Chapter 1My sister was born fearless—a climbing prodigy who made it into the USAC regional competition by age ten.
Me? I've been a coward my whole life. A total failure.
So Mom decided my fear needed fixing.
She came up with her own version of "exposure therapy."
Scared of horror movies?
She locked me—heart condition and all—in a haunted house for three straight days.
Scared to go out alone?
She drove me out to the middle of nowhere and told me to find my own way home.
When she found out I was terrified of heights, she didn't hesitate.
Took me straight to a canyon swing.
But this time, I think Mom finally succeeded. And I'm never gonna be scared again.
Because the second she pushed me off—
I heard the rope snap...
...
Wind roared past my ears.
My heart felt like it was gonna burst out of my chest.
The rope made this sharp snapping sound—and suddenly I was flying sideways.
I slammed into the cliff, shoulder first, then my ribs.
God, it hurt. But there was no blood.
Must've broken something inside.
My hand dropped and brushed against my pocket.
Something hard.
The walkie-talkie Mom gave me.
But I didn't press it. I knew it stopped working a long time ago.
I was eight when my parents split. Ember went with Dad. I got stuck with Mom.
That was the first time I slept alone in an empty room.
That night, I grabbed my pillow and went to Mom's door, trying to be sweet about it.
"Mom, I'm scared of the dark. Can I sleep with you?"
She didn't say anything. Just looked at me for a second. Then dragged me down to the basement—where it was even darker.
"Scared of the dark? Then you need practice."
She shoved the cold walkie-talkie into my hand.
"Your sister's never been scared of the dark. So why are you?"
"When you stop being scared, you can come out."
In the pitch black, I could hear rats scurrying around. Getting louder.
I kept pressing the button. When she finally answered, all she said was:
"Rats don't kill people. What exactly are you scared of?"
"Is that what this thing's for? To whine? Then you don't get to use it anymore."
And she hung up.
After that, no matter how many times I pressed it, the little red light never came back on.
So I ran around in the dark, crashing into walls, hitting my knees on the stairs.
It hurt. But I didn't dare stop.
A cat saved me in the end.
The one Ember forgot when she left with Dad.
Even that little cat was braver than me.
The next day, Mom opened the door. When she saw the cat in my arms, she smiled.
Just said one thing.
"So you know how to cheat now."
I thought that was the end of it.
I was wrong.
It's just the beginning.
Chapter 2
The next day, she pulled me into the middle of the street. Cars flew past on both sides.
I went white. Started shaking.
"I saw you close your eyes at that accident the other day."
"Were you scared?"
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
Mom let go of my hand and turned away.
"Get home by yourself. Don't use the sidewalk."
"Just keep your eyes open. No car's gonna hit you."
But she didn't know—five minutes after she left, I got hit.
Right before I blacked out, I saw someone pick me up in a panic.
I woke up in the hospital. Mom came rushing in.
First thing she said?
"Oh, so now you're faking injuries?"
"You think the hospital's gonna save you?"
Before I could respond, she yanked me out of bed and threw me into the morgue.
It was even darker in there. Smelled like chemicals.
I knew the cat wasn't coming this time.
So I bit down on my own arm. Used the pain to drown out the fear.
Kept biting till my arm was covered in blood and I started losing it.
I thought I was gonna die in there.
But Dad saved me.
When he found me, I was barely hanging on.
Later, I heard them screaming at each other.
"Ember was born brave! She loved climbing because she WANTED to!"
"So why the hell are you forcing Sage to do things she's terrified of? And in the most dangerous way possible?!"
Mom's voice stayed ice-cold.
"We're divorced. How I raise my kid is none of your damn business."
"I'm gonna prove that Ember picking you was the biggest mistake she ever made."
"Sage might be two years younger, but with my training, she's gonna be better than Ember ever was!"
"You're out of your goddamn mind!"
Dad slammed the door on his way out.
I just lay there.
After a long silence, Mom came in. I flinched.
She walked up and stared at all the cuts and bruises on my body.
