Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong.

I resent the term ‘illness’ when it comes to me. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. It’s just the way I am. I can’t help it, after all. My mum used to say something like that whenever she drank too much and felt like crying. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. I think the turning point came for my father the day my sister needed a blood transfusion. She had gotten run over by a car and needed a lot of blood. Before we found out my blood didn’t match her, he would always say how lucky it was that I could take care of her. Richard, your sister is going to die. Please, won’t you donate some blood for her? At least take an exam, see if you match her. It’s the least you owe her. I don’t owe her anything. He knew that. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. I went through the motions, donating blood and taking that shitty exam that always made me fail. I knew full well what the outcome would be. I have to be careful about what I eat. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. They received the results soon enough. They found out that I didn’t match her and that my blood would be toxic to her. Shortly after that, she died. Now, a lot of people claim that I’m responsible for her death. I could have saved her, but I didn’t. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. I’m not sick. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. I have strict blood specifications, but that doesn’t make what I am an illness. Ah, shit. I think I’ve lost my point. That’s what I get for drinking, I guess. Let me start again. \- Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong. I wasn’t always like this. I had a normal life for the most part. I had a family - a mother, a father, a sister, and a brother. I had friends in school. I got okay grades. I worked part time at the local diner. Yeah, I drank too much, but it always seemed like everyone else drank more than I did. I had a boyfriend. I had neighbors. I had coworkers. I had a dog. I had everything in the world. I was happy. I don’t know if I can say that anymore. I wasn’t there when it happened. I was out drinking at the time and missed the whole thing. I only learned about it later, when the police showed up at my doorstep and asked if I knew anything about it. I knew enough. I knew enough to lie. Richard, do you know anything about what happened to your family? No. I don’t know anything about what happened to my family. Richard, your father and sister were found dead in your house. Do you know anything about that? No. I don’t know anything about that. I lied to the police. I lied about my brother. Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong. That night, I went home and saw what was left of my family. My dad had cut his own throat. My sister had been run over by a car. My mum was missing. My dog was dead. And my brother... he was missing. Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong. My brother is always there whenever something goes wrong. I don’t know why people don’t understand that. My life used to be so normal, I swear. I don’t know what happened to it. Everything just seems to fall apart the moment things start going well. My dog died the day I got my first kiss. My brother was there. My grandpa died the day I graduated high school. My brother was there. My mom died on my birthday. My brother was there. Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong. That’s why I lied to the police. I lied to them because I know my brother isn’t the one doing this. He’s just a harbinger of bad luck. I could feel it in my gut that something wasn’t right, but I knew my brother wasn’t behind it. I searched my house high and low after the police left. I found a note hidden in the back of my closet, written in red ink. Don’t lie to the police. Don’t look for missing people. Don’t open the door for anyone but me. I knew who had written it as soon as I saw it. My mum had written it. In her blood. After she killed herself. The last time I saw my mum was the day before my family’s funerals. She came to my house and told me to take care of my brother. She told me that a lot ever since we were kids, but this time it felt different. This time, I knew I had lost my chance to see her again. I didn’t end up going to the funeral. I didn’t have the strength. Instead, I went to the bar and drank until I couldn’t think straight. Then I went home and slept until the next day. The day after that, I received a call from an unknown number. Richard, do you know anything about what happened to your family? No. I don’t know anything about what happened to my family. Richard, your father and sister were found dead in your house. Do you know anything about that? No. I don’t know anything about that. Richard, your brother is missing. Do you know anything about that? No. I don’t know anything about that. I hung up the phone. The police wouldn’t call me from an unknown number, and my family was dead. No one else would call me. I noticed the doorbell ring. MR. KRAVITZ, DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET? DO YOU KNOW WHY THE POLICE ARE THERE? No. I don’t know anything about what happened in your house across the street. I don’t know why the police are there. MR. KRAVITZ, YOUR FAMILY WAS FOUND DEAD. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? No. I don’t know anything about that. MR. KRAVITZ, YOUR SON IS MISSING. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? No. I don’t know anything about that. I hung up the phone. The police wouldn’t call me from an unknown number, and my family was dead. No one else would call me. I noticed the doorbell ring. MR. KRAVITZ, DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET? DO YOU KNOW WHY THE POLICE ARE THERE? No. I don’t know anything about what happened in your house across the street. I don’t know why the police are there. MR. KRAVITZ, YOUR FAMILY WAS FOUND DEAD. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? No. I don’t know anything about that. MR. KRAVITZ, YOUR SON IS MISSING. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? No. I don’t know anything about that. I hung up the phone. The police wouldn’t call me from an unknown number, and my family was dead. No one else would call me. I noticed the doorbell ring. MR. KRAVITZ, DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET? DO YOU KNOW WHY THE POLICE ARE THERE? No. I don’t know anything about what happened in your house across the street. I don’t know why the police are there. MR. KRAVITZ, YOUR FAMILY WAS FOUND DEAD. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? No. I don’t know anything about that. MR. KRAVITZ, YOUR SON IS MISSING. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? No. I don’t know anything about that. I hung up the phone. The police wouldn’t call me from an unknown number, and my family was dead. No one else would call me. I noticed the doorbell ring. MR. KRAVITZ, DO YOU- “Oh, for Christ’s sake, I don’t know anything!” I screamed into the answering machine. I slammed the receiver to the ground and opened the door. There was a man standing on my doorstep. I didn’t know who he was. He had black eyes and black hair and white skin. His teeth were yellowed and his lips were red. He didn’t have a nose. “Who are you?” I asked, shocked. “I’m the only one who can help you,” he said. I slammed the door shut. Yeah, right. The only one who can help me? Bullshit. I knew enough to know that wasn’t true. I knew enough to know I had to be careful. Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong. I went back to the bar. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I didn’t have anyone to turn to. I only had my mum’s note. Don’t lie to the police. Don’t look for missing people. Don’t open the door for anyone but me. I knew that was what I had to do. I had to wait for my mum to contact me. I had to keep my brother safe. I found a bathroom and locked myself in. Then I

Everyone thinks the only thing that’s wrong with me is my brother. They’re wrong.

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