Chapter 2
531words
I'd aced the school selection round and earned the right to represent Saint Cherry in the finals. This meant bonus points for college applications and potential interest from elite universities.
The day the results were posted, Vivian cornered me in the hallway.
"That competition? You're not going," she stated flatly.
"Excuse me?" My fists clenched involuntarily.
"Because I want that spot," she said, tilting her head with a saccharine smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Daddy's already promised a donation to secure it for me. But apparently the school can only send one representative. So you'll need to bow out."
Again! Another opportunity snatched away to satisfy her endless entitlement!
As I stared at her smug face, a decade of humiliation crashed over me like a tidal wave. The dog-barking incident, my damp storage room, Rachel's constant berating, the endless mockery—each memory burned through my veins like liquid nitrogen.
"The spot," I met her gaze unflinchingly, my voice sharp as steel, "belongs to whoever earned it."
The smile froze on Vivian's face; defiance wasn't in her script.
That evening, Rachel's fury hit me the moment I stepped through the door.
"Lucy! You've crossed the line! How dare you compete against your sister? That spot belongs to Vivi! Tomorrow you will withdraw your name!"
Gregory frowned from his armchair: "Lucy, family harmony comes first. Let Vivi take this one."
I looked at them both and, for the first time, held my ground.
"No." The word wasn't loud, but it landed with the finality of a gavel.
"What did you just say?" Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I said no. I earned this spot through my own merit, and no one is taking it away." My gaze shifted to Vivian, who was already perfecting her victim pose. "Including you."
"And one more thing," I took a deep breath, years of suppressed words finally breaking free, "I'm done doing Vivian's homework. Done buying her things. Done being her servant."
"You ungrateful little—! Is this how you repay us after all these years?" Rachel snatched a teacup from the table and hurled it straight at my head!
I was ready this time, sidestepping smoothly. The cup shattered against the wall, ceramic shards exploding in all directions.
"If that's how it's going to be," I met Rachel's rage-contorted face with calm resolve, "then I'm leaving."
I turned on my heel, strode to my storage room, and grabbed the backpack I'd prepared for this very moment. Without a backward glance, I walked out of the gilded prison that had held me captive for over a decade—Rachel's curses and Vivian's theatrical wails fading behind me.
The night air hit me with a bracing chill as I stepped outside.
Vivian chased me to the threshold, her voice shrill with indignation: "Lucy! If you walk out that door, don't you dare come back! Let's see how long you last out there with nothing!"
My stride never broke as I disappeared into the darkness.
Vivian, you'll soon see how brightly I shine without your shadow. And without me... you'll discover just how deep the abyss can be.
