Chapter 2

Emily and I were switched at birth, and it wasn't until we were ten that the truth came out.

Both families were so attached to us that they decided to raise us together.

To make sure nobody played favorites, they made sure to treat Emily and me the same in everything.

When it came time to choose high schools, since Emily couldn't get into the top one, I had to transfer to the affiliated high school. It was the only place she was accepted.

All my friends were at the top school, but my mom dragged me all the way home from the gate, ignoring my crying and protests.

"Don't think I'm being unfair. If Em can only go to the affiliated high school, how could you go to the top one? Life has to be fair, you get that?" she said.

When it was time to apply for college, Emily said she didn't want to go anywhere without friends, so my plans got overridden, and I had to follow her to Lunovia.

When it finally came time for grad school applications, I begged and pleaded until they finally agreed that Emily and I could each apply to the schools we wanted.

After that, the families would draw lots to decide who would move to which city and buy a place to stay with us during our studies.

So when I heard Emily had her sights set on a school in Aurelia City, I didn't think twice. I picked my dream school in Arden City, as far away from her as I could get.

I worked toward that goal for an entire year. I was up before dawn every day memorizing vocabulary and still drilling through practice questions long after midnight.

Even my advisor and roommates kept telling me to slow down and take a break.

When the exam was finally over, I was on top of the world, dreaming that this was my ticket to finally break free from Emily.

But in the end, I still couldn't escape the fate of being stuck with her for life.

An exhaustion I couldn't put into words washed over me. I took a deep breath, pushed Athena's hand away, and went straight to my room.

I grabbed my phone and started filling out applications for schools overseas.

If staying in this family meant I would always have to bend over backwards for them, then screw it. I was done with this family.

Em did well in the test, so my parents invited a few close relatives over for a little family dinner to celebrate.

My mom said, "Em scored 320 this time. She ranked sixth.

"Her advisor even reached out to congratulate her."

"Wow, that's awesome. You guys nailed it raising Em and Soph together. My twins are always at each other's throats, fighting over everything.

"They drive me crazy every single day. Seriously, how did you manage to raise two girls together without them tearing each other apart?" one of the relatives joked.

My mom and Athena, sitting on either side of Emily, shared a quick smile and started talking about how they managed raising us.

"Honestly, we had no clue at first," my mom laughed. "So we decided everything had to be the same for both of them."

"Yeah, from childhood all the way through high school and college, we always made sure they went to the same schools. They've never fought or anything," Athena chimed in.

"Oh, that's how you did it. No wonder they get along so well," the relative said.

My mom was all smiles. It was her idea, after all.

I stared at my glass, but all I could think about were the two identical boxes of mangoes and pine nuts that always sat in the kitchen and snack cabinet.

As for me? I was allergic to mangoes and never ate pine nuts.

But almost every time, whatever they brought home was always what Emily liked.

Every time, they'd act all surprised and say, "Wow, what a coincidence. We both bought the same thing again."

But whenever I said I didn't like it, my mom would look at me with a cold expression and say, "It's all the same stuff. Don't be picky. It's only fair.

"Besides, this time it's what Em likes. Next time it'll be your turn, right? Why are you getting upset? Athena and I are always fair."

I kept waiting for twelve whole years, but not once did it ever turn out to be my turn.