All Chapters of The Sterling Brothers’ Lost Sister: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

I suddenly woke up when a cold splash hit my face. For a moment I was unable to breathe. Then my mother’s voice pierced the haze in my mind like a knife.“Get up and go make breakfast now!”Water trickled through my hair wetting my pillow. My heart pounded painfully. I made myself sit up. By now I had grown accustomed to it, accustomed to my mother’s rage, her resentment, her animosity that had intensified ever since Lila was born.From that moment I somehow turned into the burden.She frequently told me that she discovered me in an alley. Yet the tone she used this time suggesting I was rubbish, she wished she hadn’t taken me in made it difficult to trust that she had ever cared for me. At that time she had no children, was desperate, and claimed I was a miracle. However, miracles don’t appear to endure in households.FlashbackI recall the tale distinctly. She shared it with me back when I was young. She still acted as if I were important.Mrs. Marian, my mom, was heading home from

The instant I entered my room, the light switched on. There she appeared.Lila. Positioned and bearing that grin I had learned to dread. She applauded gradually, intentionally, as though directing a spectacle. Then her laughter followed, piercing and malevolent reverberating against the walls of my chamber.“So " she started, tilting her head "you actually had the nerve to leave this house and head to a club… dressed like a prostitute. I was certain of it. You and Maya were definitely plotting something. You reek of alcohol." She prowled around me like a predator. "I’m curious about what mom and dad will say once they discover the truth.”My heart dropped. I recoiled, my eyes staring in shock. "L-Lila… please I’m begging you. Don’t inform Mom and Dad. I only wanted some fun. I just wanted to experience life. If Mum learns about this… she will be furious!”Lila chuckled more a noise that churned my insides. "Do I seem like I care Zara? I want you out of here. Dead if possible. I don't

The week of the scholarship exam came sooner than I had anticipated. One minute I was quietly reviewing formulas studying under candlelight and softly cheering myself on and the next the countdown had ended.The mood in the household had entirely transformed.Lila was rarely present. She vanished every day, sometimes just for a weekend, other times for an entire week. She’d return with bags, new shoes, different hairstyles, new phones… and then disappear once more.Dad started feeling uneasy.Whenever Lila came back he attempted to get her to sit and have a conversation.“Lila, where do you usually go to?" he questioned her one night. "You’re seventeen. You can’t simply disappear like this.”Lila scarcely threw him a look. "Dad quit pestering me. I’m an adult.”“You’re merely a child " he persisted. "This way of living isn’t secure.”Mom on the other hand dismissed him with a simple wave of her hand. She had just completed painting her nails and didn’t raise her eyes.“Stop bothering