Chapter Seven

I stared blankly at the wall in front of me, my mind still too numb to register what'd happened in the last week. My eyes flickered to my sister, watching how her lips and hands moved animatedly as she moved the clothes from the drawer into the suitcase on the bed. I I couldn't help but notice how happy she looked at the moment, her sapphire eyes had a twinkle in them.

"Emma?" She crouched in front of me, both hands on my thighs, "Are you okay?"

I continue to stare at her, wondering if she couldn't see it. The sadness that settled within. The fear. The uncertainty. Everybody assumed that I was fine with their plan but I was scared, more afraid than I was that night. I would be going to a strange place, meeting strange people and I had to pretend to be someone I was not. No one noticed, not that they cared enough to.

"Do I have to leave now? I heard you can skip the preliminaries until a day before the competition."

Dahlia chewed on the bottom lip, musing thoughtfully. "It'll be