Chapter 2

My soul followed Ethan to the exam hall. Everyone around him was writing furiously, but Ethan could not sit still and he kept glancing at the clock.

The first day of testing ended. He got back to the hotel and immediately grabbed our parents to go home.

"I'm still worried about Caleb. He barely ate anything last night and didn't have breakfast this morning. We need to go check on him!"

Mrs. Voss frowned. "Check on what? He's only gone one day without eating. Do you think that matters more than your exam?"

Ethan's eyes went red. He stood up to leave, but Mrs. Voss slapped him.

Her voice cracked when she spoke. "Ethan, your only job these next few days is to focus on your test. Otherwise your brother's sacrifice would have been for nothing, wouldn't it?"

Ethan bit his lip. Then Mrs. Voss added, "Stay here. I'll run home and grab your thermos. I'll check on your brother while I'm there."

Ethan finally exhaled in relief.

Mrs. Voss was home before long. She picked up the thermos from the coffee table, then walked over to the freezer door and let her voice go a little softer.

"Caleb, I know you're upset, but everything we did was to keep your brother safe. Just hang in there a little longer. Once Ethan's done with his exams, we'll all go on a trip together as a family. I'll get you that model kit you've been wanting. How does that sound?"

There was no response.

Mrs. Voss's expression hardened. "Caleb."

She dropped her voice low. "When are you going to stop making everything about yourself? You'd let your brother die over your pride? How can you be this selfish?"

She slammed her palm against the door with every word. Then her hand stopped. She frowned, muttering to herself.

"Why is it so cold?"

She reached for the handle and pulled. The door cracked open again, and a corner of my school uniform came into view.

Right then, Mr. Voss called. "What's taking so long? Ethan's waiting for his water."

Mrs. Voss hesitated for two seconds, then let go of the handle. "It can wait until after the exam."

She turned and walked away.

On the other side of the door, my body was still slumped against it, hand frozen in place, still raised to knock. I floated there, somewhere outside of everything, watching her walk away, helpless to stop her. She had been one turn of the handle away from finding my body.

That evening, Ethan found out I was still locked in and immediately texted me.

"Caleb, Mrs. Voss said the key's under the doormat. Get out and eat something!

"I left food for you in the kitchen. You know how your stomach gets, so make sure you heat it up first!"

Ethan always remembered that I had a serious stomach condition, and every time they locked me in the freezer over the years, he was the one who found a way to sneak food over to me.

He had even put a stuffed bear inside the freezer for that exact reason, hiding snacks in its round little belly so I would have something to eat.

I drifted there in the void and looked at the bear. Its stomach was bulging again. Ethan had already stocked it for me, but I was never going to eat any of it.

The next morning, Ethan woke up and checked his phone right away. I still had not replied. He went looking for Mrs. Voss immediately, panic already setting in.

"I texted Caleb and told him where the key was, but he hasn't answered. What if he doesn't have his phone with him?

"Mrs. Voss, don't you have the security camera for the freezer? Just let me take a look at him."

Mrs. Voss frowned. "Your brother's not stupid. He's doing this on purpose to make you worry."

She pulled out her phone anyway. The monitoring app loaded, and the live feed from the freezer filled the screen. In the frame, I had my back to the camera.

Ethan leaned in close. "Caleb! The key's under the doormat. There's food in the kitchen. Heat it up yourself and please eat something!"

I did not respond. Mrs. Voss frowned again.

"If you've come to your senses, get yourself out of there and eat. Stop making your brother worry."

I still had my back to the camera. I had not moved at all.

Ethan started to panic. He pressed his face right up against the screen. "Caleb, are you feeling okay? Turn around and let me see you!"

Mrs. Voss's expression shifted. She zoomed in on the feed. Under the dim light, I was curled up in the corner, my body curled into a tight ball.

Mrs. Voss stared at the screen for two seconds. Then she sighed and even let out a short, cold laugh. "This again?"

When I was little, I used to do things like this to get her attention. She thought I was pulling the same trick.

"Caleb, we already told you where the key is. If you have any decency at all, you'll get yourself out of there. Stop messing with your brother's head before his exam!"

She locked the screen and tossed the phone aside.

I managed a bitter smile.

If Mrs. Voss had looked for just three more seconds, if she had zoomed in just a little further, she would have seen that my chest was not moving. She was so close to realizing I was already dead.