Chapter 4

"We are your family!" Alice wailed, collapsing against the Colonel in a dramatic heap. "How can you be so cruel?"

She tried to take a step toward the stairs and stumbled, clutching her heart. "My heart... I can't breathe..."

It was an old trick, one she pulled whenever she was losing an argument.

The Colonel shot me a look of pure hatred. "Look what you've done! You're killing your mother!"

But I wasn't buying it tonight. I just watched her, my face impassive.

Kristen, however, rushed to her side. "Mom! Mom, are you okay? Someone call an ambulance!"

Alice peeked through her fingers to see if I was reacting. Seeing my stony expression, she flopped more dramatically into the Colonel's arms.

"I raised a monster," she gasped. "A cold-hearted monster."

"I learned from the best," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. I turned and went into my room, pulling my old duffel bag from the back of the closet.

I didn't have much. A few changes of clothes, some worn-out books, and a small wooden box where I kept the few mementos from my time in the system. I zipped the bag shut and walked back into the hall.

They were still at the bottom of the stairs, a frozen scene of fake drama.

I stopped at the top of the landing and looked down at them. "I'll be back for the money you owe me. Don't think I'll forget."

I started down the stairs.

As I passed them, a photo album on the entryway table caught my eye. It was brand new, with "Kristen & Jason's Engagement" embossed in gold on the cover. They had already started documenting their perfect new life. My life.

Without a word, I picked it up.

"What do you think you're doing?" the Colonel demanded.

I opened it. The first page had a professional photo of Kristen and Jason, smiling radiantly. It must have been taken weeks ago. This whole thing had been planned for a long time.

"You knew," I said, looking at Kristen. "You knew for weeks, and you let me keep believing."

Kristen wouldn't meet my eyes.

Just then, the phone rang. The Colonel snatched it up.

"Hello? Oh, Mrs. Griffin! Yes, a wonderful evening... yes, we're all just thrilled for Kristen."

He listened for a moment, his back to me. "Oh, no, she's our only one. We poured everything into her. A real blessing."

Our only one. He said it so easily. As if I didn't exist. As if I wasn't standing right there, listening.

A cold, sharp laugh escaped my lips. It was a terrible sound.

The Colonel turned, his eyes wide with fury as he hung up the phone. "You see? You see what you do? You are an embarrassment!"

"I'm an embarrassment?" I said, my voice rising. "I'm not the one who lies to my future in-laws. I'm not the one pretending one of my daughters doesn't exist."

"I'm getting my bag," I said, my voice flat. "And then I'm gone."

I started for the door.

"No!" Kristen shrieked, suddenly launching herself at me. She grabbed my arm, her nails digging in. "You can't go! You'll ruin everything!"

"Let go of me, Kristen," I warned.

"I'll go!" she cried, her voice rising hysterically. "If you stay, I'll be the one to leave! You can have the house, the money, everything! Just don't ruin my wedding!"

It was another performance, a desperate, last-ditch effort to make me the villain.

"You're not going anywhere," I said, shaking my head at her pathetic act. "You're the golden child. This is your kingdom. I'm just abdicating."

I pulled my arm free and turned to leave.

"You'll be back," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "People like you always land on your feet. But one day, your lies will catch up with you. And I hope I'm there to see it."

I walked to the front door and opened it.

"Faith, wait!"

I turned to see Kristen running toward me from the top of the stairs. Her face was a mask of desperation and rage.

And then, in a move of pure, calculated malice, she threw herself down the stairs.

It wasn't a trip. It wasn't a fall. She launched herself into the air, twisting her body so she would land in a crumpled, pathetic heap at the bottom.

She let out a piercing scream as she hit the hardwood floor.

"KRISTEN!" Alice shrieked, rushing to her side.

The Colonel whirled on me, his face contorted with a rage I had never seen before. "You... YOU PUSHED HER!"

He lunged at me, his hands grabbing the front of my shirt, and shoved me backward with all his strength.

"You worthless piece of trash!" he screamed, his voice echoing in the foyer. "You try to kill your sister?"

My head hit the wall. Stars exploded behind my eyes. He didn't stop. He pulled me up and threw me again, this time toward the stairs I had just descended.

My body slammed against the sharp edge of the bottom step. Pain, white-hot and blinding, shot through my ribs.

"She's jealous!" Alice was screaming at Kristen, who was now sobbing in her arms. "She's always been a violent, unstable child!"

The Colonel grabbed my duffel bag and threw it out the open front door.

"GET OUT!" he roared, his face just inches from mine. "Get out of my house and don't you ever come back! You want money? You'll get a bill for your sister's medical care, you psychotic bitch!"

I gasped for breath, the pain in my side making it impossible to speak.

He wasn't finished. He grabbed my hair, dragging me to my feet. He shoved me toward the door.

"You are no daughter of mine!" he snarled.

And then he kicked me, hard, in the small of my back.

I stumbled out of the house and fell down the front steps, landing hard on the concrete walkway.

The front door slammed shut.

Through the window, I could see them hovering over Kristen, all love and concern.

A neighbor's porch light flicked on. "Is everything alright over there, Colonel?" a voice called out.

"Just a little family drama, Bob!" my father called back, his voice suddenly calm and neighborly. "My apologies for the noise. One of my daughters had a... clumsy fall."

The neighbor peered out, saw me crumpled on the ground. "Is that... Faith? Looks like she fell pretty hard."

"She's always been unstable," I heard Alice's voice drift through the closed door. "We're considering getting her professional help."

The neighbor nodded, his face a mixture of pity and judgment. He disappeared back inside his house.

The sound of sirens grew louder in the distance. Someone must have called the police.

My parents' front door opened again. The Colonel stepped out, looking down at me with pure contempt.

"The police are coming," he said. "We're telling them you attacked your sister and then fell down the steps trying to flee. We're pressing charges. You'll pay for what you did tonight."

I tried to push myself up, but the pain was too much. I collapsed back onto the cold concrete.

This was their final move. To not just cast me out, but to brand me as a criminal. To destroy my name as completely as they had destroyed my hope.

Fine, I thought, as the flashing red and blue lights washed over me. You want a fight? You've got one.

I will not be erased.