Chapter 3

I watched Clara quietly. The suffocating countdown timer that used to hover over her head was completely gone.

When we were kids, that timer was the very first thing I learned to hate.

I remember asking Clara what those numbers meant. Clara had bit her lip and told me, "It's a countdown for me to become a princess. When the time runs out, I'll turn into a princess."

I had looked at her, confused. "Then why are Mom and Dad always so sad?"

Clara stroked my hair, her voice incredibly soft. "Because once I become a princess, I'll turn into sea foam, just like the Little Mermaid. I won't be able to see you anymore."

But back then, I refused to accept that.

I knew what princesses were. Being a princess meant being happy. It meant having a prince who loved you, countless jewels, and all the expensive raspberry gelato you could eat.

Every summer, my mother would buy gourmet raspberry gelato. But it was always reserved solely for Clara.

My mother would tell me, "This is too sweet for you, Chloe. Don't eat it."

"But I love sweet things!" I would argue. But my mother always pretended not to hear.

I couldn't understand it. If Clara was going to become a princess and live in luxury, why did I have to give up my few miserable pieces of happiness to her now?

So I ran to my mother and declared, "I have a countdown over my head too!"

"When my time runs out, I'm going to turn into a princess!"

"I want the raspberry gelato too!"

The spoon in my mother's hand froze. She stared at me, her entire body trembling with rage.

She rasped, "What did you just say?"

I screamed, "I have a countdown too! I'm going to turn into a princess! When that happens, I'll leave you guys, and I'll eat tons of raspberry gelato!"

Slap!

My mother slapped me hard across the face. She broke down sobbing, "Are you trying to drive me to my grave?!"

"Do you really think that countdown is a good thing?!"

Clara heard the commotion and rushed over to pull my mother away. But my mother seemed to have lost her mind. She started slapping her own face, screaming.

"I'm useless! I'm a terrible mother!"

I watched in absolute terror, unable to comprehend why she was reacting this way.

Wasn't becoming a princess a good thing?

That night, I overheard my father comforting my mother in their room. "Chloe is still young... she doesn't understand..."

My mother sobbed hoarsely, "But what am I supposed to do? There are only ten years left... In ten years, our Clara will be gone forever..."

It was only then that I finally understood.

The end of the countdown didn't mean becoming a princess. It meant leaving this family forever.

Clara was actually going to die.

Back in first class, Clara finished her meal and drifted off to sleep.

My mother bit her lip and turned to my father. "David, how do you think Chloe is doing at home? Does her chest still hurt?"

My father sighed. "There's no signal on the plane. I'll call her as soon as we land."

My mother said softly, "Let's call her tomorrow... Today... is Clara's last day."

My mother turned her head to look out the window, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Chloe will understand. She's about to lose her sister forever."