dad frowned at me. “Iris is sick. What are you so happy about?”

I didn't know what to say.

I tucked the test paper behind my back and bit my lip.

Mom's eyes were red, as if she'd been crying.

“The doctor said Iris fainted from anemia, mainly due to prolonged low mood and malnutrition.”

Her voice was like a needle, jabbing at my chest with every word.

“Don't you know… don't you know what her life is like at home?”

I knew.

When I sneezed, Mom would sit by my bed all night.

When I caught a cold and lost my appetite, Dad would take time off work and stand in line for three hours to buy me the most expensive little cake in the city.

Then Mom would rub her back in the morning and sigh, “I'm so tired, but it's okay. Mommy loves you the most.”

Dad would look at his paycheck and groan, “There goes my attendance bonus. I'll just have to pick up extra shifts next month.”

When I told them I didn't really want the cake, Dad said, “I work this hard for you and you don't even appreciate it. We've spoiled you rotten.”

When I tried to share it with Iris, Mom would say, “Elena isn't feeling well. Let her have it, okay?”

And Iris would nod and step quietly aside, watching me with those wide, innocent eyes.

“Elena, hope you get well soon.”

But that wasn't really how it was.

I blinked. “After my twelfth birthday, everything will be fine.”

Mom's frown deepened.

“Elena, you're the one who'll be fine after twelve. Iris is sick because you take everything for yourself.”

When I was little, the most respected fortune-teller in Grandma's village had told my parents that all of my illnesses would disappear after my twelfth birthday.

They loved me too much, and even knowing that, they couldn't help giving me the best of everything.

Was it my fault that Iris was sick?

I looked at Dad, begging him with my eyes, but he just shook his head, disappointed.

“Elena, she's let you have your way her whole life. She never fought you for anything. And now she's in the hospital, and you can't even pretend to care?”

I did care.

Every time I saw her unhappy, I'd sneak her my candy and my dolls.

All of it, every single piece.

Even my favorite doll went to her.

Sometimes she'd get angry and throw them away, but if I picked them up enough times, she'd cheer up again.

I loved her so much.

When she was born, she was a tiny, fragile thing, like a starving kitten.

I touched her cheek and she smiled at me, and something inside me melted.

Dad had stood outside the hospital room, head down, dragging on a cigarette. “Doesn't look like she'll make it.”

Mom held her on the bed and sobbed.

“It's my fault. I didn't protect her.”

And then a voice spoke to me.

“Are you willing to trade lives with Iris? She's dying. But if you say yes, she'll grow up healthy. The cost is your own lifespan, and you can't tell anyone.”

I looked up at my parents' grief, dazed. Then let it be me, I thought.

I was the elder sister, and I was supposed to protect her.

So how could anything bad happen to her now?

I clenched my fists. “She's healthy. After my birthday—”

“Healthy? She's lying in a hospital bed, Elena. Can't you see how much she's suffering?”

Mom snapped.

I stared up at her, blinking hard, my nose stinging and my eyes filling with tears.

She looked surprised, and her hand started to reach for me. Then Dad stepped between us.

“Lily, we've spoiled her. We really have.”

“If we don't teach her a lesson, she's going to turn into a bad kid.”

I shook my head. “I won't! I promise.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the storage room.

“You're almost better now. It's time you learned to be a good kid. Today you're going to think about what you did wrong.”

Mom looked like she wanted to stop him, but she didn't say a word.

Slam.

Before I could react, the door had shut behind me.

A chime sounded in my head.

[Erasure countdown initiated. Physical functions are beginning to deteriorate. You will be erased completely in twenty-four hours.]

How could I not care about Iris?

Only I knew that we were only ever going to have twelve years together.

The year I made that trade, the system had told me that the day I turned twelve, I would die.

Tomorrow was my last birthday, and I'd wanted us all to spend it together, smiling.

There was a small cot in the storage room.

But I curled up on the floor instead, my arms around my knees.

I only had one day left, and I didn't want to waste it sleeping.

Morning came.

They still hadn't let me out.

I tapped softly on the door.

