Chapter 2

My eyes snapped open. A thin, desperate hope flickered in my chest.

Was Mom...finally worried about me?

But then, Mom's cold voice came again.

"Doctor, please make sure we see what happened that day. Her body doesn't matter."

Dad chimed in from beside her.

"Money is no object. Charge us whatever it takes. Just make sure we catch the monster who killed Audrey!"

My heart tightened, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

After hearing their words, Julian's gaze darkened, a trace of unbearable sorrow flashing in his eyes.

The Memory Tribunal continued. The silver needle pierced my forehead, entering my skull.

The excruciating pain made my entire body tremble, and I bit down hard on my teeth.

I could feel warm blood oozing out, flowing into my ears, soaking my hair.

Then the first memory appeared on the large screen.

The screen was intensely shaky, like a vision seen through tears.

A hazy sky, Audrey's funeral portrait placed in the center of the wake.

I knelt on the ground, the wake filled with people, everyone dressed in black.

Mom collapsed onto Audrey's coffin, sobbing uncontrollably.

Dad stood beside her, his eyes red and swollen, his whole body trembling.

Suddenly, Mom turned and threw herself in front of me, clutching my shoulders tightly.

"Skylar, tell me, what happened that day? You saw it, didn't you? Who killed Audrey?"

Her nails dug deep into my skin, her voice a high, sharp blade.

"Speak! Say it!"

I looked up, tears streaming unbroken.

"I'm sorry, I really can't remember."

Mom's voice suddenly rose.

"How can you not remember?! Audrey died right in front of you!"

She suddenly grabbed my hair, forcing my head down to the ground.

Thud.

My forehead hit the tile floor hard.

"Kneel for Audrey! Beg for her forgiveness!"

Another slam.

"After all we've done for you, how could you do this to Audrey?!"

Thud.

A vivid red bloodstain was left on the tile.

"How could you forget? How could you!"

The me on the screen, my forehead a bloody mess, my eyes wide open, pupils reflecting Audrey's funeral portrait.

Blood flowed down from my temple, mixing with tears, dripping onto the ground.

I didn't struggle, I just let Mom press my head, hitting it against the ground again and again.

Everyone in the wake watched; no one stepped forward to stop her.

I knelt at Audrey's wake for a day and a night.

After Audrey was buried, Mom threw a large bundle at my feet.

"Skylar," she pointed to the door, "Get out!"

"Don't come back until you remember what happened that day. If you can't remember, never come home again."

I froze, staring blankly at the bundle on the ground, then looked up at Mom.

"Mom."

"Don't call me Mom!" she shrieked. "I don't have a daughter like you!"

Dad walked over, silently grabbed my arm, and dragged me out.

I panicked. I burst into tears and clung to Mom's leg.

"Mom, I'm sorry... I'll remember... Please don't make me leave... Mom, I'm scared."

Dad pried my fingers away, one by one. His grip was iron. My bones ached.

The door swung open.

I was shoved outside.

The bundle landed at my feet.

The heavy door slammed shut in front of me.

I knelt on the ground, pounding hard on the door.

"Mom... Dad..."

"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..."

There was no response from inside.

After a very long time, I cried myself out, then picked up the bundle from the ground.

Dragging my still-bleeding forehead, I walked down the stairs, step by step.

As I exited the building, I looked back at the fourth-floor window.

The curtains were drawn tight.

The screen dimmed.

The entire hall fell silent.

Suddenly, Dad's enraged voice boomed.

"What is this?! This isn't what we want to see!!"

Mom also shrieked.

"We want to know the truth about Audrey's death!! What happened in that alley that day?!"

"Keep going! Keep watching!"

A murmur of whispers rose from the audience.

Julian looked at the screen, then at me on the stand, pale and blood-stained, his lips moving.

The doctor sighed, his voice amplified by the microphone, echoing through the room.

"First-layer memory extraction complete. As the memories deepen, the patient's pain will continuously increase. The nervous system, under extreme suffering, may cause extraction to be interrupted or..."

His words were cut short by Dad.

"Continue. Whatever the cost, as long as the killer is caught."

Mom covered her face, crying.

"We just want to know the truth!"