6
They drove to the disaster zone early the next morning. The devastation was still shocking. They walked around, cursing me under their breath. “Dragging us all the way back here! If her name isn’t on that list, I’ll break her legs when I find her! See if she runs off again!”
They scanned the casualty lists, their eyes
skimming over names. Suddenly, Mom froze.
Her hand trembled as she turned to Dad.
“Honey…is that…Anna? But…I moved the
rocks… How…?”
She had moved the rocks. But I’d been buried
for three days and nights, without food or
water. How could I have climbed out? I waited
for help, but Mom took Lily and the rescue
Г
water. How could I have climbed out? I waited
for help, but Mom took Lily and the rescue
team and left. If she’d just treated me like
any other victim, I might have lived. But I was
her daughter. The daughter she didn’t want.
Dad grabbed the list, reading my name over
and over, rubbing his thumb over it as if
trying to erase it. He finally let go. My name
remained.
They returned home, defeated.
“Mommy? Daddy? Where’s Anna? Why didn’t
she come back with you? She’s so bad!”
“Lily! Don’t talk about your sister like that!
She’s…she’s gone.” Mom’s voice cracked.
Lily’s eyes widened, then she burst into tears.
L
She’s…she’s gone.” Mom’s voice cracked.
Lily’s eyes widened, then she burst into tears. “Mommy! I’m scared! If you hadn’t saved me,
would I be dead like Anna? I’m so scared!
Mommy!” She peeked at her parents, then
wailed louder. “If only Mommy had saved
Anna first! Then she wouldn’t be dead! I wish
it was me! If I hadn’t taken Grandma’s
picture, Anna wouldn’t have gone to be with
her…” She ran towards the balcony, glancing
back to gauge their reaction.
Hearing Lily’s words, Mom and Dad snapped
out of their stupor. Mom grabbed Lily, pulling
her close. “Lily, honey, don’t say that! You’re
our precious girl! What would we do without
you? It was…her time…”
Grandma’s picture. A distant memory, but still
Г
parks and zoos, while I stayed home with a bag of chips and a bottle of water. Grandma
found out and took me to live with her. The happiest days of my life. But it didn’t last.
When I was old enough for school, they took
me back. Back to my cage. I took only Grandma’s photo with me. Then Grandma died. Lily thought the picture was creepy and
threw it away.
That’s when I snapped. I grabbed Lily. “Where
is it?! Where did you throw it?!”
Mom tried to pull me off, but she froze,
startled by the rage in my eyes. For the first time, she scolded Lily. “Why would you touch
her things?! Tell her where you put it!”
Lilv. shocked that her protector wasn’t on her
L
side, burst into tears. “In the…the dumpster…
outside…”
I searched through the dumpsters in the pouring rain, finally finding the torn pieces of the photo. I brought them home. Mom and
Dad didn’t yell. They made me my favorite, scrambled eggs. Looking back, in all those
years, that was the only time I felt a flicker of
their love.
