Dying in Three, Two, One

My family has always considered me a harbinger of misfortune. It's all because I can see a countdown to my relatives' deaths.

I tell them when my grandfather, father, and mother will die. It all comes true due to various accidents. My three brothers hate me to the core because they think I cursed my parents and grandfather. My mother actually dies after giving birth to my younger sister, but my brothers dote on her to no end.

They say she's their lucky star because everything goes well for the family after she's born. But didn't Mom die while giving birth to her?

On my 18th birthday, I see my death countdown when I look at myself in the mirror.

I buy an urn I like and prepare a meal. I want to have one last meal with my brothers, but none of them show up even when the timer hits zero…

I'd been able to see a countdown to death above people's heads since I was a child.

The first time I saw it was when it appeared above my grandfather's head. I told my parents about it, but they didn't mind me. They thought it was just part of a child's imagination.

When I saw my grandfather again the next day, he lay on the bed with a white cloth over his face. People were crying, but I didn't understand what was going on.

Later, I saw the same countdown timer above my father's head. When I told him about it, his smile froze for a second before he regained his composure. That night, I didn't see him return from work.

All I heard was the urgent ringing of a phone. My mother turned ashen when she answered the call. She was already heavily pregnant at the time. She was in such a rush to head out that she slipped and fell on the steps, going into labor.

That was when I saw the familiar 24-hour countdown appear above her head. That day, she passed away due to major blood loss after giving birth to my sister, Phoebe. I stood outside the operating theater, feeling lost.

My third brother, Carl, shoved me to the floor and called me a monster. He said I'd cursed them, that I was the reason for my parents' deaths.

I scraped my palm on the floor, and blood oozed out. I wanted to cry from the pain but forced myself to hold it in when I looked around. The people standing around me didn't dare come near—I could see the fear and hatred in their eyes.

I didn't dare make a sound. All I did was bite my lip and get to my feet. Then, I dusted my dress off and comforted myself.

After that, I curled up in a corner and listened to the sobs around me. I hugged my knees and wept. "Daddy, Mommy…"

I slowly drifted off. When I woke up, I found that I was alone. Everyone had left, but no one had bothered waking me up. Was it because they didn't want me anymore?

I got to my feet, feeling panicked. However, my legs were numb after being curled up for too long, so I fell to the floor.

The corridor was silent; only the blinding lights were with me. Pain consumed my body, and I couldn't hold back the flood of tears.

That was the day everything in my life changed.