The Monster I Raised

My mom got pregnant with a little brother.

When we went to the hospital for a checkup, we found out he had Jacobs Syndrome. Everyone told my mom to terminate the pregnancy.

My mom cried and refused to give him up. I asked her what Jacobs Syndrome meant.

She told me, It means your brother is going to be the manliest of men. Hes going to protect you.

I half-understood, until the year my brother turned seven, and he repeatedly smashed a brick into my mothers head.

I think I finally understood what she meant by "the manliest of men."

When I was six years old, my mom got pregnant.

Once she was far enough along, my parents secretly paid someone to find out the gender. When my mom heard it was a boy, she was overjoyed.

Even though my dad always said having me, his sweet little girl, was enough, having a son had always been my moms ultimate wish.

Until the amniocentesis results came back, and everything changed.

They said my unborn brother had an XYY chromosome pattern.

The legendary "Super Male Syndrome."

I was eavesdropping outside the door. My dad was desperately trying to convince my mom to give it up. Let it go. Having Lily is enough for us! The doctor even said kids like this have strong antisocial tendencies in the future. We cant raise a child like that.

Tears streamed down my moms face. She shook her head, clutching her stomach. No, I cant bear it. Look how big the baby already is. Are you really going to end your childs life over one thing a doctor said?

My dad hesitated, his brows furrowed tightly.

My mom said firmly, Didnt we raise Lily perfectly? I believe this child will be fine too. As long as we educate him properly

My dad was so frustrated he was left speechless. He went to the balcony to smoke alone, leaving my mom crying with red eyes.

I crept closer and asked, Mommy, what does Super Male mean?

My mom looked at me sadly, thought for a moment, and said, It means your brother is going to be the manliest of men. Hes going to protect his big sister.

I hesitated. Will you only love my brother and not love me anymore?

My mom stroked my head. How could that happen? Mommy loves you the most.

I smiled.

A few months later, my brother was born.

Everyone who saw him praised how beautiful he was. Big eyes, pale skinhe looked like an angel baby from a painting.

Whenever someone complimented him, my mom swelled with pride. Shed say, How could such an adorable baby ever be violent?

She vowed to spend her entire life loving him.

Wrapped in my moms protective love, my brother slowly grew. He started babbling in a cute baby voice and began to express his emotions.

Its just that his way of expressing emotions was a little different from other kids.

If he didnt like the carefully prepared baby food, he would just smack the bowl onto the floor.

If his toy car ran out of battery and stopped moving, he would fly into a rage, violently stomping and smashing the car against the floor. He was only happy once the toy was completely pulverized.

He had an extreme desire to destroy. Toys in our house never survived past the second day. When he ran out of toys to destroy, hed move on to other things. It was as if destroying things brought him infinite joy.

No matter how my dad tried to discipline him, it was useless. My mom, however, stuck to positive reinforcement. Good job, sweetie! Our baby is so strong!

I felt wronged. I went to complain to my mom. Why do you hit me when I break something, but you never hit my brother?

My mom sighed. Your brother is different. We have to guide him gently. Lily, youre the older sister, you need to be understanding.

I didnt understand.

It was blatant favoritism.

To cultivate a gentler temperament in my brother, my mom bought each of us a pet rabbit.

She smiled warmly. You have to treat the bunnies well, okay? They are living things too.

My brother stroked the bunnys ears, nodding as if he couldnt put it down.

But the next morning, when my mom went to change the cabbage leaves in the cages, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

I rushed onto the balcony. The bunny my brother was taking care of had been sliced open and killed. Its intestines had spilled out all over the bottom of the cage.

Meanwhile, the bunny in my cage had its ears pinned back, trembling violently in the corner.

My brother stood behind my mom with a huge smile, holding his arms up to be carried. Mommy, I want another bunny!

I hugged my bunny tightly to my chest, shivering.

Ever since my brother was born, all my parents energy had gone to him. Even my grandma came all the way from out of town specifically to help take care of him.

He became the center of our entire familys universe.

I had to admit, most of the time he didnt look any different from other little boys. He had a sweet smile, liked eating snacks, and loved watching cartoons.

But this bright, cheerful boy could turn into a demon the very next second.

Once, my grandma simply told him he couldnt have a snack before dinner. He bit down hard on her arm and refused to let go, exactly like a wild jackal. No matter who tried to pull him off, his jaws stayed locked.

Another time, I was just sitting there watching cartoons. As my mom carried him to the balcony, he casually grabbed the TV remote and hurled it straight at my head. Blood streamed down my face, and he smiled with pure delight.

When he finally reached preschool age, my parents spent a ton of energy and money to enroll him in a daycare that specialized in early childhood mental health and development.

But not long after, the teachers called my parents in.

The reason: an older kid in the pre-K class had bullied him, making fun of him for being skinny and small.

I dont know where he learned it, but during nap time, while the teacher stepped out to use the restroom, he sneaked into the pre-K nap room, used a lighter to set the bedsheets on fire, sprinted out, and locked the door from the outside.

