Daan handed the grocery bags to Melissa. He frowned as the girl hugged them close to her chest. Inside the big bags were dozens of smaller bags, colorful and crunchy plastic that he gathered from the cupboard. He didn’t particularly like snacks, and Melissa could use them a lot more than him.

The girl stood outside the doorway, clutching Teddy in her hand. Despite her ratty brown hair and gaunt, muted expression, she could still be considered cute.

“Thank you,” Melissa repeated. One of the chip bags popped as she pressed them onto her clothes.

A knot formed in Daan’s chest. It hurt him to look at Melissa’s face, ever since he walked with her to school this morning. Now he knew why. Her hollow expression, those words she said to him earlier…

“No problem, dear,” Charlotte grasped the air, eventually finding Melissa’s arm. “You’re Daan’s friend, after all. Feel free to come back any time.”

A weak smile crossed the girl’s face. She walked away, clutching Teddy securely in her hand.

Charlotte’s smile faded. “That girl,” she whispered. “Daan, what do you think about that poor girl?” The air around her flickered and darkened, churning with countless silhouettes.

Daan clasped Charlotte’s hand, thin and frigid. “She talked about her parents while you were cleaning Teddy. She said her father hit her. And her mother is gone. She can’t—Melissa can’t live like this.”

He glanced at Charlotte for confirmation, but the woman’s eyes were shut tight. “I thought you’d say that,” his mother sighed. “Teddy explained everything quite thoroughly.”

“Can’t we help her?”

Charlotte pursed her lips, and a furrow formed on her brows. “She doesn’t want us to help.”

Daan squeezed his mother’s hand. “But we don’t know that.”

“I’m not talking about Melissa,” Charlotte said. “It’s Teddy. Teddy doesn’t want us to interfere. She says she can handle it.”

“What?” Daan raised his voice. “How could she say that?” The boy suddenly remembered the terrifying pressure that came from Teddy when he mentioned the festival. He shivered. What was that spectre? She could even hold a normal conversation—none of the ones surrounding his mother could do that. And she said such a terrible thing, too. He couldn’t imagine the kind of life Melissa had with her parents, but Teddy said they shouldn’t even help her?

Charlotte clutched her face. Her voice wavered. “You don’t understand, dear. Teddy made a wish at the festival ten years ago, just like mama did.”

“So?” Daan asked. “What does that have to do with Melissa?”

“Do you know what she wished for?” The air grew a stench of mildew, filled with the uncomfortable nostalgia that oozed from bad memories.

“No, mama.”

“A soulmate.” Charlotte’s voice scrunched into a pained whisper. “She wished for someone she could finally love, with everything she had. And this is what she’s become. She still can’t accept what happened to her. We were only kids back then, so none of us knew…”

An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Daan sensed he was missing something important, because he didn’t understand what his mother was talking about. Even so, he hugged her waist, ignoring the shadows that clung to her skin. He felt his mother smile a little as she bent down and rubbed her cheek on his head.

“But aren’t we going to help her?” Daan asked.

“You already did.” Charlotte smirked. Her eye bags painted her with exhaustion. “Don’t think I can’t hear you rummaging in the cupboards, baby.”

“That can’t be all we can do,” Daan said.

Charlotte set her clouded gaze into the distance. “We’ve both grown up now. I’m sure Teddy won’t let Melissa get hurt. She was that kind of girl, back in the festival.”

Daan frowned. Melissa’s dispassionate words repeated in his mind. Her father hit her until even breathing hurt. Teddy did let Melissa get hurt. Charlotte was wrong, but Daan couldn’t tell her yet, while the woman was still basking in older, fonder memories.

“But you lied.” Daan interrupted his mother’s reminiscence. “You didn’t tell them it was the smiling man who took your eyes. Why?”

Charlotte paused. “Because mama was scared,” she whispered.

Melissa ate from the bag of chips that burst open earlier. She ran forward with tiny skips and hops, breathlessly chirping her mother’s lullaby. She could make up a lot of missed meals with the food in her arms. Not only that, but Teddy was clean again. Today was the best day ever.

