Maria

Mistaken

         I’m always mistaken for my sister. I don’t know why. I have brown hair. She hasblonde. I’m short and wide, she's tall and skinny. We are total opposites. I don't see it. She is beautiful. I am nothing to compare. I sit here looking at her, as she painted a picture of our backyard. Her brush is moving gracefully, as she smiles and looks out into the yard. The sun is setting and the river out back is reflecting the purple of the sky. She is capturing it perfectly. I want to go up there and knock her painting away, tear it up, then punch her in the face.

            "Time to come in Maria!" My mom calls

She doesn't call me. She calls my sister. Always my sister. Maria looks up. Her beautiful long hair whipping around her head. She smiles. I frown and try to look like I am reading my book. Maria comes up to me and pulls my book down, away from my face.

            "Come on slow poke. It's your day to set the table." Maria said, smiling her perky smile. Then she pranced away.

I got up and trudged in, taking my time.

FLASH

            "Come on Hunny set the table." my mom smiled at me as she pulled out the dishes from the cupboard.

My dad is at the stove, stirring something in a pot. I look at Maria. She smiles at me, but quickly her smile turns into an evil toothy one. Her mouth becoming abnormally long and wide, her teeth spreading out, and becoming sharp. She lifts up a knife. Slightly chuckling to herself, Her head turns toward my mom. Maria's eyes are now wide. Her normally ocean blue eyes now basically white with an evil sparkle in them. She starts sneaking up on my mom, smiling all the way.

"Mom!" I exclaim.

Trying to bring her attention to the fact that she was about to be murdered by her perfect daughter.

"Yes?" she replies not looking at me.

“Look at me!” I yell at her. She turns, with a confused look on her face just as the knife came slamming into her head.

FLASH

            "Don't dawdle now." My dad said.

I look at Maria, confused. She is reading a magazine. She sees me looking at her and smiles. Her smile is normal. Her mouth isn’t abnormally wide, her teeth weren’t sharp. Her eyes were back to their beautiful selves. I turn to my mom. She now had the plates all stacked up ready to be placed on the table. My dad was still stirring whatever was in the pot.

“Come on Maria please set the table.” My mom said gesturing to me.

“I’m not Maria.” I snarl “I’m Nicole.” My mom looks at me, with a slightly amused look on her face.

“I’m sorry Nicole. Please come and set the table.”

FLASH

            "Does Nicole still have to eat with us, hunny?" My mom inquired, looking at me.

“Of course I do!” I screamed at her, “I have to eat too!”

“Of course she has to eat, but does she have to eat with us?” My dad asked with a serious look on his face.

I was shocked. Normally I was just called Maria, or mistaken for Maria, or compared to Maria, but no! Now I’m being kicked out of my own dinner table because of Maria. I scowled and picked up my plate and walked away into the living room.

FLASH