“Mom? Dad? Can I come out?”

There was no answer.

Something tightened in my chest.

There were fewer hours left for me to stay with them.

The system chimed again.

[You have twelve hours remaining.]

The pain hit out of nowhere, as if someone had lit a fire inside my bones.

“It's okay, Elena.”

“This is nothing. You've had so many shots, and you know how to take pain better than anyone. They won't even notice.”

I used to cry when something hurt, and Mom would cry too, so I'd learned to keep quiet no matter how bad it got.

I started getting frantic and pounded on the door.

“I need to come out. It's my birthday.”

It was my last birthday, and I'd promised Iris we'd share a strawberry cake.

The door finally opened.

The first thing I saw was Mom's furious face.

“You woke Iris up. Do you understand that?”

“She was up all night, and she just barely fell asleep.”

I lowered my head.

“Sorry, Mom.”

I shuffled out into the hallway.

The pain was bad, really bad, as if something were pulling my bones out one by one.

I tried to breathe deep, the way the nurse had taught me.

It didn't help.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Thank god Mom didn't turn around to look at me.

It was okay. There was still time, and Iris needed her rest first.

She'd become the old me.

Mom hovered over her without moving an inch.

Dad fumbled around in the kitchen, watching the soup Mom had made.

I sat quietly on the stairs and watched the clock on the wall.

It was as if they couldn't see me anymore.

With two hours left, I couldn't wait any longer, so I went over and tugged on Dad's sleeve.

“Is Iris awake yet? We should have the cake.”

When Mom had brought that cake home, Iris was still home too. She'd stood on her tiptoes to look at the box and whispered, So pretty.

Mom hadn't let her see inside the box. We'll eat it on Elena's birthday, okay?

Dad slapped my hand away.

“Iris is sick and all you can think about is cake. Cake.”

I frowned.

“She's going to be fine. She's been sleeping for a long time.”

His eyes went wide.

“Are you actually blaming her for being sick? Elena, when did you turn into this?”

I didn't dare say anything else. I bit my lip, held onto the wall, and dragged myself toward the fridge.

Then, with hands shaking through the pain, I pushed the candles into the cake one by one.

Dad stormed out to smoke.

I carried the cake upstairs and knocked on the door.

“Iris? Are you awake? You've been sleeping for so long.”

That wasn't a good thing.

Mom and Dad used to be terrified when I slept too long, as if I might never wake up.

I stared at the candles and added carefully, “I put the candles in already.”

The door flew open, and whatever patience Mom had left was gone.

She knocked the cake out of my hands, and it hit the floor.

“Elena. I regret giving you everything. Look what you've turned into.”

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I just stared at the cake on the floor.

Mom's voice was shaking, not from sadness but from rage.

She was furious with me.

I'd become a daughter who threw a tantrum about her birthday while her sister was sick, an ungrateful, heartless brat.

She didn't want me anymore.

“I wasn't—”

“Enough.”

Her voice went ice cold, cutting me off.

She looked anxiously down the stairs.

“Jason, get up here. I can't take this. Let's just take Iris to the hospital.”

Dad rushed up, scooped Iris into his arms, and headed for the door.

The pain in my chest spiked.

It was as if a hand had reached into my ribs, found my heart, and was slowly squeezing it tighter. Every breath felt like swallowing glass.

I forced my voice steady.

“Iris, she's fine. She wanted to eat this cake. With me.”

Dad gave me a cold look.

His voice didn't sound like him. It sounded like winter, the kind of winter where the sky is white with snow.

“You love cake so much, Elena? Then stay here with your cake.”

He walked past me and brushed against me without meaning to, and I lost my balance and dropped to the floor.

Mom followed him out, then stopped at the door and looked back at me, her expression flickering.

I was in so much pain that every bone in my body hurt.

I couldn't hold it in anymore, and I lifted a hand toward her. “Mom, I don't feel good.”

Her face hardened instantly.

“You think faking it like Iris is going to get you what you want? You're playing sick now? Stop the act. You'll be fine after you turn twelve.”

