Chapter 2My Older Sister

My mom immediately pulled out the little notebook she always carried, tallying things up. Her face was long and sour. "Just like I said, a drain on resources. Raised her all these years, and I'm still out ten thousand dollars!"

My name is Ashley Miller.

My sister's name was Sarah Miller.

I was an unplanned baby. My parents actually gave me away at first. But after Sarah got sick at eight and stayed… simple, and Mom couldn't get pregnant again, they took me back.

Then my brother, Kevin, was born. Suddenly, Mom and Dad's attitude towards me did a complete 180. They treated Sarah even worse, like they couldn't wait for her to just disappear.

Grandma Ruth never had a kind word for her. It was always yelling or hitting. Mom and Dad just looked the other way.

Even with Sarah's death, all the suspicious circumstances, they didn't care. They decided she'd had a "fit," fallen, and frozen to death. They were just glad the burden was finally gone.

That evening, Grandma Ruth took out a wad of cash and handed it to Mom.

"Here's thirteen hundred. Hemlock gave two hundred the first month. After that, he complained she wasn't a virgin anymore, so it was ten bucks a time. Ten times a month. Kevin wants those new Jordans, right? Use this to buy them for him."

My head exploded with a buzzing sound. Everything clicked into place. Blinded by grief and fury, I snatched the money and ripped it to shreds, screaming through my tears:

"Are you even human?!"

My father slapped me hard across the face. Grandma and Mom started screaming abuse at me.

They didn't feel guilty at all. They were just furious I'd destroyed the money.

Later, when I was digging a small grave for Sarah myself, I found something sewn into the lining of her worn-out jacket. A hundred dollars in carefully folded bills, and a note written in shaky, childish letters: "Ashley, Birthday present."

The sky was painfully clear, but I felt like I was standing in a downpour, my face completely soaked.

For the rest of my life, even after I made something of myself and cut off all ties with my parents, what happened to Sarah was like a thorn stuck deep in my heart, making it hard to breathe.

Then, I opened my eyes.

I saw the bus ticket stub in my hand. Tears flooded my eyes.

I was back. Back on the day that haunted me for the rest of my life.

This time, I didn't wait until the next day. I caught the overnight bus straight back to my hometown.

Sarah, please wait for me this time!