"Ugh, now I have to go get her myself."

Jennifer knocked on my bedroom door.

"Hey, get out here! Mr. Sanchez is here to see you!"

"Mom and Dad are both waiting!"

When she got no response, Jennifer's temper flared instantly.

"What, are you mute? I'm talking to you!"

"You really think hiding in your room means you don't have to get married? Mr. Sanchez just said you're registering the marriage the day after tomorrow."

"Minnie! Can you even hear me? Open the door!"

"I'm giving you three seconds. If you don't, I'll make sure this lock never works again!"

This wasn't the first time Jennifer had broken into my room. Before, whenever we fought, Mom and Dad put on a show of being fair, but they always sided with her. Because I noticed things, because I was sensitive to every small shift, I caught every bit of it. My bedroom was the one private space I had, the only shelter where I could shut out everything I didn't want to feel.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Minnie! You just wait. I'm going to get someone to pick this lock right now!"

Jennifer stormed back downstairs in a fury.

"Mr. Sanchez, I'm so sorry. My sister hasn't gotten out of bed yet!"

Dad's expression darkened.

"What happened? Didn't I tell you to bring her down?"

Jennifer explained, her voice dripping with wounded innocence.

"I tried, Dad! She's locked herself in her room and won't open the door!"

She ground her teeth and, right there in front of Ronnie, started tearing me apart.

"Well, she grew up in an orphanage, so what do you expect? We have a guest in the house and she can't even come down to say hello. No manners whatsoever!"

"Mr. Sanchez, my sister has quite the temper. Are you sure you want to marry her?"

Once Jennifer's emotions took over, nothing was off-limits.

"If it weren't for Mr. Sanchez's leg problems, someone like her would never even get a chance like this! She's handed a golden opportunity and still throws a fit. So dramatic!"

Dad reached over and clamped his hand over Jennifer's mouth, then turned to Ronnie with an apologetic smile.

"Mr. Sanchez, please don't listen to my daughter's nonsense. The marriage arrangement was always meant for Minnie from the very beginning."

Ronnie tightened his grip on the teacup in his hand and looked at Dad.

"To be honest, I don't particularly care who the bride is. I'm only doing this to fulfill my grandfather's wish."

Mom and Dad both let out a breath of relief. Their biggest fear was that Jennifer would say the wrong thing and send all that money walking right out the door.

"However, what was just said? I don't want to hear anything like that again. Minnie is my woman. None of you get to talk about her. If she wants to stay in her room, let her stay."

So this was what a real tycoon looked like?

Ah, what a shame. I was already dead.

It really was a pity, when I thought about it. If I hadn't gotten so worked up, maybe I'd still be alive.

Jennifer's face turned a sickly shade of green.

"She's just some hick who grew up in an orphanage, and Mr. Sanchez is actually defending her!"

Ronnie's gaze shifted to Jennifer. His eyes were glacial.

"Ms. Henson, if I'm not speaking up for her, should I be speaking up for you?"

Mom pulled Jennifer down to sit beside her.

"Mr. Sanchez, please forgive us. My daughter doesn't know any better. I'll make sure to discipline her properly."

"You'd better."

"Since Minnie is still sleeping, I'll come back next Tuesday. We'll go straight to register the marriage then. Let her know."

"I have other matters to attend to. I'll be going."

His bodyguard wheeled Ronnie toward the door. Dad trailed behind them.

"Mr. Sanchez, take care! You're welcome anytime!"

The moment Ronnie was gone, every face in the room changed.

"Dad, he actually stood up for her! How is that fair? I'm supposed to be his fiancee!"

Dad raised his hand, brought it inches from Jennifer's face, then let it drop.

"You..."

He was so angry he downed two cups of tea in a row.

"You were the one who refused to marry him, and now you're jealous? Too late! If you ruin this marriage alliance, every one of those credit cards gets cut off. You can starve for all I care!"

"Dad! Can't we just switch back? I'm willing to marry Mr. Sanchez!"

Jennifer never expected Ronnie to be that magnetic. On top of that, the way he'd spoken up for me had pushed her over the edge.

"You think a marriage alliance is some kind of game? That you can just swap in and out whenever you feel like it?"

Dad let out a long sigh.

"It's not happening."

"But Mr. Sanchez said himself that he doesn't care who the bride is! So just let me go register the marriage instead!"

Jennifer had completely lost it.

Dad couldn't be bothered to entertain her anymore.

She turned to Mom. Mom ignored her too.

So she came back to me, looking for somewhere to dump her rage.

Jennifer kicked my bedroom door.

"You better never come out!"

"What did you do to Mr. Sanchez? Why would he speak up for you?!"

"Open the door, Minnie! I want to switch back! You don't even want to marry him, so let me do it!"

No matter how loud she screamed, there was no response.

Jennifer really thought marriage was like playing house, something she could trade around on a whim.

She didn't stop until her voice gave out. Then she finally went back downstairs.

"Mom, can you do something? She's completely ignoring me!"

"Stop bothering her. The last thing we need is some disaster before the registration."

"Mom, we really can't switch back?"

Jennifer's face was twisted with resentment.

"She just lucked into this!"

"The wedding is set. You were the one who refused. Now you want to switch? You think the Sanchez family is that easy to fool?"

