Reborn to Burn Your Lies

The basement was covered in mold. I lay there in the pitch-black darkness, waiting for death.

Twenty years.

Ever since that catastrophic chemistry lab fire twenty years ago, I had never seen the sunlight.

The harsh screech of my AP Chemistry teacher, Brenda Vance, still echoed in my ears: Summer Lin! You forgot to turn off the burner! You blew up the lab, disfigured your classmates, and burned down the entire science building!

To pay for my "crime," my parents sold our house, begged on their knees, and died early from sheer exhaustion and stress. Branded as an "arsonist," I spent two decades working under the table, washing dishes in greasy spoons, and sending every penny I made to the "victims" as blood money.

The heavy metal door creaked open. Brenda and her daughter, Chloewho used to be my best friendstepped in.

"Mrs. Vance..." I croaked, trying to squeeze out a shred of gratitude. Over the past twenty years, she was the only one who ever visited me.

Chloe snatched the envelope containing my last hundred dollars from under my pillow. "Only a hundred? This won't even buy me a lip gloss."

I froze.

She leaned in close, a sickening smirk playing on her lips. "Summer, you didn't actually think this money went to the victims, did you? Back then, I was the one playing with magnesium powder and caused the spark. My mom opened the gas valve, locked the door from the outside, and made you the perfect scapegoat."

*Boom*

My mind went entirely blank.

Brenda looked down at me with cold, dead eyes. "Your parents were just cheap blue-collar workers. Taking the fall for Chloe was the only useful thing you could ever do."

The heavy door slammed shut. Darkness consumed me.

Sheer hatred tore through my veins. If I could just do it all over again!

***

"Summer! Are you even listening to me? What is wrong with you?"

A piece of chalk struck my forehead with perfect accuracy.

The sharp sting felt incredibly real.

I gasped, my eyes flying open as I sucked in a huge breath of air.

In front of me was a green chalkboard covered in complex chemical equations.

The air smelled faintly of chalk dust and sulfur.

Standing at the podium in a beige blazer and wire-rimmed glasses was the middle-aged woman frowning at me.

Brenda Vance.

I instinctively gripped the pen in my hand so hard the plastic casing nearly cracked.

All around me were my classmates, wearing high school hoodies and varsity jackets.

In the front row, Chloe turned around, made a face at me, and mouthed, *Idiot.*

I was alive.

I glanced at the wall clock: May 18, 2004, 4:30 PM.

The exact day of the lab explosion!

"Did you get any of the esterification reactions I just explained?" Brenda tapped the board sharply. "As my lab assistant, with the state science decathlon next week, how can you be this distracted? Youre staying after school to clean up the AP chemistry lab. Think about your attitude."

The exact same words.

In my past life, this was how I was forced to stay behind, becoming the "last person to leave the lab."

The perfect scapegoat.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the violent urge to kill her right then and there.

I stood up, my voice eerily calm. "Understood, Mrs. Vance."

Brenda seemed satisfied with my obedience. She nodded. "Class dismissed."

The classroom erupted into cheers as everyone packed up to leave.

Chloe walked over to my desk, tossing her designer backpack over her shoulder with a sweet smile. "Thanks for doing the heavy lifting, Summer. I have dance practice. Oh, by the way, I heard the department just got some expensive new reagents. Don't be clumsy and break them."

Looking at her youthful, flawless face, all I could see was her twisted, ugly expression twenty years later.

"Don't worry," I said, looking straight into her eyes with a faint smile. "I'll take *excellent* care of everything."

***

5:00 PM.

The hallway was completely empty.

I walked into the top-floor chemistry lab.

In my past life, I had been in here diligently cleaning up just like Brenda told me to.

Meanwhile, Chloe had snuck back in while I went down to empty the trash, stealing magnesium powder to play with, which started a small fire.

Then she ran.

When Brenda arrived, she didn't put out the fire. Instead, she turned on the main gas valve, overturned a bottle of ethanol, and turned a minor accident into a massive explosion.

This time, I wasn't going to give them the chance.

I pushed the door open.

