Chapter 4

Mom instantly got defensive and snapped back:

"What do you mean 'your' dress? The money you have is from me. Taking a dress from you makes you feel wronged? You're so cold!"

It wasn't the same.

If our family was truly struggling for money, I would gladly give my things up.

But Mom clearly didn't lack the money to buy Lyra a new dress. It was just that she didn't care about me or my things, so she could just casually take a dress I cherished and give it to Lyra.

I raised my voice.

"Taking without asking is stealing! You're completely disrespecting me!"

Liam abruptly stood up from his chair and pointed his finger in my face, yelling.

"Carrie, watch your mouth!"

"What do you mean 'stealing'? That's our mother!"

Kaelen frowned too, his tone full of his usual lecturing.

"Carrie, you're being too extreme. We're a family, what's this talk about stealing?"

"Your mom probably took it because she knew you couldn't pull off that kind of elegance."

"Besides, Lyra got an A-rank. As her older sister, you should be letting her have it anyway!"

But that was money I scraped together by starving myself for half a year.

I couldn't bear to buy new clothes, snacks, or even a single cup of coffee.

"Pay me back."

I glared at Mom, my eyes bloodshot.

"Give me the money for the dress."

Mom turned her head guiltily, but quickly regained her self-righteous attitude.

"It's already been altered, how am I supposed to pay you back?!"

"Besides, with your terrible ranking, what right do you have to wear such nice clothes!"

Lyra pulled on Mom's sleeve, her eyes red.

"Mom, stop fighting with Carrie. It's all my fault..."

"Why don't I just take it off and give it back to her?"

She said she'd give it back, but her hands gripped the skirt tightly, her tone full of reluctance.

Mom immediately stepped in front of her protectively, her heart breaking for her.

"Carrie, your wings have grown strong, haven't they!"

"Get back to your room and reflect on your behavior. Don't come out without my permission!"

Liam stepped forward, grabbed my arm hard, and shoved me toward my room.

"No! I didn't do anything wrong!"

I struggled desperately.

But I couldn't overpower Liam.

The door was slammed shut and locked from the outside.

I leaned against the door and slowly slid to the floor.

Through the door, I heard them comforting each other.

They all said Mom wasn't wrong, and Lyra was innocent.

I was the one who messed up; it was all my fault for being so selfish.

But Lyra had ten, a hundred times more resources than I did.

Why did they have to steal the only thing I had left?

I curled into a ball and cried silently.

For the next week, to punish me for acting out, the whole family treated me like I was invisible.

They didn't call me for meals, didn't take me when they went out.

They thought this would break me, make me apologize.

But for eighteen years, I had always been ignored.

I was used to it.

Since I had some time before leaving for my new pack, I started packing.

No one cared what I was doing in my room all day.

And no one noticed I was slowly erasing every trace of my existence from the house.

Old clothes, old books—all thrown into the trash.

The gifts Kaelen had given me over the years—all sold for cash.

After getting my travel pass for Bloodmoon, I took one last look at this house.

Starting when I was eight, because Lyra needed a huge walk-in closet, I was forced to give up my room and move into a tiny storage closet.

The white walls of this house would forever only hang pictures of Lyra.

The few scattered photos of me were buried at the very bottom of the photo albums.

I had wanted to leave this house for a long time.

I dragged my only suitcase and took a cab to the airport.

On the way, my phone kept ringing, probably rushing me to attend the celebration banquet they threw for Lyra.

I didn't answer a single one.

That banquet was destined to have only one main character: Lyra.

I didn't want to be an awkward background prop, listening to relatives and friends take turns praising her.

Only to dismiss me with a casual,

"Oh, Carrie passed too. That's nice."

I blocked everyone's numbers, shut off my mind-link, and boarded the flight North.

From this day forward, I would never see them again.