- 2.
<
Except Lily won’t let go of my hand. She
clutches it like a lifeline, trembling like a leaf.
I see her staring at the floor with tears about
to fall.
Oh, right, this is just a new way to set me up.
As soon as we get home, the Jones family will
see her red eyes, and I’ll be blamed. No
dinner. A trip to the basement.
It’s Lily’s specialty.
It’s because I don’t dote on her like the rest
of the family, and because she’s smart
enough to know everyone hates me. So she
plays along with the charade.
く
Lily looks up, her voice a whisper, “Rain…?”
i
I stare back, cold and silent.
Lily flinches at the emptiness in my eyes. She
looks away, squeezing my hand.
“Let’s go home.”
I let her pull me along, watching her call the family driver.
Thanks to Lily, I get the privilege of a
chauffeur.
Everyone in the family gets a ride, except me.
It’s like they purposely forgot about me. I had
to walk two miles to the bus stop.
A heiress forced to slum it, treated worse
than some ordinary kid. At least they get
rides.
Even my clothes are Lily’s rejects. Thanks to
the nanny’s constant abuse, I’m only an inch
taller than my two–year–younger sister,
Lily is pampered, cheeks chubby and pink,
while I’m gaunt and always gloomy.
The Jones family doesn’t bother buying me
new clothes. They think Lily and I are the
same size. It works when Lily outgrows a
dress she hates.
This pink dress I’m wearing is one of them.
Lily leads me to a bench, and I scowl at her
clutching my hand.
<
“Want some cotton candy?”
Her eyes flood at the word.
The little girl breaks. Her nose and face are
red with tears.
“No! No more cotton candy! I’m sorry, Rain!
No more…”
I watch her meltdown, my face blank.
Lily cries for a long time. When I don’t hug
her like before, she tries to curl into my arms.
I shove her away. “You’re disgusting. Don’t
touch me.”
Lily’s eyes narrow as tears well up in them.
She roughly wipes her eyes with her sleeve.
く
“I’m not dirty, Rain! I…I won’t cry anymore.”
But the more she wipes, the more she cries.
I ignore her, kicking myself. If she wanted
cotton candy, I would have had a chance to
run.
The driver finally arrives, but Carter gets out
with him.
His eyes are full of sadness and regret.
Carter kneels in front of me and reaches out
to touch my head.
I recoil. “Don’t!”
Memories flood my mind: the grime–covered
hands of strange men touching me.
く
I throw up.
Carter freezes, unsure of my reaction.
“Rain…”
“Stay away!”
Carter doesn’t know why I am reacting so
violently. He takes two steps back and puts a
meter of distance between us.
I feel better when he is farther away.
He calls someone and requests a female
driver.
The terrible memories of the past prevent me
from thinking about their odd behavior. I just
want to sleep.
く
When we get home, Mom and Dad are here.
Mom’s eyes are red. Dad holds her in his
arms and comforts her. They see me and
avoid eye contact.
I ignore them and head to the basement.
