The Girl Who Lied About Pain

I was born with congenital insensitivity to painno pain receptors. My sister, Sally, was a butterfly baby.

Her skin was paper-thin, prone to tearing with the slightest bump. To protect her, my older brother, Link, used me to set the rules. Every. Single. Time.

I tried to fight it, of course. But Link would always wear me down with the same pleading, world-weary tone.

Maya, Sally is adopted. We cant just outright punish her, even for the sake of appearances. He would sigh, running a hand through his hair. Besides, she has EB. Shes fragile, nothing like you! You cant feel it anyway. Just treat it like a bad scene in a movie. Itll be over before you know it.

When Sally ran off in a crowded mall, Link broke my leg in front of her.

When Sally played with an X-Acto knife, Link cut off five of my fingers, then had a surgeon reattach them one by one.

Later, Sally started dating a boy named Jax, a rebellious type, and ran away from home with him.

When Link dragged her back, he carved gashes into my body and threw me into the private marine enclosure he had built for his sharks.

Three gray shapes circled me. I begged Link for help, but he was only focused on lecturing Sally.

You do the crime, you do the time, he said, his voice flat. Run away again, and Ill throw her in again.

Sallys legs gave out from under her. She collapsed to her knees, bruising the delicate skin.

Link instantly scooped her up, his face etched with agonizing concern. He turned to leave, holding her tight.

I cried out, pleading with him to pull me out first, but he never looked back.

He forgot. Insensitivity to pain isnt the same as immortality. You can still bleed out.

Link, please! Save me!

Blood, thick and hot, poured continuously from the wound on my shoulder. The metallic, pungent smell of it excited the three sharks, making them circle faster.

I thrashed against the water, terrified, trying to swim toward the steel ladder bolted to the side.

I gripped a rung, but Links knifehe always carried a heavy utility knifeflashed again, severing my grip with a cut across my knuckles.

I forced myself not to let go, clenching my fist around the smooth metal.

But the intensifying scent of my blood sent one of the sharks into a frenzy. It snapped its jaws onto my calf and pulled, dragging me back into the churning water.

Maya!

Sallys scream was raw, shredded. She instinctively reached a hand out toward me, desperate to pull me back.

Link caught her waist, pulling her back. Dont move. You cant swim.

Link. Sally dropped to the wet concrete, ignoring the scrapes blooming on her knees. Im sorry, I was wrong. I wont ever run away again. Please, let Maya out.

She was sobbing hysterically, her forehead striking the floor with sickening, repetitive thuds.

Sally, stop it! Are you insane? Link yanked her up. You know your condition! You cant knock your head like that, youll injure yourself.

He scanned her body frantically, and sure enough, found a small, dark bruise forming just above her knee.

His eyes immediately reddened with sharp, overwhelming panic. He lifted her fully into his arms. If you dont behave, Ill let out Big White, too.

Big White was his most aggressive shark, the one hed personally purchased from a research facility when it was scheduled for euthanasia after a human incident.

Sally went instantly silent, shivering in his arms.

Link seemed satisfied with her reaction. He walked toward the exit, his strides long and purposeful.

Link, help me. Please. I cant hold on.

As he neared the door, I spent my last bit of strength on one final, desperate cry.

He paused. A fleeting shadow of genuine tension crossed his face.

But as he looked down, his eyes caught the tiny, fingernail-sized cut on Sallys forehead.

His focus snapped. He turned his head slightly, speaking back to me without meeting my eyes.

Every time I punish you, you intentionally give up right before the end. Can you, for once, act like the older sister youre supposed to be? Set an example. You dont want her ending up with a body full of scars, do you?

Then he was gone. He never looked back.

My heart sank with his retreating footsteps.

A realization clawed its way into my mind. Link doesnt want me anymore.

No.

It couldnt be true.

Link told me it was always an act. Just a show. He would come back for me. He had to. All I had to do was be a little more pathetic. Sally had to be a little more scared. Then hed be pleased. Then hed look at me.

I shouted for help a few more times, and then my body was violently wrenched backward.

I looked down. One of the sharks had torn my entire left forearm from my body.

Blood flushed the water, turning the enclosure into a dizzying swirl of scarlet. The horrifying sight shocked my heart into near-failure.

Survival instinct screamed at me. I had to get out. I swam desperately toward the ladder.

By some miracle, I actually made it past the three sharks and caught the handle. I scrambled onto the concrete, delirious with relief.

I took two stumbling steps before a shark launched itself clean out of the water behind me. It clamped down on my other calf and, with a violent tug, dragged me back into the dark depths.

I fought and struggled, but I was no match for its power.

Salty water flooded my nasal cavity, then my throat, slowly filling my lungs.

My breathing faltered.

My strength evaporated.

The edges of my vision faded to black.

