Ten Marks on the Wall

Like always, I took the bus home.

The driver recognized me and looked surprised. "Kid, you just finished your finals. Nobody came to pick you up?"

I smiled and shook my head before taking a seat by the window.

A message from Mom popped up on my phone.

She said Rosie had done really well and the whole family was going out to Bellamy's that night to celebrate.

I stared at the words "whole family" for a long moment before replying:

[I'll be home in fifteen minutes.]

The typing bubble appeared, disappeared, then appeared again.

Eventually, Mom sent:

[Maybe you shouldn't come tonight. When it's your turn to take the placement exam, I'll take you out separately.]

I looked down at the exam ID card in my hand.

I was still wondering whether I should tell her that I'd taken the exam this year too when another message came in, this time from Grant.

[Vivi, you're old enough to understand things now, right?]

[Before you turned seven, you were sick all the time. Everyone in this family revolved around you.]

[Today is Rosie's last day of exams. It's important to her. Don't make this about you.]

[You already owe Rosie enough.]

A familiar helplessness washed over me.

I knew exactly what he was going to bring up again - the day Rosie had almost been kidnapped when we were seven.

It happened during one of Rosie's performances. I suddenly collapsed in the audience, and Mom scooped me up without a second thought and rushed me out.

When I woke up later, Mom's eyes were swollen from crying.

"We can't find your sister."

Then she stared at me and demanded, "Did you do that on purpose? I was already paying attention to you. Why couldn't you just sit quietly and watch your sister perform for once?"

Rosie was found three days later.

She threw herself into Mom's arms and sobbed.

I crept over, clutching my favorite stuffed toy. I wanted to give it to her.

Grant shoved me away so hard I nearly fell.

"What now? Are you going to pretend to be sick again? Get lost!"

From that day on, everyone decided I was jealous and desperate for attention.

Rosie, the daughter they'd almost lost, received all the love and care in the family.

I became invisible.

Even when I was actually sick, they assumed I was faking it.

"Your health has been fine for years. Are you really trying this trick again just to scare us?"

"For the first seven years, all of us revolved around you. From now on, we need to make it up to your sister.

"That's only fair."

The memory faded, and the bus came back into focus.

I blinked away the sting in my eyes and replied to Grant with a single word.

[Okay.]

When I got off the bus, the family car happened to pass right beside me.

The window was down.

Rosie was wearing a frilly party dress, curled up against Mom and beaming.