When my brother Beau Campbell and I drowned together at the age of four, I was the only one who survived. From that day on, my mother came to loathe me.

She would often creep into my room at night with colorful "candies" in her hand, trying to pry open my mouth. However, Dad always stopped her just in time.

Later, I cut off my long hair and threw away all my dresses, desperately trying to become Beau's shadow. Only then would Mom spare me a glance.

Three years passed, and Mom got pregnant again. She said it was Beau coming back to us. I was happy for her and told myself it was good that Beau was back. After all, it also meant this family no longer needed the stand-in who had lived in his place.

So, I found the same "candies" Mom once tried to force into my mouth, and I quietly swallowed them.

As the 'candies' dissolved in my mouth, the bitter taste spread across my tongue. I doubled over, gagging as acid and saliva stained my mouth.

These were the same ones Mom had hidden in the back of her closet three years ago. Back then, she would sit on the edge of my bed late at night, her eyes empty and hollow as she whispered, "Why are you still alive?"

Now, I was finally fulfilling the obsession she had clung to all those years.

I was wearing a boy's school uniform, the collar frayed and worn. It used to be Beau Campbell's, but it had stopped fitting me a long time ago. Even so, Mom insisted I keep wearing it because it made me look more like Beau.

I could hear her laughter drifting from the living room, soft and tender in a way I had never heard before. She was rubbing her belly and talking to Dad.

"The doctor said it's definitely a boy this time. Look how smooth this pregnancy is going," she cooed, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Soon I won't have to look at that disgusting little face anymore."

I wanted to see Mom's smile one last time.

The moment I reached the doorway, Dad spotted me first. He frowned as he asked, "Lily, why aren't you doing your homework?"

His eyes swept over my uniform and quickly looked away, as if the sight of it stung.

Mom turned around and saw me, and her smile froze instantly. "Who told you to come out? Your hair's getting long again. Didn't I tell you to keep it buzzed short like Beau's?"

She rushed over and jabbed her finger hard against my forehead. "You're always causing trouble. When your new brother gets here, I'll break your legs if you dare bully him!"

I shrank back, the red mark on my forehead throbbing where she had poked me. The 'candies' in my stomach seemed to be dissolving, and waves of pain twisted through my belly until I hunched over.

Dad moved to help me, but Mom grabbed his arm and snapped, "Don't touch her. She's probably just faking it for attention."

I bit my lip and said nothing, slowly shuffling back to my room. Each step sent knives twisting through my stomach, and my limbs were going numb. Even my hand trembled uncontrollably as I gripped the doorframe.

I collapsed onto my bed as my body started convulsing beyond my control.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

Dad walked in with a glass of warm water and placed it on my nightstand. He hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Lily, Mom's pregnant, so her emotions are all over the place. Don't take it personally."

I tried to shake my head, but could only manage a weak groan. Dad's figure even began to split into doubles in my vision.

Dad sighed and simply tucked the blanket around me. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow."

He closed the door on his way out, and the room fell completely silent. Then, I pulled out the little toy car I kept under my pillow.

It had been Beau's favorite when he was alive. Most of the paint had chipped off, but I wiped it clean every single day. Mom said it belonged to Beau and told me to take good care of it.

Last time, a classmate tried to steal it. I got beaten up pretty badly fighting to get it back.

My vision was fading to a blur now, and I hugged the toy car tightly to my chest as I closed my eyes.

I thought, 'Mom, Beau is coming back now, and you won't have to keep looking at the replacement that hurt you anymore.'

I told myself that this was for the best.

Slowly, the pain began to fade away. I felt like a dandelion fluff lifted gently by the wind, floating up light and weightless until I could see that small body lying on the bed below.

The wrinkled uniform hung loose on her frame, her face pale as paper, her lips tinged with an unnatural bluish-purple, and there was dried bile at the corner of her mouth while her hand still clutched the toy car.

Just then, Mom pushed the door open.

I was staring down at my own hands, realizing they were transparent now with light passing right through them.

I could even see Beau's photo right through them.

Mom did not even glance at my body on the bed and walked straight to the desk instead. She picked up Beau's photo and wiped it over and over, murmuring, "Beau, I went shopping for your new crib today. Do you like blue better, or yellow?"

Mom turned to leave and accidentally kicked the bed frame. Only then did she glanced impatiently at me lying on the bed, frowning as she snapped, "Still sleeping? The sun's already up! Get up and make breakfast. Are you trying to starve the baby and me?"

I floated right in front of her and tried to talk to her, but she could not hear me. After that, she shuffled out in her slippers, humming a lullaby under her breath.

From the living room, I could hear Dad cracking eggs, and Mom's voice chiming in. "Add two extra spoonfuls of sugar. Beau always loved sweet things."

I drifted to the kitchen doorway and watched Dad plate the pancakes, noticing that they were heart-shaped. I used to love pancakes like that too, but ever since Beau died, Dad only made round ones. He said Beau did not like anything too fancy.

Mom took the plate and carefully placed it in the center of the dining table, as if she were presenting some precious treasure.

"Go wake her up for breakfast," Mom told Dad, her tone dripping with impatience. "Don't let her make us late for buying the crib."

Dad set down the milk and headed toward my room. I followed behind him and watched as he stood by the bed, his hand reaching out and pulling back several times before finally settling on the blanket.

He said softly, "Lily, it's time to get up. We're going to buy a crib today. Why don't you come with us?"

My body on the bed did not move, and Dad's fingers trembled as he shook my shoulder gently. "Lily?"

Mom's voice rang out from the living room. "What's taking so long? Is she pretending to sleep again?"