If the teacher hadnt come back when she did, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Even the teachers were horrified. Does your child watch violent cartoons at home? Ive never seen a kid act like this! Its terrifying!

Under pressure from the other parents, my brother was expelled. My parents bowed, apologized endlessly, and paid a massive settlement just to make it go away.

As my parents were bowing and apologizing, my brother stood to the side, biting his fingernails, giggling. The teacher asked him what was so funny.

He said, I wanted to burn you all to death!

My dads face went ghost white. He slapped my brother across the face right in front of everyone. My brother fell to the ground.

He started bawling. The bystanders watched coldly. My mom was the only one who threw herself onto the ground to hug him.

Mommy is so sorry! Its all Mommys fault!

My parents had a massive blowout argument.

My dad was screaming in the bedroom. We never should have kept him! Hes a monster!

My mom pointed a finger in his face, screaming back hysterically, Even if he is a monster, hes your flesh and blood! And hes already born! Whats the point of saying this now?!

My dad wanted to argue back but couldnt find the words. He left my mom crying alone in the room.

My mom tried desperately to send him to other preschools, but he either bullied the little girlscutting off their braidsor bullied the younger boys, shoving their heads into the toilets and forcing them to drink the water.

When he saw a teacher who was seven months pregnant, he actually told the other kids he wanted to kick her hard in the stomach.

And later, he actually did it. When the pregnant teacher was walking to the bathroom, he sneaked up and tripped her.

She lost her balance and fell forward. If someone nearby hadnt caught her in time, the outcome would have been unthinkable.

The teachers husband caused a massive scene. He demanded the preschool pay for emotional distress and demanded to know why my brother was so purely malicious at such a young age.

The principal had no choice. She refunded our tuition and practically begged my mom, Please, take your child and go. Our little school cant handle him! Ive been running preschools for thirty years, and Ive never seen a child like this!

Neither my dads anger nor my moms pleading worked.

Eventually, my mom gave up. She had my grandma watch him at home until he was old enough for elementary school.

As the only grandson in the family, my grandma doted on him. She gave him whatever he wanted.

Because of her age, her legs werent great, making stairs difficult. But even so, she would gladly walk to the grocery store every single day to buy whatever food he wanted to eat.

One day, just as my grandma was heading out for groceries, the moment she reached the top of the stairs, I saw my brother charge out with a wicked grin and violently shove her from behind.

The grocery basket tumbled down the steps, followed immediately by the sickening thud of my grandmas body rolling down the stairs.

My brother clapped his hands and laughed. His laughter echoed through the entire stairwell.

I saw the whole thing with my own eyes.

After that, my grandma was paralyzed.

My dad slapped my brother like a madman. He looked like he wanted to kill him. My mom cried and clung to his legs, screaming, Hes just a child!

My dad roared, That is not a child! Thats a monster!

He slumped into a chair, muttering to himself, We should have aborted him. We should have aborted him back then.

My brother glared at him with pure hatred. I was the only one who walked over to my dad. I told him not to be sad, that Grandma would get better.

My dad hugged me tight, tears suddenly falling from his eyes.

When I got home from the hospital, I was in a great mood. I hummed a song while feeding my bunny some lettuce. My poor bunny was still traumatized from seeing its companion killed; it shivered whenever someone came near.

I shoved the lettuce against its mouth. Eat it.

The bunny wouldn't open its mouth.

Why aren't you eating?

Finally, I opened the cage, and personally watched the lettuce go into the bunny's stomach before I left, satisfied.

After Grandma was paralyzed, there was another person in the house who needed constant care.

To prevent any more "accidents," my mom quit her job to stay home and look after my brother and Grandma.

No one knew why my brother pushed her, but according to him, he just thought it would be fun.

That was how he always operated. Seeing other people suffer was fun to him. His happiness was only real if it was built on someone elses pain.

After being betrayed by her precious grandson, Grandmas attitude completely changed. She stopped talking to him and finally started realizing my worth.

Whenever she had something good to eat, she would call me over and save it for me.

She didnt give my brother a single second of her time.

My brother caught us talking and sharing snacks a few times. He stared at us with a dark, sinister look.

What are you guys doing?

We stayed silent. He turned around and went back to watching cartoons. I let out a sigh of relief.

But I underestimated my brother.

He held grudges better than anyone. How could he just let it go?

Not long after, on a day when Grandma was taking a nap, my mom and I went to the supermarket.

My mom told him, Stay out of the kitchen, and wait nicely for us to come back, understand?

He smiled sweetly and agreed.

An hour later, when we got back and opened the door, we were immediately hit by the smell of smoke.

My moms face went pale in horror. She threw the door open to find the apartment filled with smoke.

She screamed his name like a madwoman. My brother was in the living room, completely unharmed.

But when I went to look for Grandma, I realized the smoke was pouring out of her bedroom.

