The Monster You Created

When I was seven, my constant vomiting got so bad that my mother took me to court and accused me of being born dangerous.

If the charge stuck, I would be stripped of my family ties and sent straight to prison.

Everyone said my mother was overreacting.

"He's just a kid. Kids get sick. As his mother, you should be more understanding."

But the moment the evidence was shown, the room went dead quiet.

My mother had drunk herself into a stomach bleed just to land a contract, and the second she got home, I threw up all over it.

The deal was voided, and she lost her job on the spot.

On my sister, Ophelia Sowle's, birthday, I threw up all over her cake right in front of all her classmates.

After that, she was shunned by everyone at school. She spiraled into depression and even slashed her wrists.

It didn't matter where I was, at the dinner table or under the covers. I could start vomiting at any moment.

My mother and Ophelia had to clean me up more than 30 times a day. It wore them down to the breaking point.

What infuriated them the most was that every time I finished throwing up, I would look at them and laugh, as if I was mocking them.

The judge brought the gavel down and declared me guilty of being born bad.

Ophelia's eyes turned red as she cried, saying she couldn't bear to lose me.

I didn't cry or fight it. I accepted the verdict. But I requested that the judge watch my memories first.

The judge looked stunned.

"Memory extraction means drilling into your brain. The pain is unbearable. Are you sure?"

I nodded without hesitation.

But Ophelia suddenly panicked.

"I don't agree!"

"Gabriel, everyone who's ever tried memory extraction died from the pain!" My sister, Ophelia Sowle, yelled. "I won't just stand by and watch you do something this stupid!"

My mother looked at me, her face full of concern.

"We'll come visit you in prison. You don't have to…"

I cut her off and signaled to the judge again. I wanted the procedure.

Seeing how firm I was, Ophelia snapped.

"Your body isn't yours to throw away! Back then, Dad was out delivering food just to earn money for your formula when he got hit and killed by a truck. Mom and I raised you from nothing! What right do you have to treat your life like it doesn't matter?"

Her eyes were red, her voice shaking, as if she were in real pain.

But I knew better. Every bit of it was an act.

I wanted nothing more than to stand there and expose her for what she really was.

But I couldn't.

I had been mute since I was very young.

A high fever when I was little left my hands shaking so badly that I couldn't even hold a pen.

At seven years old, I understood everything. I just had no way to say it.

Memory extraction was the only way I could prove the truth.

The entire trial was being broadcast live. People couldn't understand why, with the evidence already stacked against me, I was still putting myself through this.

Some thought they had it all figured out.

"What's so strange about this? He just wants to die and make his mom and sister regret it."

"He tormented them while he was alive, and now he won't even stop, even when he's going to die. This kid's nothing but trouble."

The judge slammed the gavel.

"Silence. The court respects the defendant's decision. Memory extraction will now begin.

"One more thing. Due to technical limits, the memories will be selected at random. They may help your case, or they may be completely meaningless.

"The process is extremely painful. You could die at any moment. Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded.

Beside me, Ophelia let out a small sigh when she heard the memories would be random. Hatred burned inside me like fire. Even if the pain killed me, I would expose her.

"The first extraction begins now."

A massive drill tore into my skull. Countless steel needles plunged straight into my brain and began to stir.

To keep the memories clear, there was no anesthesia.

I screamed, my body shaking as I forced myself to stay conscious.

Watching this, even the live comments started to hesitate.

[He's only seven. He's risking his life just to pull these memories out… Is there something we're missing?]