Chapter 1

My parents always made sure things were totally fair between us. They never played favorites.

When I was eight, my twin sister Evelyn Griffiths decided she wanted to take dance lessons.

To keep things even, my parents enrolled me in dance class too.

Later, I took home first prize, while Evelyn didn't win anything. She burst into tears, insisting she'd never dance again.

To make things 'fair', my parents actually went so far as to break my leg.

When I pushed open the door, everyone inside was having a great time, laughter echoing through the room.

"Evelyn, you're amazing! You jumped up five places in your exams. Tomorrow, we are taking you to Disneyland," they said excitedly.

Evelyn was looking smug, her eyes meeting mine as I walked in.

She turned to me and asked, "Does Maddison get to go too?"

Only then did my parents seem to realize I was home.

Dad frowned. "This is for you. Why would Maddison need to go?"

Mom quickly patted Dad's arm and smiled at me. "Maddison, don't worry. We always treat you both equally. Fairness is everything to us."

She added, "We're taking Evelyn to Disney because she made such a big improvement in her exams. If you work hard and get great results like your sister, we'll take you next time too."

I set my backpack down and, limping and silent, sat under the table.

I pressed my palm against my aching knee, feeling the pain pulsing nonstop.

My parents' praise for Evelyn rang in my ears. Watching her nestled in Mom's arms, I felt a strange, desperate longing rise up inside me.

Driven by that unfamiliar urge, I pulled out my state honor roll certificate from my backpack.

I parted my lips, my voice so soft it was almost lost. "Mom, Dad, can I go to Disneyland with you too?"

Everyone turned to stare at the certificate I was holding.

The warm, happy atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold and tense.

Evelyn's smile faltered, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Maddison, I know my grades aren't as good as yours, but I've really tried. Why do you have to show me up?" Evelyn choked out.

She snatched up her own "Improvement Award," ready to rip it in half.

"I don't want to go to Disneyland. Just let you and Mom and Dad go, okay?" Evelyn's voice shook as she tried to hold back tears.

"Evelyn!" Mom cried out, her face twisted with worry. Then, out of nowhere, she turned and slapped me hard across the face.

"I told you, we'll take you to Disneyland next time. Why do you have to pick today to compete with your sister for attention?" Mom snapped at me.

"Evelyn finally managed to win an award, and you just had to rub it in and outshine her, didn't you?" she added.

I pressed my hand to my cheek, and all the fight in me vanished. My heart went numb.

Dad snatched my top student award right out of my hand and, without even hesitating, ripped it to shreds.

"Always have to stir up trouble, don't you? Can't stand to see us happy for a second," Dad spat.

"Go kneel outside by the door. You're not getting up until Evelyn stops crying," he barked.

A piercing pain shot through my knee, almost like it was mocking me for being so foolish.

I already knew the outcome, so why did I have to try anyway?

With Evelyn's sobs filling the room, I kept my head down, dragged myself to the door, and knelt there in silence.

Inside, Mom and Dad were desperately trying to comfort Evelyn, doing everything they could to stop her tears.

Finally, they managed to coax a smile out of her, laughter breaking through her sobs.

Watching the three of them together, so cheerful and united as a family, I felt myself slipping into a daze, completely disconnected from it all.

Even though Evelyn and I are twins, we weren't actually raised together.

Evelyn was frail from birth, and my parents were dead sure I'd swiped all the good stuff for myself before we were even born.

So right from the start, they shipped me off to live with Grandma back in the old hometown, while they kept Evelyn with them, right under their noses.

When I was eight, Grandma died out of the blue, and my parents finally brought me home.

They pulled me into a tight hug, swearing up and down that from now on, they'd treat me and Evelyn the same. No favorites, no exceptions.

Back then, I actually believed them.

That was until Evelyn started making a fuss about wanting to learn dance.

When Mom gently said I should join her too, just to keep things fair, I honestly felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

But after that, everything had changed.

I traced my fingers over my crooked leg, the agony from when they broke it still clinging to me like a nightmare I could never wake up from.

Back then, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Why did my parents have to break my leg just because Evelyn didn't want to dance anymore?

I struggled and screamed, desperately begging them not to hurt me.

But all they said was, "Evelyn's done with dancing, so you're done too. That's what fairness looks like."

"You already took so much from Evelyn before you were even born. We're just making sure you both start out even, so neither of you can ever accuse us of playing favorites," they said coldly.

Because of their so-called fairness, I was left limping for the rest of my life.

Outside, neighbors strolled past, pointing at me and gossiping openly as if I was some kind of spectacle.