"Fine."

There was still a week until next Tuesday.

When that day came, I wanted to see how everyone planned to handle it.

Mom walked into the kitchen and said a few words to Nora. I couldn't hear what she was saying.

I drifted closer to them.

"Minnie likes chicken nuggets. Save some for her. When she gets hungry, she'll come down and eat."

So Mom had asked Nora to set aside food for me.

Mom still loved me after all.

My eyes stung with tears.

But the moment I remembered how she always favored Jennifer, the warmth that had just flickered to life was snuffed right back out.

"Of course, ma'am. I'll bring a plate up to her later. You go rest now. I've got everything handled here."

"All right. I'll leave you to it."

Mom headed off for her afternoon nap, yawning as she drifted lazily back to her room.

Dad followed her.

That left only Jennifer. Curiosity got the better of her, and she tracked down Nora.

"What did my mom just say to you?"

"Ma'am asked me to save a meal for Minnie."

"Save her a meal? She doesn't deserve it!"

Jennifer was seething.

"Don't you dare save her anything. Not a single bite. I'd rather feed it to the stray dogs outside than leave her a crumb!"

Nora looked deeply uncomfortable.

"Miss Jennifer, those were your mother's instructions."

"So what? I'm Mom's favorite. Minnie is nothing."

"Just do what I say. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame. Missing one meal isn't going to kill her."

Nora kept her head down and said nothing.

Jennifer started yawning too.

"Take care of it yourself. I'm going to my room to rest."

I watched from a distance as Jennifer disappeared upstairs.

Only then did Nora spring into action. She didn't listen to Jennifer at all.

"They're sisters, for heaven's sake. How can you deny someone a meal?"

"Same mother, same blood. How did Minnie end up so gentle while the other one turned out like that?"

Nora packed up a plate of food, carried it upstairs, and knocked softly on my door.

"Minnie, please eat something. You're only hurting yourself by starving."

"No matter what's happened, you still need to eat."

"Minnie, can you hear me?"

Nora set the food down outside the door.

"Whenever you're ready, it's right here. I've left it by the door."

"I'll head back downstairs for now."

I stared at the steaming dishes, mouth watering. Too bad I could no longer eat.

Everyone retreated to their rooms, and the whole house fell quiet.

I drifted through the wall into my bedroom. My body still lay on the floor, deathly pale.

A sudden scream rang out from next door. Jennifer, sounding like she'd just woken from a nightmare.

I flickered into her room.

She was gasping for breath, muttering to herself.

"Why was I dreaming about Minnie?"

"She was trying to kill me. That was terrifying."

"Thank God it was just a dream. I'll go find her later and chew her out. That should make up for the scare she gave me."

So you're getting scared now, Jennifer?

If it hadn't been for the things she'd said to me, I might still be alive.

I waved my hand and drifted over to the window.

It looked like rain was coming. The sky had turned dark and heavy.

The curtains billowed inward on a gust of wind.

Jennifer got up, latched the window shut, then switched on the desk lamp beside her bed.

Right at that moment, a crack of thunder split the air, and she yanked the covers up around herself.

Maybe it was the electromagnetic interference from the storm, but the lamp started flickering on and off.

Jennifer could feel something was wrong. She clutched her blanket tighter and muttered, "Don't scare me. It's the middle of the day."

I gathered every ounce of strength I had and knocked the lamp off the desk.

That was Jennifer's breaking point.

She grabbed her stuffed animal and bolted downstairs.

"Dad! Mom!"

"Dad! Mom!"

Their parents rushed out of the master bedroom the moment they heard her.

"What is it? What happened?"

Jennifer latched onto their mother's arm, trembling.

"I'm scared. The desk lamp fell off the table by itself!"

Their father looked at her like she was being ridiculous.

"How is that not normal? Just pick it up. Why all the screaming?"

"I thought something serious had happened!"

"Dad! I'm telling you, something felt off. I can't explain what exactly, but something was just wrong."

Their mother rubbed Jennifer's shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"All right, all right. Stop overthinking it. I'll sit with you in the living room for a while."

Their father sighed, said nothing more, and went back to bed.

Jennifer clung to their mother like she'd vanish if she let go.

"Mom, there's nothing... unclean in our house, right?"

As she said it, her eyes darted around the room.

"I keep feeling like something's watching us!"

Their mother stroked Jennifer's hair.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Outside, the sky opened up. Rain hammered the windows, and lightning tore through the clouds one flash after another.

Goosebumps crawled up Jennifer's arms.

"Mom, I'm sleeping with you tonight."

"Please?"

Their mother gave in with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, fine. Like a little baby."

The clock on the wall read three forty in the afternoon.

"Why hasn't she come out to eat yet? She can't possibly not be hungry."

Jennifer's guilt was written all over her face. She didn't dare tell their mother she'd ordered Nora not to save me any food. Of course, Nora hadn't listened.

"She's a grown woman, Mom. If she's hungry, she'll come out and eat. Stop worrying about her."

Nora came downstairs from her afternoon rest, passed through the living room, and started prepping ingredients for dinner.

"Good afternoon, ma'am."

"Mm. Hello."

Then Nora remembered the untouched dishes still sitting outside the door upstairs.