On the morning of my medical college entrance exam, I woke up late and discovered that all my alarm clocks had mysteriously stopped working. As I struggled against the clock, my 8-year-old brother suggested a plan that would save the day.
Ever since I was a child, I had dreamed of becoming a doctor. When my mother died of cancer, that dream only grew stronger. I wanted to help people like her understand the disease that had overcome her and help others fight it.
I had been working towards this moment for years, staying up late, reading countless books and taking more exams than I could count. Today, all that hard work was supposed to pay off: the day of my medical school entrance exam had finally arrived.
Last night, I did everything I could to make sure I didn’t oversleep. I set three alarms on my phone — for 6:00, 6:15, and 6:30 in the morning. I even left the curtains open so that the sunlight would wake me up. Lying in bed, I thought about my mum and promised myself that I would make her proud.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, something seemed wrong. It was dark, too dark. I reached for my phone, and my heart stopped — 9:55 a.m. My exam started at 10:00.
‘No, no, no! This can’t be happening!’ I threw off the covers and grabbed my phone. All three alarms were off.
‘I know I set them!’ I muttered, my hands shaking as I got dressed in record time. Questions swirled in my head. How did this happen?
I ran down the stairs, half-dressed, my hair flying everywhere. ‘Linda!’ I shouted, desperately searching for my stepmother. ‘Linda, please! I need a lift! I have an exam in five minutes!’
She was in the kitchen, calmly sipping her coffee. She raised an eyebrow, giving me a look that was as cold as her hot coffee.
‘You’re already late,’ she said flatly. ‘Maybe next time you should learn how to set your alarm properly?’
‘I did set it!’ I almost shouted, feeling the disappointment and panic in my voice. ‘I checked three times. All three were set.’
She shrugged, a slight smirk appearing on her lips. ‘Obviously not. Maybe this is a sign that you’re not cut out for medical school? If you can’t even wake up on time, how are you going to handle something serious, like a patient?’
I stood there, feeling my face burn, my head spinning with disbelief and despair. This couldn’t be real. My stepmother wouldn’t do this to me, would she?
I turned towards the door, knowing I couldn’t walk, but feeling I had to try. As soon as I grabbed the handle, a thin voice spoke behind me.
‘I know who did it,’ said my younger brother Jason, his voice trembling with nervousness, but his eyes calm.
I turned around, confused. ‘Jason, what are you talking about?’
He took a small step forward, looking warily at Linda. ‘I saw her. Last night. She turned off your alarm, Emily.’
Linda shot him a sharp look. ‘Jason, stop making things up,’ she hissed.
Jason swallowed but didn’t back down. ‘I’m not lying! I saw you go into her room, take her phone and turn off the alarm. You said she didn’t need to be at that stupid exam anyway.’
My head was spinning. I looked at Linda, searching her face for denial, any sign that she would say it was a misunderstanding. But she just sighed, folding her arms.
‘You know what, Emily?’ she said coldly, her voice hardening. “Fine. Yes, I did. You’re not cut out to be a doctor. It’s a waste of time, energy, and, frankly, a lot of money that your father could spend on something worthwhile.”
‘Like… your beauty salon?’ The words came out before I could stop them.
Just as I was about to squeeze past her and leave, I heard sirens in the distance, growing louder as they approached our house.
Jason squeezed my hand and smiled at me hopefully. ‘Don’t worry, Em. I called for help.’
Linda’s face hardened as she looked at Jason. ‘Did you really do that?’ she asked, struggling to get the words out.
Jason’s thin voice cut through the tension. ‘You’re a bad person, Linda,’ he said, his eyes fierce despite his small stature. ‘Emily will be a doctor one day. Mum will be proud of her.’
Linda’s face contorted, and before she could say anything, the sirens outside grew louder. I watched her stare out the window, her eyes wide with surprise.
The front door opened and two police officers entered. One of them, a tall, broad-shouldered man, spoke with calm authority. ‘Is everything all right here?’
Jason didn’t miss a beat. ‘I called you,’ he said, standing tall despite his young age. ‘My sister has to get to her entrance exam. Linda turned off the alarm so she wouldn’t miss it.’
The officer’s gaze shifted to Linda, who immediately feigned innocence. ‘That’s ridiculous!’ she scoffed, folding her arms. ‘It’s just kids making things up because they’re late.’
But the other officer, a woman with kind eyes, knelt down in front of Jason. ‘Did you call us to help your sister?’ she asked gently.