"So now you're into self-harm?"
"Which means you're not scared of blood anymore, right?"
She came back with the cat. And a knife.
"Do it. Prove it."
I screamed and threw the knife away, shaking my head like crazy.
"Mom, please—don't make me—"
She grabbed my hand and plunged the blade straight into the cat.
The second I saw blood, I passed out.
I never saw the cat again after that.
But I didn't ask. Too scared of what she'd say.
Too scared she'd see that look in my eyes—the one she hated.
But today, when she pushed me off that platform, I thought about it.
Over the years, she took me everywhere.
Broken elevators. Empty cemeteries.
Always alone.
I stopped saying I was scared a long time ago.
So why do I STILL have to prove it?
Chapter 3
SLAM.
Another brutal hit. This time my leg.
The same one that got hit by the car—now it felt crushed. I couldn't feel it anymore.
So this is what dying feels like. It hurts this bad.
I forced my eyes open. Wanted one last look at the sun.
That's when I saw her—a blurry figure on the far cliff.
Someone in climbing gear.
Ember.
Oh. Right. Today's her competition.
So Mom bringing me here was never random.
But NO. I can't die where she can see me!
I look awful right now. She won't be scared, but she'll be heartbroken.
Survival instinct kicked in. I used every bit of strength I had left to press the walkie-talkie.
Maybe. Just maybe.
A second later—static. The red light blinked on.
Connected.
Hope shot through me.
She didn't turn it off. She still loves me. Right?
She just hates that I'm weak. That's all.
"Mom—help me!"
"The rope's breaking… I'm hurt so bad…"
Her voice came through. Cold as ever.
"I said you're staying up there for AN HOUR. It's barely been FIVE MINUTES and you're already whining?"
"How did I end up with a daughter as pathetic as you? Nothing like your sister!"
Click.
She hung up.
But right before the line went dead, I heard someone shouting in the background:
"Ma'am, it's been almost half an hour! Your daughter has a heart condition—she shouldn't be doing this! She's gonna die out here!"
Mom just laughed softly.
"Relax. She's fine. I've put her through this kind of thing before. Her heart's used to it by now."
But it's not, Mom.
I wanted to tell her—my heart never got used to it.
It's been hurting this whole time. Hurting so much it's about to stop.
CRACK.
This time, my head.
The second I hit the rocks, I saw colors burst in front of me.
Then fade to nothing.
Next second, I floated up. Looked down at my body on the rocks below.
So death comes this fast.
At least I didn't land on Ember's side of the mountain.
But then—wind picked up. I looked up.
The snow on the peak started shifting.
Avalanche!
I spun around, panicking. Ember was too far—I couldn't reach her.
So I flew toward Mom as fast as I could. Get Ember out!
But when I got to the waiting area—
Nobody.
Then I heard shouting. Dad's voice.
"Are you fucking insane?! You brought Sage here to canyon swing?!"
"She has a heart condition and she's terrified of heights! You didn't even have anyone watching her—are you trying to kill her?!"
Mom ripped her arm away, eyes full of rage.
"You get to bring Ember climbing, so why can't I bring Sage?!"
"I just want her to stop being such a coward! What's wrong with that?!"
Just then, a staff member came sprinting over.
"We just got a weather alert! Avalanche incoming—everyone needs to evacuate now, no one should be—"
Before he could finish, both their faces went white.
Then?
They bolted toward the climbing site.
Watching them run, something squeezed tight around my chest.
Why does it hurt?
I'm already dead. Of course they're gonna save Ember first.
Thank god. Ember reacted fast.
The second she saw the weather change, she rappelled down and made it to the ground.
Mom rushed over and hugged her tight.
"Thank God. You're okay, sweetheart."
Ember frowned and pushed her away.
"Mom? Why are you here? You said you were busy today."
Mom's body went stiff.
"I brought your sister canyon swinging…"
Before she could finish, Ember shouted:
"In this weather?! Get her down right now!"
She and Dad both started running.
But Mom stepped in their way.
