Chapter 3 The Day I Died

LEITANA

“You will no longer go by the name Leitana.”

The fork froze in my hand.

The food looked too perfect for my mouth—soft meat in shiny brown sauce, vegetables shaped like flowers, a drink that sparkled inside a tall glass. Everything smelled strange. Rich. Too rich.

Back home, we mostly had rice or taro, maybe stew if we lucky. Simple food that filled the belly. This one just looked... frightening.

I put the fork down and looked at him.

“Papa, mi no understand,” I said quietly.

He didn’t look at me. “From now on, you’ll be called Avery,” he said like it was nothing.

My heart jumped.

Mama cleared her throat, voice soft but eyes sharp. “We didn’t tell you, dear. Your sister Avery ran away. Until we find her, you’ll take her place. Just for a little while.”

“What?”

My head spun. What them even talkin’ about? I looked from Papa to Mama, then down at the untouched plate. The chair too soft, the air too cold, the dress too tight. It scratched my skin and smelled like fake flowers. The lace collar itched my neck. Back home, clothes light and easy. This one felt like cage.

Papa sighed, long and heavy. When he lifted his eyes to me, they were hard. Back in Vanuatu, he looked at me with kindness. But now... only irritation.

“What’s so hard to understand?” he snapped. “You will not bear that ridiculous name anymore. You will be Avery.”

“Charles, calm down,” Mama said quickly. “You know she didn’t get the best education. It takes her time to understand things.”

I turned to her. Didn’t get the best education? Maybe true, but the way she said it—it hurt.

Then she smiled thinly. “Listen, Leitana, you must help your parents. You can’t begin to understand what we’re going through. So please, just cooperate.”

I shook my head. “But mi no understand why I can’t keep my name. And where my sister Avery? Why she run—”

BAM!

The sound made me jump. Papa had slammed his hand on the table.

“I’ve had enough of that stupid accent!” he roared. “Speak like a normal person!”

I froze, heart pounding.

“Charles,” Mama said, standing, “she’s trying…”

“I don’t care!” he shouted. “The way she talks is filthy, like some wild island creature dragged out of the jungle! Every word out of her mouth makes me sick!”

Each word hit like a slap. My throat burned. I was proud of my island, proud of my way of speaking. But to them, it was shame. A thing to be erased.

“Tell me,” Papa growled, eyes hard as stone, “how do we face our friends and that man, knowing his bride-to-be sounds like a savage from the islands? How do we hide this disgrace?”

Bride-to-be?

What in the world was happening?

Mama sighed. “He hasn’t met Avery yet. We promised her to him since she was a child. He won’t care what she sounds like.”

“And if he does?” Papa snapped. “You think that man’s a fool? He’ll know something’s off.”

They kept arguing like I wasn’t even there.

My chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe. It hit me all at once. They didn’t bring me here for love.

They brought me as a replacement.

While they shouted, I stood up. The napkin slid from my lap. My legs trembled, heart beating too fast.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Papa barked.

I didn’t answer. I just walked.

But before I could reach the door, his hand gripped my arm and spun me around.

“What gave you the right to turn your back on me?” he snarled—and then his hand struck across my face.

THWACK.

Pain exploded, hot and sharp. Then the floor met my cheek.

“Charles, no!” Mama screamed.

Blood dripped onto the shiny white tiles, mixing with tears I didn’t even feel coming. My head rang. My body felt far away.

They argued above me, voices blurring together.

“...She’s just a child!”

“...If we let her act like this, she’ll ruin everything!”

My breath came out shaky. The world tilted.

Then his hand was around my neck, dragging my face upward.

“You’ll marry him tomorrow, Avery,” he hissed. “Because that’s who you are now. There’s no more Leitana. The island girl is dead. And if you ruin this, you’ll regret being born.”

He shoved me back.

“Don’t touch me, woman!” he barked at Mama, storming out.

I stayed there on the floor, shaking, the smell of blood in my nose. Everything was too fast, too wrong.

“Oh Lord,” I whispered. But He stayed silent.

Then darkness swallowed me whole.

Tomorrow… tomorrow I would be someone else. Avery. Their bride. And there was no turning back.