Dad's expression turned even darker, and he muttered to Mom,

“She still hasn't learned her lesson. Put her back in the storage room until we get back.”

“This is your fault for spoiling her.”

Mom's face flushed, and she glared at me. “Go. Now. If you can't behave, we don't want you anymore!”

That was fine. If they hated me, I'd be dead soon enough anyway.

I just didn't want to make them angry in my last hours.

So I lowered my head, said “I'm sorry,” and stumbled toward the storage room.

I sat down on an old blanket and wrapped my arms around my knees.

Click. The lock turned outside the door.

Dad's voice came through the wood.

“Stay in there and think about what you did.”

I don't know how much time passed, but with five minutes left on the clock, I just wanted to hear their voices again.

I didn't need them to blow out the candles with me, and I didn't need them to sing, and I didn't even need to be held.

I just wanted to hear their voices one last time.

I called Dad's number.

It rang three times before he hung up.

Then I called Mom.

It rang and rang, but no one picked up.

I lay down and turned my head to look at the streetlight outside.

It went out, the way a candle goes out when someone blows on it.

“Happy birthday, Elena.”

“I hope my sister Iris stays healthy and happy.”

“I made my last wish, and my mind slowly went dark.”

I was dead.

But my soul was still trapped here.

Mom and Dad finally came home with Iris.

She was pale, and Dad carried her gently up to her room.

Mom saw the broken cake on the floor, candles still stuck in it, going sour. Something flickered across her face that looked like guilt.

“Did we say too much to Elena? She's still a kid.”

“Locking her up, ignoring her calls.”

Dad put an arm around her shoulder. “She's not a baby anymore. She needs to learn. But I think she's probably figured it out by now. If she apologizes, I'll give her the egg tarts she likes.”

Mom nodded. “Yeah. Elena's always been easy to win over.”

But when Dad knocked, there was no response.

I stood next to him. His eyes were red.

He probably hadn't slept all night.

That was how they used to be when I was sick.

“Dad, come in and talk to me. I can still hear you.”

Mom looked stricken.

“She's still upset with us.”

She tapped the door lightly.

“Elena? It's Mom. You won't even open up for me?”

Dad worked so much that Mom had always done most of the looking-after, and I used to tell her everything.

She sighed.

“Elena, I know your birthday matters to you, but Iris matters more, doesn't she?”

“It's just one day late.”

“We have a big surprise to make it up to you.”

“But I can't have a birthday with you anymore.”

Dad chimed in. “Once you turn twelve, you'll be all better.”

“You just need to be a good girl, and then you get the surprise.”

“Just apologize, Elena.”

There was still no response.

Dad's expression was getting tight, and Mom knocked again, more gently this time.

“Dad took the day off tomorrow, and next month we're going on a family trip.”

“Don't make Dad angry, okay?”

“We're going to Tanzania to see the great migration. You always sit glued to the TV whenever it comes on.”

I wanted to cry.

But souls didn't have tears.

I'd never told her any of that, but she'd known the whole time.

I didn't want to make Dad angry.

I'd already walked into the storage room by myself.

I just couldn't speak to them anymore.

I went over and tried to wrap my arms around her, but my arms passed straight through her, and I lowered my head.

“You don't need to make it up to me.”

“You won't get the chance to.”

When there was no answer, Mom started to lose patience.

“Why are you throwing a fit over something so small?”

Her voice was exhausted. “Elena, when are you going to grow up? Your father and I are so tired.”

“I'm sorry, Mom. I made you sad again.”

I said it softly.

But they couldn't hear me.

Mom grabbed Dad's hand. “Forget it. Just leave her alone.”

“Let's give Iris the egg tarts.”

I leaned over to look at them.

The egg tarts were still warm.

What a waste.

The doorbell rang.

It was Grandma at the door.

She'd aged so much in just a year. Her hair was completely white now, and her back was bent.

“Where's Elena?” She glanced around with her brow furrowed.

I'd always been the first one to run to the door when she came over.

I crouched in front of her, the way I used to. “Grandma, I'm right here.”

She looked up the stairs, confused.

But she couldn't hear a thing.