Chapter 2

A short-haired girl ran over. It was Maya, who hadn’t been chosen.

“That’s Mr. Sterling! So many people want to be chosen! How could you run away?”

I forced a smile but said nothing.

Maya pouted, then ran off to watch the chosen girls, her eyes full of envy.

I watched her.

In my previous life, Maya, out of jealousy, often bullied us “lucky ones.”

But she lived a perfectly normal life, healthy, graduated high school smoothly, and married an ordinary man.

Much better than us.

The activity room gradually emptied.

I saw Mrs. Sterling pull a staff member aside and discreetly slip them an envelope.

“That child, Skylar, keep an eye on her.”

She lowered her voice.

“Don’t let her ruin our plans.”

The staff member nodded obsequiously. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Sterling, I understand.”

I turned and quickly left.

They noticed me.

Because I wasn't wearing the bracelet.

This was just the beginning.

Sterlings, your good days are numbered.

The next day, the orphanage breakfast was watery porridge and pickled vegetables.

But the chosen girls had an extra egg in their bowls.

“Mr. Sterling specifically arranged it,” the teacher said with a smile.

They looked at each other, triumphantly peeling their eggs.

I silently ate my porridge.

It was the same in my previous life.

From that day on, our meals were better than others.

Now, I realized it wasn't a privilege.

It was to “fatten us up,” so they could drain us more thoroughly.

I saw a girl named Ashley, eating her egg and touching her bracelet, a satisfied smile on her face.

In my last life, she was the first to collapse, diagnosed with kidney disease in her second year of high school and forced to drop out.

I lowered my head and finished every last drop of my porridge.

To take revenge, I had to survive first.

And I had to live well.

Math class was in the morning.

I sat in the back row.

The teacher wrote equations on the blackboard.

In my previous life, not long after receiving the sponsorship, I couldn't understand anything.

Simple problems would stare back at me blankly for ages.

But now, those numbers and symbols were perfectly clear.

I picked up my pen and quickly solved the problems.

My deskmate, a chubby boy, leaned over when he saw how fast I was writing. “Skylar, you’re so good?”

I smiled. “Just guessing.”

He grunted and went back to staring at his own paper.

When the bell rang, the teacher collected our homework.

Seeing my notebook, he paused. “Skylar, did you do all these yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Good job,” he nodded.

“Keep it up.”

I noticed that Ashley and the others’ notebooks were mostly empty.

They frowned, looking distressed.

It was only the first day.

Was that bracelet taking effect so quickly?

A chill ran down my spine.

At noon, Maya came to find me again.

“Hey, Skylar, Mrs. Sterling sent some stuff.”

She pointed to several large boxes by the activity room door.

“For those ten girls, new clothes and school bags.”

Maya pouted.

“So unfair.”

I walked over.

Several of the chosen girls were already gathered around the boxes, excitedly rummaging through them.

The person Mrs. Sterling sent was a man in a black suit, taking pictures with a camera.

“Come on, smile,” he said.

“Let Mrs. Sterling see how happy you are.”

The girls immediately flashed bright smiles.

Only Ashley, while smiling, suddenly clutched her stomach, her face turning pale.

“What’s wrong?” another girl next to her asked.

“Nothing,” Ashley shook her head.

“Just a little pain.”

The man frowned, not paying much attention, and continued taking photos.

I looked at the silver bracelet on Ashley’s wrist. In the sunlight, the engraved flower seemed to come alive.

It was truly sickening.