Sure enough, the lab was a total mess. It didn't look like a class had just ended; it looked like someone had intentionally rummaged through it.

I didn't start cleaning right away.

Instead, I pulled out a rare luxury for a high schooler in 2004a Nokia 7610.

My dad had saved up for three months just to buy it for me as a reward for my grades. The camera was only one megapixel, but it was enough to capture video.

I turned on the camera and started recording from the entrance.

I captured every corner, the position of every chemical bottle, and the status of every valve.

Especially the corner where several open jars of magnesium powder sat, along with a few unextinguished cigarette butts on the floorthe trash left behind by Chloe and her popular slacker friends.

Once I recorded everything, I quickly got to work.

I put all the chemicals back in their locked cabinets, checked every single burner, and made sure they were completely extinguished.

Most importantly, I checked the main gas valves.

All tightly shut.

By the time I finished, it was 5:20 PM.

According to my memory, the explosion happened around 5:45 PM.

I grabbed my backpack and walked out, locking the heavy door behind me.

But I didn't leave the campus.

I walked straight to the security office on the ground floor.

"Mr. Miller!" I tapped on the glass window.

The school guard, Mr. Miller, looked up from his small TV. "Oh, hey, Summer. Leaving late today?"

"Yes, sir. I had clean-up duty," I smiled, handing him the logbook. "Here are the lab keys. Could you sign here to confirm I handed them in at 5:25 PM?"

There was no strict rule about signing out, but because I was always a straight-A, detail-oriented student, Mr. Miller didn't think twice.

"Of course, kiddo. Youre always so responsible." He checked his watch and wrote in the logbook: *5:25 PM. Summer Lin returned lab keys. Doors and windows locked.*

Seeing his signature, half of the weight on my chest lifted.

I had the video. I had the witness.

This time, even if Chloe burned the school to the ground, she couldn't pin it on me.

I walked out of the school gates, but instead of going home, I walked into the Starbucks right across the street.

I ordered a sweet drink and sat by the window.

From here, I had a perfect view of the top-floor lab windows.

In this life, I wasn't just going to prove my innocence.

I wanted to see just how evil my "beloved teacher" could truly be.

The minutes ticked by.

5:40 PM.

The school should have been completely deserted.

But then, a familiar figure slipped through the school gates, looking around suspiciously.

It wasn't Chloe.

It was Brenda Vance.

Why wasn't she at home?

In my past life, she claimed she had been at home tutoring Chloe all evening, giving her a perfect alibi.

But now, she was sneaking back into the school?

I narrowed my eyes as I saw her pull out a keythe spare key!

As the head of the science department, of course she had a master key.

She scanned the empty courtyard, then slipped quickly into the building.

My heart began to hammer against my ribs.

In my past life, the logic was: Chloe messed up, and Brenda cleaned up by framing me.

But in this life, Chloe never got the chance to sneak back in because I had locked up so fast.

If Chloe wasn't in there, why did Brenda go in?

Unless...

***

A terrifying realization hit me.

5:50 PM.

Brenda came running out of the building.

She was running incredibly fast, her hair slightly messy, clutching something tight in her hand. She jumped into her red sedan parked by the curb and sped away.

The second her car rounded the corner.

*BOOM!!!*

A deafening blast shook the windows of the Starbucks.

Flames erupted from the top floor of the school!

Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, swallowing the evening sun.

I squeezed my plastic cup so hard it cracked, spilling cold coffee all over my hand.

Tears spilled over my cheeks.

Not from fear, but from the sheer, icy horror of the truth.

So that was it.

In my past life, Chloe's little fire was just an excuse.

In this life, even though I locked the doors and left early, the explosion still happened!

Which meant Brenda didn't just "cover up" for her daughter.

She wanted to blow up the lab on purpose!

Why?

Just to frame me? No, that didn't make sense.

Then why?

Whatever the reason, this time, you lit the fire with your own hands.

Brenda, in this life, Im not just going to clear my name.

Im going to send you straight to hell.

Sirens wailed as police cars and fire trucks rushed toward the school, cutting through the twilight.

I blended into the growing crowd of onlookers, staring at the roaring flames with a cold, expressionless face.