When I next woke up, I realized I could breathe underwater.

I was about to wonder if I had suddenly developed some kind of superpower when I noticed the ragged remnants of my own body nearby.

The three sharks were feasting on me like a gourmet meal. First, the gnawing on the arms, then the belly tearing open, and finally, one swallowed my head whole.

It was then I understood.

I was dead.

I watched the sharks feed for a while, found it boring, and went home.

Links personal physician, Dr. Miles Corbin, had already finished checking Sally. He told Link her knee scrapes were minor, but she still needed to be careful.

Links visibly tight chest finally loosened.

I floated in front of him and tried to say his name.

He didn't respond. He turned to look at Sally, who was sitting silently on the sofa.

I remembered then. The living cant see the dead.

Sally was no longer crying, but her eyes were glazed and empty.

Dr. Corbin was a long-time acquaintance of Links. He had heard about the nature of the punishment as soon as he arrived.

He sighed, shaking his head. Wasnt that a bit extreme, Link?

Link scoffed. She wont listen otherwise. Running off with that punk, Jax? You know how dangerous the world is for her, Miles.

But throwing Maya in the tank? What if the sharks had lost control and actually hurt her?

You dont have to worry about her, Link said dismissively. You forget, those three are usually docile. They never attack people. Plus, I had a guard watching the monitors. If there was any real danger, he was supposed to pull her out immediately.

I froze.

Did your security guard really watch the monitors, Link? Why didnt anyone come when I was being eaten?

Links only real hobby was his sharks. Hed built the enclosurelarger than some public aquariumsjust for them. They had dedicated keepers, a professional animal doctor for checkups, and their feeder fish were flown in from overseas.

Because they were raised in captivity, the three sharks were usually placid and had never shown aggression toward people. Link had assured me of this before the punishment.

But he forgot one crucial detail.

The day Sally ran away, Link started planning this punishment. He had specifically instructed the keepers not to feed the sharks for an entire week, all to ensure they looked aggressive for the show.

But animals are just animals. Starved for that long, they no longer cared if the food they were given was human or otherwise.

Dr. Corbin frowned. Even so, shes a young woman, and she was bleeding heavily. You know how blood affects sharks. What if one of them took a bite?

They wouldnt take a fatal bite, Link snapped, growing impatient. Youre forgetting Maya has insensitivity to pain. She wouldnt feel it, even if they tore her leg off. All that screaming? It was just part of the act.

Dr. Corbin was silent, his expression a mix of concern and pity. He finally sighed and told Link he shouldnt be so cruel; after all, I was his own sister.

Link lowered his head, considering. Youre right. Im going to

Before he could finish, Sally stood up, seemingly recovered.

Im going to bring my sister back, she announced.

Links face darkened. Stay put!

Sally flinched. Why?

You were gone for seven days, Link stated. The punishment must last seven hours. Thats the rule.

He was lying. There was no such family rule. He only said it because he saw that Sally was no longer sufficiently scared, so he had to increase the severity of the lesson. All he wanted was to terrify her into realizing the gravity of her mistake.

Link was eight years older than me. In my mind, he was both father and mother.

When I was eight, our parents died in a car accident. Our relatives, eager to snatch the estate, used various means to drive Link and me out of the house.

The same day we were abandoned, we found Sally, also abandoned.

To provide for us, sixteen-year-old Link dropped out of school. He fought in underground boxing matches, delivered takeout, and hauled concrete.

Because all his time was spent earning money, Sally and I were left to care for each other. But Sallys Epidermolysis Bullosa was extremely rare. The slightest touch would break her skin. Broken skin meant a trip to the hospital, and hospital visits cost money.

Link was constantly stressed. He ran out of patience and repeatedly warned Sally not to be reckless. Warnings worked once or twice, but eventually, she stopped listening.

One day, Link yelled at Sally, and she ignored him. I laughed beside him, and he hit me instead.

Sally was terrified that time. She cried hysterically and apologized.

From that day on, Link learned the method of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey."

I was the chicken. Sally was the monkey.

At first, Link would apologize after hitting me. Hed tenderly apply antiseptic, hold me, and cry.

Maya, money is so hard to earn. I just dont have enough to keep taking Sally to the hospital, hed plead. If you take the beating, shell behave. Just bear with it, alright? Ill try not to hit you so hard next time.

Knowing the impossible burden he carried, I lied. I told him I had congenital insensitivity to pain. That no matter what he did, I wouldn't feel a thing.

I only did it to ease his guilt.

But later, even my lie stopped scaring Sally for long. Even when Link knocked me unconscious, she only stayed terrified for a short while.

So, he escalated.

Sally ran off? Break my leg.

She played with a sharp object? Cut off my fingers.

In his mind, I couldnt feel it. All he had to do was get the bones or fingers reattached.

