I lost track of how long I had been asleep and had no idea what time it was.

The pain in my body was relentless, making me wake up and drift back into an uneasy sleep repeatedly.

Voices argued outside the door.

"Let me in. I need to teach her a lesson, or who knows when she'll get it."

"What more teaching? You beat her senseless yesterday. If you hit her again today, how are we going to explain it to her school tomorrow? We can't just keep making excuses. You know how crucial this time is."

"Fine. Just make sure you keep a close eye on her. The SAT is coming up; she can't afford to mess up."

"Pfft, whatever. You'd better get going or you'll be…"

Their voices faded as they walked away.

Finally alone, I sank back into a heavy sleep.

When I woke again, Ashley was shaking me, urging me to get up and come home.

I struggled to my feet and followed her.

As we walked past the little iron gate, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd be right back in that dark room soon.

We were in the old part of town, where buildings were ancient and peeling.

We lived on the fourth floor, and my aching body made each step a laborious effort.

Just then, a kindly old lady from the second floor, accompanied by her granddaughter, greeted my mom.

"There's a sale at the Mall today. Eggs are cheap. You'd better hurry before they're gone."

"Sounds good. I'll head over later since we're out of eggs."

I trailed behind silently, but the old lady's curiosity got the better of her.

"Isn't today Thursday? Why isn't Kate in school?"

Before I could answer, Ashley jumped in.

"She's not feeling well, so I brought her home."

"That's not good. The SAT is coming up, and health is so important. You can't afford to slack off as parents."

Ashley gave an awkward smile. "Of course. We'll take care of it. Let's go, Kate."

Ashley glanced back at me, signaling me to hurry. My heart sank as I heard the old lady's voice trailing off.

"Let's hope our little one grows up to be like Kate, always bringing home awards."

"What are awards?"

"They're what we put on the wall at home. They're earned through tests and show how smart our little one is."

"I want to be like her when I grow up."

I vaguely remembered being that child once.

Getting first place was a cause for celebration.

But after that, if I fell short of first place, it meant either harsh words or a beating.

Ashley applied some ointment to my bruises, her eyes filled with concern.

"Your dad really went too far this time. How long is it going to take for you to heal?"

I didn't respond. I had grown numb to such comments.

I could even predict what she'd say next.

And sure enough, she continued, "You have to understand where we're coming from. Your dad works so hard to support all of us. It's only natural that he'd be upset when you don't do well on your tests. Just try to do better next time, and this won't happen again."

In this mock exam, I had only missed the top score in the class by 15 points.

I was only a few points behind the second and third place.

In fact, my total score was slightly higher than my first test of the year.

But all they cared about was my rank, whether I was number one.

It was not like I could always be first. I was not a genius.

But they'd never understand that.

I just hoped the SAT would come soon.

Another day, in class, the atmosphere in the advanced class was tense.

No one really noticed when I missed a day.

During a break, my deskmate, Lucy White, who I got along with really well, came over and asked, "Hey, you weren't at school yesterday. What happened?"

With the exams approaching, taking a day off was quite unusual.

My layered clothing hid the bruises.

I shook my head. "Just wasn't feeling well."

Lucy, seeing my pale complexion, immediately believed me. "You won't believe it, but Dylan made a point of showing your test paper around yesterday. He bragged about it to the whole class!"

Dylan Moore was our English teacher, a rather smug old fellow.

This time, my English performance was excellent, and I was ranked first in the county for that subject.

But of course, my parents didn't care about that.

Lucy didn't notice my waning spirits and continued, "Even though I dropped a few places in class this time, my overall score went up. My mom's so proud of me that she's taking me to buy some figures this weekend. You have to come with me!"

I smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Her life, her parents—everything about it was something I envied deeply.

Sadly, I would never have that.

In senior year, every moment counted, and as the most prestigious school in the county, extra classes were given.

Out of the seven days in a week, we only got half a day off on Sundays.

That half-day was a precious commodity.

My injuries had healed significantly. As a teenage girl, I was just as concerned with my appearance as anyone else.

On that Sunday afternoon, I wore a long dress.

"Mom, I'm going out to buy something. I might be back a bit late tonight," I said.

She looked up from her work and firmly responded, "No, you're staying home. After your exam results, you have no business going out. Stay home and study."

"But I've made plans with Lucy. She's waiting for me."

"That's even more reason not to go. I've told you her grades are slipping. You shouldn't hang out with her. You need to focus on your own studies. Now, be a good girl and go back to your room to do your homework."

I wanted to argue, but her piercing glare silenced me.

"Don't make me call your dad. I'm only doing this to make sure you get into a good college."

My eyes stung with tears.

It was always like this—her way was always the right way, controlling me for my own good.

I could only slump back to my room, where my favorite stuffed bear, Strawberry Bear, brightened my mood a little.

A while later, instead of knocking, she barged into my room.

I had asked before for some privacy and requested they knock before entering, but their disdainful looks said it all.

"You're my daughter. What's with the need for privacy? Back in my day, we all shared one room, mixed genders and all. You should be grateful."

Times had changed, but I couldn't argue with her.

Even if I was right, I had no room to defend myself.

Ashley came in with a tray of fruit and milk. Seeing me studying diligently, she looked pleased. "Here, have a snack before you continue."

"Just put it down. I'll drink it later," I said, looking at the walnut milk—a flavor I hated.

"I heard heating it makes it more nutritious, so I warmed it up for you. Drink up."

"I don't want it right now…"

She cut me off immediately. "This carton cost over eighty dollars. Do you have any idea how expensive that is? I bought it to help with your brain function. With your dad being the sole breadwinner, money doesn't grow on trees. I can't work while I'm taking care of you, so don't throw a tantrum. Drink it now."

Ah, so she thinks I'm upset about not being allowed out.

But that wasn't it—I just really disliked the taste.

Under her watchful gaze, I forced myself to drink the nasty milk in one big gulp.

Satisfied, she finally left the room.