We don’t need those greasy chips, Teddy said. Your father will bring dinner, so throw that away. Teddy hadn’t spoken much after Charlotte cleaned her, so Melissa was happy to hear her voice again.

Then, she frowned. “He will?” How did Teddy know that?

He will. He loves you, too.

“Like mommy did?”

Of course, just like mommy. So we don’t need the chips. They’re unhealthy. Throw them away.

Melissa liked Teddy’s voice a bit less now, but she didn’t know why. Her eyes widened as she remembered the countless times Teddy promised that her father would bring dinner with him, the countless times that promise never worked, and suddenly Teddy’s voice felt like bruises. She hugged the bags tighter. Daan gave these to her. She felt the plastic crunch against her skin. The colorful bags in her arms were more real than anything else in the world. “No.”

Teddy fell silent. This time, Melissa didn’t mind. She ate chips until she felt sick, and then she kept eating anyway. By the time she reached home, she had finished three more bags of chips. She opened the door, and, as usual, no one was home but her.

Does it still hurt, honey? Teddy asked softly. Her voice was hesitant, as if voicing her concern made Melissa’s wounds more real.

Melissa relaxed her body. She laid down without a noise, breathing the scent of floorboards. “Hurts.” Pain tore through her chest as she whispered. Everything hurt. She pretended it didn't when she was in front of Daan, but she didn't have the strength to pretend anymore.

Teddy hugged her. It’s okay, honey. Everything will be alright.

“Why?”

Your father didn’t mean to hit you. He only got angry after you opened the freezer. He wouldn’t have hit you if you hadn’t opened the freezer, don’t you understand? From now on, just follow what I say. I’ll protect you.

Teddy was stupid today, Melissa decided. Even if everything else she said was true, her father definitely meant to hit her when he hit her. It was so obvious to Melissa that Teddy could only be stupid today. “Mm.”

Since it was Friday, Melissa decided not to do her homework. Unfortunately, other than homework, there was nothing else to do. The girl spent a few minutes sitting around, wishing she had stayed at Daan’s home longer. She hugged Teddy close. Strangely, at that moment, she wanted to talk with Daan more than Teddy.

Melissa grabbed a crunchy yellow bag among the others. The label read ‘Classic’. None of the chips tasted like mashed potatoes as much as the ones in the crunchy yellow bags, she learned. Her fingers tugged against the plastic seal, revealing a draft of salty air.

As the smell of salt smothered her nose, the girl flinched. The bag slipped from her fingers, scattering chips onto the ground. “I’m… not hungry.” Her stomach wanted to pop like the bag of chips from earlier, and Melissa finally realized she wasn’t hungry at all. And she didn’t have to eat if she wasn’t hungry.

“I’m not hungry!” Her expression glowed with ecstasy. “Look, Teddy! I’m not hungry, Teddy, I’m not hungry!”

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Today really was the best day ever.

Melissa flashed a brilliant smile.

But, for some reason, Teddy began to weep.

Melissa’s grin faltered. “Teddy?”

Oh god. Oh god, Teddy sobbed. What have I done? At what point did everything become so cruel? How could I let this happen to you? This was never what I wanted. I never wanted this for you, Melissa.

Tears pricked Melissa’s eyes. “But I don’t wanna be hungry, Teddy.” She knew that wasn’t what Teddy meant, but she had to say it again to make sure the fullness in her stomach was real. “You shouldn’t cry, Teddy. Because I’ve always been hungry before. Even with… Mommy.” Her breath shivered.

Teddy wept louder. Melissa crawled to Teddy, cuddling her deep in her arms. She hummed her mother’s lullaby, trying to comfort Teddy the only way she knew how. As the song ended, Teddy’s cries softened into sniffles, and her fluffy limbs hugged Melissa’s waist with tight desperation.

The girl remembered what her mother did after every lullaby. She pressed her lips onto Teddy’s forehead. “Feeling better?” Saying the phrase aloud made Melissa giddy with warmth, and she had to do it again. “Feeling better, honey?” She grinned. “Teddy, did you know? That’s what mommy used to say.”