"Oh my God! The whole top floor is gone!"

"I heard it's the chemistry lab! Thank God school was over!"

Twenty minutes later, the fire was brought under control.

I saw Brenda rushing back to the scene.

She had changed her clothes and redone her hair. Her face was a mask of panic and grief. Her acting was worthy of an Oscar.

"My lab! How did this happen?!" she sobbed, grabbing a firefighter's arm. "There was so much expensive equipment in there! How could it blow up?!"

Soon, a few police officers walked over.

Leading them was a stern-looking, middle-aged detective.

"Who is in charge of this lab?"

"I am. I'm Brenda Vance, Head of the Science Department," Brenda cried, wiping her tears. "Officer, what happened?"

"Preliminary investigation suggests a gas leak triggered by a spark, fueled by highly flammable chemicals," the detective said, looking at his notepad. "The school guard said someone was in there cleaning up. Who was the last person to leave?"

Brendas eyes flickered with a dangerous light. Then, she put on a look of utter shock and heartbreak.

"It... it was one of my students, Summer Lin."

"Shes usually such a sweet girl... I asked her to tidy up. How could she be so reckless?"

"Oh my God!" Brenda gasped suddenly, covering her mouth. "I remember now! She was so distracted during class today. I scolded her... Could she have done this out of spite? Or maybe she was just in such a rush to leave that she forgot to turn off the gas?"

She was already shaping the narrative.

The surrounding teachers and onlookers began to whisper.

"Summer Lin? The quiet scholarship kid?"

"She always seemed so nice. I can't believe she could be so irresponsible."

"Leaving the gas on? She could have killed people!"

"Where is Summer Lin? Get her over here!" the detective called out.

"Im right here."

I walked out of the crowd, my backpack over one shoulder, my expression completely calm.

***

In that instant, every eye in the crowd locked onto me.

Some looked at me with disgust, some with anger, others with malicious excitement.

When Brenda saw me, a flash of pure malice crossed her eyes before she threw herself at me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently.

"Summer! What did you do?! I trusted you to clean the lab! Did you leave the gas on?! Do you have any idea what you've done?! You destroyed school property! You ruined our reputation!"

Her acrylic nails dug painfully into my skin.

In my past life, this was the exact moment I broke down. I had sobbed, uselessly repeating "I didn't do it," which only made me look guilty.

But now, I just stared at her performance with cold eyes.

"Mrs. Vance, please let go of me," I said, my voice quiet but incredibly clear.

Brenda froze, shocked that the usually timid, quiet girl was actually standing up to her.

"You're talking back now? Do you realize you're going to juvenile hall for this?!"

"Juvenile hall?" I smiled slightly. "Everything requires evidence. Why are you so sure I left the gas on?"

"Because you were the last one there! You had the keys!" Brenda shrieked. "And the guard confirmed you were the last one to lock up!"

The detective stepped forward, looking down at me seriously. "Summer, were you the last one to leave the lab?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"And did you make sure all gas valves and electrical appliances were turned off?"

"Yes, I did."

"Liar!" Brenda cut in. "If you turned them off, how did it explode? You obviously rushed out without checking because you wanted to go home! Lying at your age... this is a serious character flaw!"

"Detective!" Brenda turned to the officer, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Her family is low-income, and shes always had a bit of a chip on her shoulder. I take responsibility for not supervising my student better, but I beg you to investigate this thoroughly. We cannot let this slide."

With just a few sentences, she had painted herself as a saint while giving me a perfect motive.

Brilliant.

Just then, my parents arrived, breathless and terrified.

They were still in their grease-stained work uniforms, pushing through the crowd with pale faces.

"Summer! Are you okay?" My mom looked like she was about to burst into tears.

My dad immediately started bowing to the detective and Brenda. "We are so sorry, Mrs. Vance, officer. If our daughter made a mistake, we will work three jobs to pay for the damage..."

Looking at my hardworking, humble parents, my heart ached.

In my past life, they worked themselves to death in shame.

In this life, I was going to make sure they stood tall.

"Dad, Mom, stop."