4
In the new house, Mom decided Lily needed a
party to recover from the “trauma.” She
dressed Lily like a princess, complete with a
tiara and sparkly shoes. Dad filled the house
with balloons, cakes, and presents for Lily’s
friends. All to make Lily happy.
I followed them to this strange new place.
Nothing here belonged to me. Just their cold
indifference. Their presence made the house
feel empty.
A knock at the door. Lily’s friends arrived.
Some I recognized from school. They’d
helped Lily torment me. Others were new
faces. “Hi Mr. and Mrs. Davis! We came to
see Lily! Here’s a present for her!” They
presented their gifts politely. Just like Lily.
で
སྤུ་་པ ལཔ་་་པ་ད་ པཕཔ་
¤པད་པ‘;
perfect angels in front of adults.
Lily emerged from her room. “You guys
came! I’m all better now. Come on, let’s play!
My parents got us snacks and toys!”
They followed her obediently. These were the
same kids who’d splashed me with water,
pulled my hair, ripped my books, and left
dead bugs in my desk. How could they switch
between these two faces so easily?
Then they mentioned me. “Where’s Anna,
Lily?”
(
If they hadn’t asked, I doubt anyone would
have remembered I existed. Mom’s forced
smile vanished. “This is Lily’s day. Let’s not talk about that ungrateful girl.”
talk about that ungrateful girl.”
Lily put on her best “sad face.” “Mommy, is
she still mad at me? Can you bring her
home?”
Dad scoffed. “She’s cold–hearted. If she
wants to come back, fine. If not, she can stay
out there. Good riddance, I say. Less trouble
for us.”
I saw the brief flash of a smile on Dad’s face
and the smug look on Lily’s.
“Mr. Davis, it’s probably for the best. You
wouldn’t believe how mean Anna is to Lily at
school,” one of the girls said.
“Yeah, she’s awful! She told us not to play
with Lily!”
“Yeah, she’s awful! She told us not to play
with Lily!”
“And she steals Lily’s lunch money!”
“I saw her pull Lily’s hair and rip her books!”
They piled on, each adding a fabricated story
to the mountain of lies. Mom and Dad’s faces
shifted between anger and embarrassment.
They believed every word. I was the evil
sister, the bully. Because they’d never
bothered to know me.
A wave of sadness washed over me. Their
own daughter, a stranger. Mom, looking
defeated, retreated to the bedroom. I trailed
after her.
She picked up her phone besitated then
She picked up her phone, hesitated, then
dialed. “Hello, Lisa?” Lisa was Mom’s
colleague, and one of the few kind people in
my life. Besides Grandma, Lisa was the only
one who treated me well. She’d sneak me
food when I was locked on the balcony, take
me in when I was kicked out, and give me
birthday presents.
“Susan? What’s wrong? It’s late…”
Mom interrupted angrily. “Is that ungrateful
brat at your place? Tell her to come home
and apologize to Lily! If she doesn’t come
back now, she can stay away for good!” She
paused, then added, “Actually, put her on the
phone. I’ll deal with this myself.”
I watched her, a sad ghost of a smile on my
I watched ner, a sau grosɩ of a smile on my
face. I was dead. How could she talk to me?
A long silence on the other end. Then, quietly,
“Susan… Anna’s dead.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “Don’t lie to me! That girl tried to starve Lily in the womb! She’s a survivor! Don’t you dare cover for her! I know
you two are close!”
Lisa sighed. “Susan, she died when you
moved the rocks to save Lily. She didn’t make
it out in time. The shifting rubble… it buried
her…”
LO