Until today, when I was eaten alive.

He wanted Sally to watch with her own eyes. He wanted her to be so afraid that she would never hurt herself again.

I knew that in the beginning, Links cruelty was motivated by fear of financial ruin. But later, even when he had money, he had invested so much more time and emotional energy into Sally than me. He had developed a deep, complicated attachment.

Perhaps he never even noticed. In his heart, Sally had become more important than me.

Sally kept looking at her watch. The moment Links arbitrary seven hours were up, she pulled him toward the marine enclosure.

Link, its seven hours. You have to let Maya out now.

He allowed himself to be dragged along, feigning annoyance. Whats the rush? Your sister isnt going anywhere.

But when the enclosure door opened and the heavy, metallic smell of blood spilled out, Link and Sally both froze at the sight of the tank.

After a long pause, Sallys voice trembled. Link, wheres Maya? Why is she gone?

She scurried around the edge of the pool, desperately searching for any sign of me.

Link, however, recovered quickly. He walked onto the platform, scanned the ground, and called Sallys name.

Sally, come here.

She rushed to his side.

Look. Link pointed to two bloody footprints on the platform. See? These must be Mayas. She got out and left already.

Really? Sally watched the footprints, still shaking. Then where is she now?

Link hesitated. She must have gone to the hospital. She always handles her own injuries.

It was true. Unlike Sally, because I claimed not to feel pain, I always quietly limped or stumbled to the ER alone, no matter how severe the injury.

Sally pleaded with Link to take her to the hospital to find me.

Please, Link. If I dont see Maya tonight, I wont be able to sleep.

Link, softened by her tears, glanced back at the water, a flicker of genuine worry in his eyes.

Fine. He patted her head affectionately and pulled out his phone to call the kitchen. Were going to the hospital to see Maya! Even though she got lazy and gave up on the punishment early again, she must be hungry after running off like that. Lets go check on her.

I floated above them, numb.

I dont think I can feel hunger anymore, Link.

But before they could leave, the housekeeper rushed in. Sir, theres a young man with blonde hair at the gate. He insists on seeing Miss Sally.

Links face went immediately dark. He strode toward the door, and I followed, curious.

Standing at the gate was Jax, the rebellious ex-boyfriend who had helped Sally run away.

The moment he saw Link, he started yelling. Give Sally back! You cant keep her locked up!

Links eyes narrowed. How did you find this place?

This address isnt hard to get, Jax retorted, holding his chin up. You sick bastard. Why are you trying to break us up? Sally and I are in love.

Link slowly turned his head to Sally, who was standing behind him. His voice was frighteningly calm. Sally, are you two in love?

Anyone who knew Link understood: the calmer his voice, the more terrifying his rage.

Sally immediately backed down, shaking her head frantically. No, no, were not. Then she shouted at Jax. Jax, just go! I dont want to be with you anymore.

Jaxs eyes widened in disbelief. No! Sally, is he making you say that? Come with me

His hand hadn't even touched Sally before Link seized his arm and brutally snapped it.

Link kicked Jax away like garbage, then addressed the guards. Get him off the property.

Jax was dragged away, screaming in pain.

Sally was shaking violently.

She followed Link back to the living room, still fixated on me. Link, I swear I wont see him again. Lets go find Maya.

Dont you dare bring her up. Links face was a mask of disgust. I was just feeling guilty and was going to bring her dinner, and she immediately gave this psycho our address! No wonder she got out so fast. She probably planned it the moment I threw her in.

Its shameful. When will she finally grow up and stop using these childish tricks to compete for attention?

Sallys face went white. No, thats not it. I

She wanted to admit she was the one who told Jax, but she swallowed the words. She knew admitting it or not, the person Link punished would always be me.

Jaxs appearance rekindled Links fury. But since I wasn't there, he wouldn't lash out at Sally. Instead, he ordered his people to go to every hospital in the city to find and bring me back.

He sent Sally to her room and headed to his private gym to hit the punching bag and vent his physical energy.

Halfway through his workout, the housekeeper came back.

Link looked up. Did you find Maya?

The housekeeper reported that there was still no word on me. She had come to tell Link that the keepers said the sharks seemed sick. The three of them were lethargic and werent eating.

Link adored his sharks. Hearing this, he rushed to the enclosure and immediately called the animal doctors to come check them out.

Sally, who couldn't sleep, heard the commotion and followed.

Half an hour later, the three sharks were tranquilized and immobile.

Several animal doctors, equipped with portable sonar probes, climbed into the water. When they scanned the first sharks abdomen, every one of them gasped in horror.

They scrambled back onto the platform and ran toward Link, stumbling and panicked.

M-Mr. Sterling they stammered, out of breath. What did you feed them? One of the sharks has"

a human head inside!