She marched into the room and saw Dad frozen by the bedside, which instantly set her off. "She's definitely faking it! She just doesn't want us to buy a crib for Beau! Let's just ignore her and go... Beau's waiting."

Dad did not move, staring at my body on the bed as his voice rose with emotion. "She's our child too."

Mom shrieked. "She is not! Beau is my only child! She's the murderer who killed Beau!"

She grabbed the photo frame from the desk and smashed it on the floor.

The glass shards cut Dad's hand, but he did not make a sound. Instead, he just silently picked up the pieces and wrapped his wound with a tissue.

Just then, the phone in the living room started ringing. It was my teacher, Sofea Parker, calling.

Mom answered, her tone instantly turning sweet. "Hello, Ms. Parker... Is this about Beau... I mean, about Lily?"

When Sofea asked why I had not come to school, Mom's voice went cold again. "She's just skipping school on purpose. Don't worry about her, Ms. Parker. Let her do whatever she wants."

After hanging up, she pulled Dad toward the door. "Let's go. We can't let her delay us from getting Beau's crib."

Dad glanced back at my room, his steps faltering for a moment before Mom dragged him away. The instant the door closed, I saw Dad wipe his eyes.

The house fell silent except for the ticking clock on the wall.

I floated over to the bed and looked down at myself. My face was still round, but it had thinned to the point of being gaunt, with a chin so sharp it looked like it could cut. My hair had grown long enough to cover my eyes, nothing like the buzzcut Mom demanded I keep.

I remembered the last time I got my hair cut. The stylist accidentally trimmed it a bit too short, and Mom screamed at him for ruining Beau's look.

When we got home, she put me on time-out for two hours and told me I did not deserve to have hair like Beau's. As I stared at Beau's photo, I suddenly felt like I did not recognize him at all.

By the afternoon, Dad and Mom came home carrying a blue crib decorated with teddy bear embroidery. Mom was beaming, setting the crib in the center of the living room while telling Dad, "Beau's going to love this... He always used to sleep with his teddy bear."

Dad glanced at my room and said quietly, "Should we check on Lily?"

Mom's face immediately darkened. "Why should we? When she gets hungry enough, she'll come out."

She sat beside the crib and rocked it gently while humming a lullaby, and her gaze softened.

I floated over and looked at the blue crib. It was small and delicate, exactly the kind of thing Beau would have loved.

Mom had promised to buy the crib for Beau's birthday, but he never lived to see that day. The crib was finally here, and its little owner was about to return in another form.

Mom suddenly looked up as if sensing something and glanced in my direction. I quickly floated up to the ceiling as her eyes swept across the empty living room. She frowned briefly before lowering her head to rock the crib again.

She whispered, "Beau, I'm waiting for you to come back. I'll never let you leave again."

I looked at her profile and felt nothing. I did not feel sad at all. She was finally getting Beau back, and I, the replacement, could disappear for good. This way, everyone could be happy.

On the third morning, someone pounded on the door downstairs so hard as if they wanted to break it down.

I floated to the living room and watched Mom irritably open the door to find Sofea standing there.

"Mrs. Campbell," Sofea said, her expression serious. "Lily hasn't been to school for three days, and no one's answering my calls. I came by to check on her."

She craned her neck to peek inside. "Is Lily home?"

Mom's face darkened instantly as she blocked the doorway. "She's home. She's just throwing a tantrum and refusing to go to school. Don't worry about her. I'll handle it."

"This isn't about the tantrums. Last week, some students reported that Lily was being bullied at school. The kids stripped her clothes off and poured cold water on her. I wanted to discuss how to handle it with you, but I couldn't reach you," Sofea replied, frowning.

Mom bristled and snapped, "Don't listen to those kids' nonsense! Lily must've done something to provoke them! She's been vicious since birth. She killed her own brother, and now she's playing the victim at school for sympathy!"

Sofea's expression grew even grimmer. "Mrs. Campbell, I've seen the injuries on Lily's body. They're all recent. From what I understand, Lily was bullied because she was protecting another student. She's a well-behaved and hardworking student. You can't talk about her like that."

"Well-behaved? Hardworking?" Mom shrieked so loudly that the entire hallway could hear. "If she were good, Beau wouldn't be dead! She's a curse! I should've never had her!"

Sofea flinched at her outburst and sighed heavily. "If this is how you're going to be, I'll have to contact the school board. Lily is a good child, and you can't treat her this way."

She turned to leave while Mom cursed behind her, and only when Sofea disappeared down the stairs did Mom stop.

After slamming the door shut, Mom trembled with rage. She marched to my bedroom door and kicked it hard.

"Look at the trouble you caused, Lily Campbell! Even Ms. Parker came! Why don't you just die?"

I floated beside her, watching her twisted face. I suddenly remembered the drowning incident when I was four.

Beau and I had fallen into the river, and I had desperately held onto his hand. However, the current was too strong and ripped us apart.

When I was pulled out, I saw Mom clutching Beau's body and sobbing. The first words she said to me were, "Why didn't you die instead?"

Dad emerged from his study and blocked Mom's path. "Stop yelling. The neighbors can hear everything."

His voice was quiet. "Lily hasn't eaten in three days. We need to check on her."

Mom shook off his hand. "Why? She's not going to die!"

This time, Dad did not listen to her. He pushed open the door and walked into the room. After a moment's hesitation, Mom followed.

He walked over and pulled back the blanket, letting sunlight fall across my body. My face was pale, my lips tinged blue-purple, with dried blood crusted at the corners of my mouth.