Chapter 2

The next morning, I opened my bedroom door and found a giant stuffed reindeer in the living room.

My parents were circling the stuffed reindeer, unable to contain their excitement. "Claire has no idea we got this for her birthday. Just wait until she wakes up and sees it. She's going to be so excited!"

Just then, Claire walked out of her bedroom.

As soon as she saw the stuffed reindeer, she practically jumped for joy. She threw her arms around Mom and Dad and exclaimed, "I only mentioned it once! I can't believe you actually bought it for me! I know how expensive these are!"

Mom and Dad gently stroked Claire's hair and smiled.

"Of course we remember what you tell us."

I stood frozen in my bedroom doorway, watching the three of them laughing and enjoying themselves.

Apparently, my parents remembered things perfectly well. So why could they never remember that I needed a new monitor for my art, no matter how many times I said it?

At that moment, Mom shoved her phone into my hand. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take a picture of us!"

I took the phone. "Okay."

On the screen, the three of them stood huddled together, while I remained behind the camera.

After that, Claire looked at the enormous stuffed reindeer and frowned. "Where are we even going to put something this big?"

Mom hesitated for a moment, then looked at me.

"Annie, your bedroom is bigger," she said. "Why don't you switch rooms with Claire?"

At that, Claire gave me an expectant look. "Would that be okay? I've actually wanted to switch rooms with you for ages, but I just didn't know how to bring it up. Your room gets more sunlight and has so much more space. I really like it."

My hands balled into fists at my sides. I'd already decided to leave, but my flight wasn't until the next day. So, my bedroom was packed with design sketches and all my belongings.

"I have a lot of work stuff in my room—"

I thought they'd at least hear me out, but Dad cut me off before I could finish speaking. "They're just sketches. You can work in the living room."

"You took more than your share before you were even born. That's why Claire gets a headache just from being out in the cold. You're her big sister. Is it really so much to ask that you switch rooms with her?" Mom asked, frowning.

Claire bit her lip, looking hesitant. "It's okay, Mom and Dad. Annie has a real talent for design. I don't want to get in the way of her work just because of something so trivial."

Suddenly, Mom raised her voice. "What talent? She's been working on designs for years, and what does she have to show for it?"

Dad tugged Mom's sleeve, trying to stop her.

Claire looked like she was about to cry, and I found that ironic. It was always the same act. Whenever we argued, she'd put on that wounded expression and make me look like the bully.

I nodded silently. I was leaving in a day anyway. It was only a bedroom. What did it matter?

Claire's face lit up with joy the moment I nodded, and she even volunteered to help me pack.

When she saw the Maison Aurora gown design on my computer, she was so stunned that she could barely speak.

"Annie, this is gorgeous! There's a design competition coming up. Would you let me put my name on this design and enter it as my own?"

I whipped around and shot her a cold look. "No."

I must have raised my voice, because Mom and Dad came in to see what was happening.

"What's going on in here?" they asked.

Claire looked a little uneasy as she explained, "Nothing. I just thought Annie's design was beautiful, so I told her how much I liked it. I didn't expect her to react like that."

Mom's expression darkened at once. She grabbed the mouse and started clicking randomly. "Let me see what kind of design has you making such a fuss!"

I lunged forward to stop her.

In the middle of the scuffle, Claire stepped between Mom and me and swung her arm, knocking the computer off the desk. It hit the floor, and the screen went black.

Claire quickly stepped back and stared at me, unsure of what to do.

Mom, on the other hand, froze. When she saw how angry I was, she said coldly, "It's just a computer. Don't scare your sister like that. I'll buy you another one tomorrow."

The computer itself didn't matter. What mattered was the unsaved data I had on it.

Seeing how upset I was, Mom took Claire by the hand and led her out of the room. Neither of them apologized, not even once.

I slowly crouched and checked the memory card, my hands trembling.

Fortunately, the memory card was still intact. I could recover the data once I got to the training site.