Teddy froze in her arms. You remember so much. She trembled. I don’t deserve you, Melissa. I don’t deserve to be your mother.

Melissa flinched. “But you aren’t. You aren’t mommy,” she said tersely. Mommy was chopped into a billion pieces.

You’re right. Teddy hesitated. I’m not mommy anymore.

“Anymore?” Melissa clenched her fists. “You’re stupid, Teddy. You were never mommy, never in my entire life.”

You’re right, Teddy whispered. I was never your mother.

A few hours passed, and Melissa wondered if she said something wrong. Teddy wouldn’t stop crying. “Teddy? Why are you crying?”

Melissa copied her mother’s lullaby a dozen times now, but it didn’t work anymore. The way Teddy wept reminded Melissa of the first night her mother disappeared, and the girl realized that now she was the ‘Teddy’ comforting ‘Melissa’. It was an odd realization.

After everything Teddy did for her, Melissa wanted to help, too.

She tried to recall how Teddy calmed her countless times before. “Um, I’m here, so don’t cry?” She patted Teddy’s fluffy forehead, and the toy whimpered in her arms.

A minute ticked by, and Melissa realized she failed. Teddy was still crying.

The girl was confused. Those words worked for her, so why didn’t they with Teddy?

“Did I do something wrong, Teddy? Is that why you won’t talk to me?”

Teddy squeezed her waist silently.

Suddenly, Melissa was struck by the sheer magnitude of her loss. “Then, are you never going to talk with me again?” Tears welled in her eyes. “Teddy, please say something!”

Just as the silence hurt bad, Teddy finally spoke.

Sorry, honey. I’m tired.

“Me too,” Melissa said, but her smile claimed otherwise. “You’ll keep talking with me, right?”

Of course. And I love you.

Melissa giggled, mushing Teddy’s fluffy face in her hands.

The door slammed shut behind her, sending tremors in the floor and walls. Melissa froze. With the slightest creak of her head, from the corner of her eye, the girl met her father’s gaze.

“Who are you talking with?” Her father stared at her. His face wasn’t red with drink. How long had he watched her?

“Teddy,” Melissa said, her smile crumbling. She stumbled backward as her father stepped closer. Her ribs throbbed. Her breath seized in her throat. The man snatched Teddy from her arms. He glanced at it once. Then, he tossed it back to her.

Her father was different today. He wasn’t angry, but that only frightened Melissa more. His expression wasn’t something she was used to. He was going to hurt her again, she knew it.

The man held out the box in his hand. “I bought cake.”

“Cake?” Melissa’s eyes glimmered. “Why?”

Her father set the box on the table. He opened the box, and Melissa leaned forward to see what was inside.

“Woah!” she cheered. A plain white cake stared back at her, perfectly round and delicious. Her father stared at her quietly as she bounced in her seat. He handed her a spoon, which Melissa immediately stabbed into the frosting.

The girl carved out a chunk of cake. Three layers of frosting and three layers of sponge bread basked in the scarlet sunset. “Daddy, you aren’t eating?”

Her father didn’t respond.

Melissa ate a quarter of the cake before she slowed down. The sweetness became hard to swallow. Her chest hurt. The cake tasted like blood, and she didn’t have any water. Swallowing hurt. It always did since yesterday, but now it hurt a lot more. After eating another spoonful, she finally stopped, feeling quite sick of cake. “I’m full.”

Her father stared at her.

Dear, Teddy whispered hopefully. You didn’t mean to hit Melissa yesterday, didn’t you? You’re trying to apologize to her, isn’t that what you’re doing, dear? Her voice wavered.

“You love me.” The man petted the girl’s hair, softly, slowly. “You love me, don’t you?”

I-I love you, Teddy whimpered. Please, Melissa. Say it too.

The cake churned in Melissa’s stomach, rising to her throat. She didn’t know what to say. “Mm.”

