My Sister's Illness Turned Me Invisible at Home

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that everyone finally left.

My legs were completely numb after hours of crouching and kneeling beneath the table, and it took a great deal of effort to crawl out.

As I staggered to my feet, my parents and my childhood friend, Kendrick Brown, returned.

My mother, Ellie Baker, casually tossed me a doll about the size of my palm. "Happy birthday."

I'd waited years to hear those words from her, but now they felt like a knife to the heart.

Kendrick pressed the pearl earrings into my palm. The words "Free Gift" on the tag caught my eye. It felt like a slap in the face.

I voiced the wish I had kept buried deep in my heart for years. "I want to sleep in the sunny room on the second floor."

My parents' expressions changed instantly. My father, Lionel Tate, looked at me coldly.

"No, Megan's room is on the second floor. Seeing you will trigger an episode."

My eyes stung. I turned to Mom. "Just because Megan is sick, I've been staying in the windowless storage room for three years. Mom, I don't want to fall asleep to the musty smell every night. I promise I won't leave my room or let Megan see me."

I grabbed her hand. "Mom, please. I really wish to see the sun. I want to sleep in a bed that smells of the sun."

Before I could finish, Mom pulled her hand away. "No."

Her words crushed me.

I clenched my fists tight, digging my nails into my palms. "I'm your daughter too! Don't you care about me at all?"

Dad slammed his fist on the dining table. "Either you sleep in the storage room, or you leave the house!"

Then, he turned and walked away.

Mom looked at me, her eyes devoid of any affection. "Can you please stop making things difficult for me?"

I froze for a moment.

Hadn't I done enough to make things easy for them?

Ever since my sister, Megan Tate, got sick, I had done exactly as they asked and moved into the small storage room at the far end of the downstairs floor.

Afraid of triggering another episode, I would lock myself in my room as soon as I got home from school.

For three years, I hadn't bought any new clothes. Even my underwear had holes in it.

I begged Mom multiple times to buy me a new set of underwear, but she refused, saying they needed the money for Megan's treatment.

Megan's condition gradually improved, and my parents and Kendrick repeatedly took her to see the places she'd dreamed of visiting in her diary.

I was like a thief hiding in the shadows, secretly scrolling through the family photos Megan posted on social media.

Unwilling to back down, I clutched the hem of Mom's shirt. "Mom, it's my 18th birthday today. Can I just stay one night in a room with a window? Please? Just one night."

Mom pulled her shirt free from my grasp. "No."