Two Sisters Against the World

1: 1

On the true daughter's first day home, the whole family stood behind me, the fake one.

There was guilt on my adoptive mother's face when she looked at her, but every word she spoke was for me.

"You were taken when you were three. All these years, it was Ursula Summers who stayed by our side."

My adoptive father, who never smiled, sat down beside her, on the same side.

"Ursula isn't related to us by blood, but she's still your sister. The two of you need to get along."

My brother, three years older than me, pulled me behind him and squared off against the true daughter, brows drawn tight. What he said was worse.

"Don't think I'll take your side just because you're my sister! Let me tell you, in my heart, I have only one sister, and that's Ursula!"

The true daughter didn't dare say much. She shrank in the middle of the living room, tears rolling down in fat drops.

Seeing her cry only made my brother more impatient, his tone uglier.

"I've seen this true-daughter-fake-daughter act more times than I can count. Drop the innocent little flower routine. Don't stand in front of me playing pitiful, it makes me sick!"

I darted out from behind my brother and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

"She hasn't said a word. What's wrong with you? Putting on a whole show all by yourself!"

"Shut that filthy mouth of yours! Did you eat garbage today? How are you talking so foul?"

1

My brother didn't hold back at all, and Yolanda, already timid, only grew more flustered.

The short-sleeved shirt on her was washed pale, her jeans were far too short, and the canvas shoes on her feet had long since come unglued.

Yolanda bit down hard on her lip, as if terrified she might sob out loud.

Seeing her like that, my brother Leslie Summers only got angrier.

"Ursula, look at her. She's doing it on purpose, putting on that wronged little face so we'll all rush to help her."

"Yolanda Butler, quit the act. We Summers don't fall for that."

I shot Leslie a withering glare.

"Shut that filthy mouth of yours. One more word and you can get out of this house right now."

"And another thing. Her name isn't Yolanda Butler. She's back now. She's Mom and Dad's daughter, your sister."

"Her name is Yolanda Summers."

With that, I didn't spare Leslie another glance. I turned and walked over to Yolanda.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Ursula, the Summers family's adopted daughter. I'm three months younger than you."

"After you went missing, Mom and Dad adopted me from an orphanage."

I held out my hand to her.

She glanced at me, a little afraid, then looked down at her own dirt-streaked hands.

"I'm... I'm sorry, my hands are kind of dirty."

I was adopted into the Summers family at three, and I'm eighteen now.

Fifteen years under this roof, and I'm hardly some selfless saint.

But for reasons I couldn't explain, from the very first moment I saw Yolanda, I felt it.

She wasn't pretending. She really was that fragile, guileless girl. Her panic and her fear weren't an act.

At Yolanda's words, Leslie, who'd been quiet for all of a minute, blew up again.

He yanked me back behind him and warned me again, viciously.

"You trust people too easily. Look at her. She's nothing but calculation, top to bottom."

"Dirty hands, my foot. She's playing pitiful so Mom will feel sorry for her. Don't you go getting fooled."

I gave Leslie a cold, sidelong look.

I have eyes of my own. Do I not know whether someone's fooling me?

Seeing the mood turn stiff, Mom couldn't sit still any longer. She stepped up in front of the three of us.

"All right, all right, we're all family. Today's Yolanda's first day home. Stop arguing."

"Yolanda, don't read too much into it. Leslie and Ursula grew up together, so of course they're closer."

"You're Leslie's real sister, and Ursula's older sister. Give it time and you'll grow close too."

Yolanda gave a small, cowering nod and didn't say another word.

I stepped forward and took her hand.

"Mom and Dad live in the main house up front. This side house is where my brother and I stay. The rooms are all on the second floor."

"Your room's on the second floor too. Want to go up and take a look together?"

Yolanda said nothing, only followed my steps up the stairs.

When I pushed open the door to my room, she couldn't help letting out a gasp.

"Ur... Ursula? Is this your room?"

"It's so beautiful. I've never seen a room this big or this pretty. It's bigger than my whole house back in the village."

Before I could say anything, Leslie sneered again.

"See? See? Told you I called it. She's got plenty going on in that head."

"She's saying it on purpose so Mom and Dad feel guilty, so they'll pressure you into giving this room up to her."