“More than your mother, right? She ran away, didn’t I tell you? I can’t believe she abandoned us, Melissa. I didn’t think she’d just—run away like that. But I’ve always been here for you. I’m here for you because I love you. You love me more, too.” Her father took her spoon out of her hands, cutting out his own chunk of cake. His hands trembled as he gazed at each of his fingers. As he ate, his shivers subsided, and his expression slowly darkened. “Ah—that—fucking bitch.” He made a strange sound, a mix between a growl and a whisper. Melissa focused hard, but she couldn’t quite understand what his words meant.

Say it, Melissa. You love daddy more, don’t you? He was really sad after mommy left, so you have to say it, Teddy pleaded.

The taste of cake and chips bubbled to Melissa’s tongue. It wasn’t only that she didn’t want to say it, but she physically couldn’t. Melissa felt like if she agreed with her father, all the food in her stomach would splatter onto the table. Why did she feel so sick?

Melissa knew why. Because she hated lies. Because mommy didn’t run away, it was daddy who put her in the freezer. She just saw it yesterday, but now he was trying to lie to her again.

“Why is mommy in the freezer?” Melissa asked. “What did she do?”

Her father’s face twisted into something ugly. His nails clawed into the table, and his beady stare latched onto her skin. Here he was. He was going to hit her now. Teddy whimpered, shrinking away, but this time Melissa stared back. She was scared, but she felt something else, too. Her voice didn’t waver. “Why?”

“You and your stupid questions,” the man hissed. His spit smelled like bruises. He muttered filthier words beneath his breath, and Melissa’s hands rose to guard her face.

Even so, she stared back at him, unblinking.

The longer she stared, the more vicious his face became. His hands grew green-blue veins as he gripped them into fists. “You like to ask questions, don’t you? Then I’ll tell you why,” he snarled. “Because Audrey never loved you. Ever since you were born, she hated everything about you. Don’t you get it? Because Audrey never wanted you, and that’s why I killed her, Melissa! I killed her for you, you worthless bitch!”

The man’s screams echoed across the room, settling into an eerie calm.

“Understand?” he asked quietly.

Melissa hiccupped.

No no no, Teddy sobbed. That’s not true, you know that isn’t true! Mommy loved you so much, Melissa. You were the world to her. She never wanted to leave you behind!

Melissa clutched her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. The voices hurt. Everything spun in her head, and she didn’t want to think anymore. She rocked in her seat, pressing her palms to her skull as if to hold her brain in place.

Even after he explained why he killed mommy, Melissa couldn’t understand. Wasn’t he wrong? It didn’t matter if mommy never loved her or if she never wanted her to ever exist. Wasn’t it only his fault that she was in the freezer?

Her mother didn’t run away.

She was murdered. Killed. Chopped into so many pieces she couldn’t even count anymore.

By who?

The girl’s eyes widened, and, for the first time, she felt the same rage that filled her father’s eyes whenever he hit her.

“Then I hate you,” she spat.

The man’s expression froze.

A searing pain.

Melissa’s vision flashed gray-pink as her father slapped her face. Her teeth burst with salty red. She tumbled off the seat. When she blinked the spots away, her father had raised the chair above his head, above her body. Teddy was screaming something, hugging her waist, but Melissa couldn’t focus on her words.

And then she felt her father screaming something too, beating her with the chair; and the chair legs, stabbing into her body, shattered her, bone by bone. Her head hurt so bad she could hardly feel it.

Instead, the girl felt an exhilaration, a terribly liberating sensation deep within her chest that washed away all the pain in her body.

‘I hate you.’

Hate. It was a word she had never considered, especially toward her father. It felt strange on her tongue, awfully purple and gray. And it felt good. Hate.

As her thoughts began to fade, Melissa realized she was dying. She wondered if she would be put in the freezer now, just like her mother. She imagined the frozen chunks of her own body, mixed up and mashed together with her mother’s corpse. Mommy was dead, and now she’d be dead with her. What did ‘dead’ mean? A whimper escaped Melissa’s lips. The memory of her mother’s lifeless eyes flashed in her mind. Mommy was dead, she was dead, and that’s what being dead meant, cut into a million pieces that could never sing for her again.

The girl wished she would die sooner, so she wouldn’t have to cry anymore.