Chapter 2
"After Mr. Lane passed away, her mom also died from illness last year," Michael, for once, spoke softly, his usual fiery temper subdued. "Josie spent half a year in the orphanage. We just got everything sorted and brought her home."
Ethan looked at me. "Sophia, from today on, Josie is part of our family. You're the older sister now, so look after her."
I wanted to say something.
okay.
But somehow, I couldn't say it.
Today was my birthday.
My eighteenth.
But nobody even mentioned it.
Ethan didn't even bring it up.
Michael didn't even mention it.
To them, it was like Josie was the only one in the room.
I curled my fingers into my palms, forcing down the sting in my chest.
It's okay.
Mr. Lane saved our family. Taking care of his daughter is the least we can do.
I told myself that over and over.
"Hi, Josie," I said with a smile. "I'm your sister, Sophia."
She didn't answer.
She kept her head down, hiding behind Michael.
Michael gently patted her head. "Don't be scared. This is your home now."
Your home now.
I held the smile in place, but tears pricked at my eyes.
It's okay.
We're all family now.
Andrew brought out the birthday noodles.
Just one bowl.
For me alone.
He looked at Josie, then at me, like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Ethan said, "Make another bowl for Josie. She hasn't eaten yet."
Michael added, "Put in an extra egg. She's way too skinny."
I lowered my head and ate in silence.
No one bothered to sing the birthday song.
No one even brought up the cake.
But honestly, it didn't matter.
I'm eighteen now.
I'm not a kid anymore.
After finishing my noodles, I quietly washed the bowl myself.
Then I went back to the living room, telling Ethan I was heading to my room to rest.
And that's when I saw it.
Josie was standing in front of the curio shelf.
She was holding the celadon vase Mom left me in her hands.
It was the only keepsake Mom ever gave me.
Mom handcrafted it herself. There's only one like it in the world.
Mom painted a white orchid on it, copying a little doodle I made as a kid.
"Put it down!" I blurted out.
My voice cracked.
Josie flinched, her hand trembling.
The vase slipped right out of her hands.
I lunged for it.
It was too late.
The celadon vase hit the marble floor and shattered.
It splintered into seven or eight pieces.
The painted white orchid shattered with it.
I dropped to my knees, my fingers trembling as I picked up the fragments one by one.
The sharp edges of the broken porcelain sliced into my fingertips.
Blood seeped across the painted orchid.
"Ah—" Josie let out a scream.
Josie suddenly screamed, then collapsed to the floor, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, curling up into a ball.
"It was Sophia. She pushed me. She wouldn't let me touch it.She really did."
I looked up, blood dripping from my fingertips onto the floor.
"I didn't," My voice was flat.
"I didn't push her," I said.
Ethan marched over.
He took in the broken pieces on the floor, and then looked at Josie, who was shaking all over as she cried.
Then he looked at me.
I'll never forget that look.
He didn't look angry.
It was disappointment.
Disappointment so cold, it made anger feel warm by comparison.
"Sophia," he said.
His voice was so soft, I could barely hear it.
"She's only sixteen. She just lost her mom and now she's in a strange house. You're her big sister," he said.
"Ethan, I didn't—" I blurted out.
But before I could finish, his slap landed.
On my left cheek.
It stung like hell, and my ears were ringing.
I was knocked sideways, and my cheek swelled up almost instantly.
The living room went dead silent for a split second.
Andrew's tray crashed to the floor with a loud bang.
"Mr. Ethan Shaw!" Andrew called out.
Ethan didn't even look at me. He bent down, helped Josie up, and said in a low voice, "Josie, don't be scared. With me here, no one will ever dare to bully you."
No one will ever dare to bully you.
What about me?
Who just got slapped?
I knelt there, surrounded by broken porcelain, my left cheek swollen, blood still dripping from my fingertips.
Michael came barreling down the stairs, and started yelling at me, "Sophia, what's wrong with you? It's her first day here and you're already giving her a hard time?"
"Michael, please, just hear me out." I begged.
"I don't want to hear it." he snapped, pointing at the door, his face flushed with rage. "If you can't accept Josie, then get the hell out. Don't come back."
Get out.
Don't come back.
Something inside me went still.
Then, like someone flipped a switch, everything around me faded into silence.
Ethan was trying to calm Josie down.
Michael was still yelling at me.
Andrew was desperate to say something, but Michael shot him a look that shut him up.
I hung my head.
I stared at the broken porcelain on the floor.
Mom's white orchid.
It was shattered.
I slowly got to my feet.
Bits of broken porcelain dust clung to my knees, and blood from my fingertips smeared onto my pale yellow dress, leaving a dark red stain.
I stopped trying to explain.
I turned and walked back to my room.
I took out the brown paper envelope I'd had tucked away in my drawer.
Institute for High-Altitude Medicine.
Closed-off research project.
Five years.
No quitting halfway.
No contact with the outside world.
The signature line was still blank, with a warning in tiny letters: [Once signed, this agreement is final and cannot be revoked.]
I picked up the pen.
My hand was perfectly steady.
I signed it.
Sophia Shaw.
Each letter was neat and deliberate.