Grandma was still lying in bed. I covered my nose and yelled, Grandma! Grandma, get up!

She didnt answer.

I yelled a few more times. My mom rushed in, shaking her. Mom! Mom! Whats wrong? Mom!

Grandma remained lifeless. As the smoke cleared slightly, I could faintly see her lips were turning purple.

My mom reached out with a trembling finger to check her breathing. Two seconds later, she let out a piercing scream and collapsed onto the floor.

Grandma was dead.

Soon, police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks completely surrounded our building.

The paramedics pulled a white sheet over Grandmas body. The firefighters looked at the floor, covered in shredded firecracker paper, and let out a long sigh.

The mattress was flipped over, and the space under the bed was charred black.

A firefighter told the police, Preliminary findings suggest the child lit a string of firecrackers in the room. The elderly woman was asleep at the time. The shock likely triggered a fatal heart attack.

A police officer frowned and turned to my mom. Leaving a child home alone is bad enough, but how could you leave firecrackers where he could easily reach them? Do you have absolutely zero common sense as a parent?

My mom hadn't even recovered from the shock yet. She stuttered, I I didnt know. There were no firecrackers in the house

The police looked at my mom in disbelief. Meanwhile, my brother sat on the sofa like nothing happened, sucking on a lollipop and giggling as people rushed in and out.

Someone glanced at him and whispered, Look at that kid. His grandma just died and hes sitting there laughing.

But they didnt know. My brother didnt have a heart to begin with.

When Grandmas body was wheeled past me, my nose started to sting.

Even though she had only been nice to me toward the very end, those were still unforgettable memories.

Just then, my dad rushed through the door, just in time to see Grandmas body being loaded into the ambulance.

He leaned against the doorframe, his legs gave out, and he slowly slid down to the floor.

My mom stood defensively in front of my brother. She said weakly, You you need to calm down. Your mom was over seventy, and her heart was already bad.

My dad had already gotten the news before he arrived. He stared dead at my brother, a bottomless well of hatred surging in his eyes.

Suddenly, he let out a roar, violently shoved my mom to the floor, grabbed his heavy leather briefcase, and swung it directly at my brothers head.

The briefcase slammed into him, knocking my brother to the floor. Blood from his nose stained the floorboards red.

My mom screamed hoarsely, clinging to my dads legs. It was just an accident! It was an accident!

My dad dragged my mom up off the floor and roared, Get the hell away from me!

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the police quickly pulled my dad away.

It already happened. Please calm down! You didnt discipline your child when it mattered, and now that someone is dead, you want to beat him?

The firefighter quickly added, Exactly. If this had started a structural fire, could you take responsibility for the casualties of the entire building?

My brother used the distraction to sprint back into his room. When he came back out, he was holding the remaining string of firecrackers. Right in front of all of us, he lit the fuse and hurled it straight at my dad.

Im going to blow you all up!

The firecrackers exploded in a deafening, crackling roar, filling the room with thick smoke again. Everyone just stared at my brother in dead silence.

He was a monster.

Grandmas death was officially ruled an accidental death.

After taking care of the funeral arrangements, the house was left in ruins.

After that day, my dad never spoke a single word to my brother again. He acted like he didnt exist, and barely spoke to my mom either.

After Grandma was cremated, my dad stood holding her urn and said coldly to my mom, Lets get a divorce.

This time, there was no explosive argument.

I don't know when, but my brother suddenly appeared behind me.

He whispered, Grandmas dead. I thought youd be happy.

A violent chill ran down my spine. I snapped, What are you talking about? Why would I be happy that Grandma died?

He didnt say anything. He just stared at me, unblinking.

The next morning, my dad had already packed his bags. My mom was leaning against the headboard in the bedroom, her eyes red from crying.

He left all the money and the house to my mom and voluntarily gave up custody of both of us.

Right before he left, I cried and asked him, Dad, are you really leaving?

My dad smiled bitterly. Be a good girl, Lily. I know youre the most sensible one. You need to take good care of your mom from now on. If anything happens, call me.

I sobbed, If Im so sensible, then please dont go!

My dad sighed. Lily, its not your fault. Its all my fault. I never should have gotten married and had kids. I was never capable of living a normal life, and now Ive ruined so many peoples lives.

With that, he grabbed his suitcase and walked out the door without looking back.

From that moment on, it was just the three of us left in the house.

Because I had promised my dad, I worked even harder.

I scored exceptionally high on my middle school entrance exams and got into the best public middle school in the city.

Because of the arson incident, every elementary school in our district was terrified of my brother.

Seeing that no school was willing to accept him, my mom came up with a plan. She legally changed his name and we moved to a completely different school district.

After all the chaos, she finally managed to get him enrolled just before September.

My mom had aged visibly in those few months. The divorce hit her incredibly hard, but she still refused to give up on my brother.

She always hoped her love could somehow change him.

But my brother used his actions to prove to her that some kids are just born evil. They can never be changed.