Chapter four

Jake slammed the door to his room as usual, but this time he banged it so hard that even the glass walls of the mansion quivered. “She’s no sister of mine, and she’ll never be,” he muttered, his voice shaking with fury. Moments later, there was a gentle knock on his door. “Jake?, Jake? Can you open the door for me ” The voice asked.  It was Agnes. He opened the door quickly without hesitation, as if waiting for her to come over.

“She’s not my sister Agnes,” he blurted before she could even speak. “They told me. Maya’s not one of us, so why do they want to return her to this house? I don’t care what they say;  she doesn’t deserve to live here. Not with me.”Agnes’s eyes softened as she held his hands. “Jake…”

“No, not this time, Agnes,” he interrupted her, pacing the room. “Everyone can keep pretending she’s an Anderson,  but I won’t, I won’t, because I can’t forgive the fact that she made me hate Mom. I thought Mom cheated on Dad and had Maya. I won’t act like she’s my sister when she’s not.”

Agnes sat quietly for a moment, her heart beating fast and heavily. She wanted to tell him that love was stronger than DNA, that hearts, not blood, make families. But looking at him, his movements , how his fists clenched, his pride wounded, she knew her words would fall on deaf ears; it wouldn’t even make a scratch in his heart.

So instead, she sighed softly and said, “Alright, my boy. I understand what you mean. Take your time. Don’t forget you have school tomorrow and must get ready early. So let’s get you ready for bed.”

Jake didn’t respond. Agnes tucked him into his bed silently, brushed his hair from his forehead, and kissed him gently. “Goodnight, Jake,” she whispered.

“Goodnight,” he said flatly, turning away as the room fell into uneasy silence. 

The next morning, Jake left for school alone with only his driver and no sister. Once filled with Maya’s chatter and warmth, the seat beside him now felt empty.

At school, his friends rushed to him and asked him questions. “Jake! Where has your sister  been all week?”

He ignored them, walking straight to his locker and picking up what he needed for the day.

“Hey, what about Maya? She didn’t come to school today,” someone asked. “Is she okay now ?”

Jake froze for a while. Then, with a flash of anger, he turned around. “Don’t call her my sister!” he shouted. The hallway fell dead silent.

Whispers followed him all day around the school: confusion, disbelief, pity. The same Jake who once shielded Maya from bullies now couldn’t bear to hear her name anymore. Students kept asking what had happened, what had changed, and what caused the sudden change. 

That afternoon, some of Maya’s classmates decided to visit her. They had missed her cheerful smile and her kindness. But their eyes widened in awe when they arrived at the Anderson mansion.

The gates revealed a glass palace, fountains, marble statues, trimmed gardens, and a driveway long enough to get lost in. It looked like something out of a dream or a fairy tale book.

Inside, maids hurried about in crisp uniforms. One of them, Agnes, noticed their presence and approached the children with a gentle smile. “Can I help you?”

“We came to see Maya,” one of the girls said shyly. “It’s been a week since we heard from her, and her brother refused to fill us in on what is wrong with her, so we came to find out for ourselves, they said in unison .”

Agnes nodded kindly. “She’s been unwell as you know, but she’s getting better and responding to treatment. She’ll be back at school sooner than you expect .”

The children sighed in relief, thanked her, and turned to leave. As the gates closed behind them, Agnes looked up at the grand house,  at the windows that hid so much pain, and whispered to herself,   

“Poor children… they have no idea how much has changed.”