Chapter 4

Her words made my knuckles go white, and the anger I'd been holding back exploded all at once.

"It was me they chose, not Lucy! The guy who brought the news came back later—he said he'd messed up. I'm the one who made it in."

Lucy, standing in the doorway, burst out laughing. "Emily, have you no shame?

"You didn't get picked, so now you're just making up stories? Who do you think is going to believe you?"

My mom let out a cold laugh and slapped me across the face again.

"You're still lying!"

"You should be looking up to Lucy, not getting jealous and making up lies to fool your family!"

"How did I end up with such a little troublemaker like you?"

"I'm not lying." I frantically dug out my phone, pulled up the official notification, and shoved it in front of them. "Look, this is straight from the authorities. My name is right here—Emily Saunders, not Lucy."

Lucy leaned in for a quick look, and her face instantly drained of color. She staggered back, totally spooked.

My mom snatched my phone from my hand and hurled it onto the floor.

She grabbed a hanger from the corner, swinging it at me over and over.

"You actually dare bring me a fake notice? You think I'm that easy to fool?"

"You're just as rotten as your dead father—always scheming, always up to no good."

"He conned me into marrying him. Now you want to trick me into believing you got chosen? How did I end up with a curse like you in my life?"

"I'll beat you senseless, you lying brat. I'll teach you what rules really mean."

The hanger whipped across my arm, leaving a bright red welt. I flinched, but she didn't stop.

"You think I don't know? You've always been jealous of Lucy ever since you were little. Whenever she got something good to eat or a fun new toy, you had to be the one grabbing for it."

"Now she's been picked for the Honor Guard, and you're still trying to steal her thunder. Why are you so nasty?"

I shot her a defiant look.

"Me, taking her stuff? When did I ever take anything from her?"

"Those dance classes and piano lessons she got? They were paid for by the money I saved from my own tutoring."

"That new dress she loves showing off? I worked a part-time job just to buy it for her."

"That's not why you hate me. You hate me because I look just like Dad. You can't stand him, so all your anger ends up on me."

My mom froze for a second, then started whipping me even harder. "How dare you bring him up? I should've never had you."

After what felt like forever, she finally stopped, gasping for breath as she tossed the hanger to the floor.

"You're staying right here and thinking about what you've done. You don't get out until you've learned your lesson."

With that, she grabbed Lucy, who was still in a daze, and stormed out.

The door slammed hard behind them, leaving me alone in the silent room.

I curled up on the floor, every inch of me stinging with fresh red marks, trembling uncontrollably from the pain.

My shattered phone lay by my feet, its screen flickering weakly—the words "Emily Saunders Got Selected" barely visible, fading just like my hope.

I just sat there, lost and empty, staring out the window as the night slowly surrendered to morning light.

At first light, I heard my mom calling out from the living room. "Honey, hurry up and eat. The Honor Guard folks might show up to get you today."

Lucy answered with a self-satisfied tone, "Relax, Mom. Mrs. Williams said just yesterday that I'd look stunning in a military uniform—way better than any of those celebrities on TV."

I was just pulling myself up, leaning against the wall, when the doorbell rang.

My mom rushed to open the door, and her excited voice echoed through the house.

"You must be here for Lucy, right? She's all ready to go."

It was the rep of the Honor Guard.

The person at the door spoke, clearly puzzled. "Wait, Lucy? No, actually, we're looking for Emily Saunders. She's the one who got selected. We're here to pick her up for training."