Chapter 2

Finally, Dexter couldn't hold it in anymore. "Juliet, this is your real sister, Martha. She's a year older than you. Seriously, don't you remember her?"

Mom and Dad looked a bit embarrassed, too.

Juliet was already four when she went missing, but she didn't remember her own sister at all.

Juliet looked stunned for a moment, but quickly composed herself.

"I was taken to the wrong family when I was a kid. How could I possibly remember?" Juliet replied.

Dexter and I glanced at each other, not knowing what to say.

Juliet gnawed on a hamburger and downed a big glass of water.

While the rest of us were feasting on meat and fish, the sound of her slurping water made everyone feel uncomfortable.

Finally, dinner was over.

But the next morning, when it was time for school, Dexter and I were completely stunned.

Juliet stood in front of the family car, her brows furrowed, flat-out refusing to get in.

"I'm not getting in. It's a waste of gas and money," Juliet said, stubborn as ever.

Mom tried to coax her gently. "Juliet, we're not short on money."

Juliet lifted her chin and shook her head. "I don't like wasting things. Just because we have money doesn't mean we should spend it like it's nothing. If Dexter and Martha want to ride, let them. I'll walk to school myself."

Mom and Dad looked troubled. "It's your first day of school. How can you walk all the way there?"

Mom turned to Dexter and me.

"How about you two walk to school with Juliet?" she suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Dexter and I shouted in unison.

Mom forced a smile. "2.5 miles really is pretty far."

Just then, an old man on a tricycle was cruising by the corner.

Juliet raised her hand and pointed. "Let's just hop on that tricycle."

"We'll help the old guy earn some cash," she added.

Mom and Dad shot Juliet a look of approval.

Dexter and I were at our wits' end.

The three of us, all high schoolers, squeezed onto that old, tiny tricycle, and the whole thing wobbled like it was about to tip over.

It was totally unsteady.

The road was perfectly flat.

But we felt like we were drifting on the ocean, lost and helpless.

Every time we hit a speed bump, my butt got wrecked.

The old man up front kept yelling, "Hey, hey, you're tilting left! Scoot to the right!

"Hey, quit squirming! Stay still!"

Dexter and I were so freaked out that we didn't even dare to breathe. No way were we gonna move an inch.

The old man kept yelling, "You're tilting right now! Shift left, left... left..."

And then, the tricycle flipped over.

Dexter and I instinctively shielded Juliet with our arms.

His left arm was busted, and my right arm was broken, too.

Juliet just stood up, dusted herself off, and walked off toward school as if nothing had happened.

"You guys wait here. I can't waste time. I've got to get to class," Juliet said.

Left behind with our broken arms, Dexter and I just hugged each other and sobbed our hearts out.

When the cops showed up, the old man was trembling as he stood up, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"I was just out for a spin on my tricycle when this girl stopped me, insisted it would save money, and made me give all three of them a ride to school," he cried.

He sobbed, "I'm almost 80. I don't even need those six bucks!"

When Mom and Dad finally arrived, they bought the old man a brand-new tricycle and gave him some compensation on top.

But at least there was a silver lining to having a busted arm.

For a good while, I got a free pass on homework.

Dexter had to repeat a year because he slacked off, so he ended up in my class.

When Dexter found out, he totally lost it. "Why did she get a pass? Why not me? My arm's broken, too. I can't do my homework either!"

The homeroom teacher smacked him on the head with a notebook. "You only broke your left arm. I expect your homework on my desk tomorrow."

Dexter glared at me from his seat, eyes burning with resentment, anger, and jealousy.

I just shot him a smug grin in return.

Mom and Dad said that since Juliet had just transferred and hadn't made any friends yet, Dexter and I had to hang out with her at lunch.

If we didn't do it, they'd dock our allowance.

I was feeling pretty miserable, because the new bag I'd been dying to get just dropped.

Dexter was suffering, too, since he'd just set his sights on a new bike.

So, we both went to find Juliet for lunch.

At noon, the nanny, Nora, brought a feast of six meat dishes and some vegetables and fruits.

Before Nora could even finish setting everything out, Juliet shot up from her seat. "I'm not eating this. It's a total waste. Nora, give all this to the homeless people outside."

Dexter and I were totally floored.

"Where are there even any homeless people around here?" I blurted out.

Juliet said matter-of-factly, "Then send it to some poor families. I brought my own lunch, and I can share it with Dexter and Martha."

"So many kids living in the slums still go hungry. They need it way more than we do. Send it to them instead," she added.

With Juliet being so insistent, Nora had no choice but to take away the whole feast.

Dexter and I exchanged frantic glances, totally baffled.

What was she even saying? We were smack in the middle of Aletrik City. How were we supposed to send food to kids in the slums? And who'd even dare eat a random meal from strangers? What kind of thinking was that?

Dexter seemed to ask, "No clue. When did she even have time to make lunch?"

I said with a look, "I have no idea, either. Don't tell me it's just hamburger again?"

Dexter and I both turned to look at Juliet.

She slowly pulled out three cold hamburgers from her backpack and set them down on the table.

Then she took out a jar of pickles.