LIMINAL || 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙚 [1]

𝟙𝟚 | 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤

Long before Collins had been born, Cara Walker was the light of her parents' lives. Born on August 8, 1978, the first 9 years of her life were as sunny as her arrival on Earth. What more could a girl want than a mom and a dad that adored her? How she turned out so well mannered when she wanted for nothing was a mystery, but her well spoken and polite demeanor had gotten her quite the reputation before she was out of elementary school. Smart and beautiful, too. Perhaps a little reserved for most children her age, but surely she'd grow out of it. In her younger years, she had begged her parents for a sibling, preferably a baby brother, to play with and dress up and maybe boss around, but in a well meaning big sisterly way. Leanne and Jeffery placated this request with a pet once it became a regular thing. And that worked for a while. Eventually, however, Cara once again longed for a sibling.

So when the Walkers announced that they'd be expanding the family — this time, with a human child, not a cat — Cara had been thrilled. She'd stopped strangers in the grocery store to tell them that she was going to be a big sister, punctuated by a pat on Leanne's swollen belly. Unfortunately, it was not a baby brother, but that didn't matter. "Beggars can't be choosers," Cara's mom had said plenty of times, and right now, she was a beggar.

It started when her baby sister was born. Collins Walker was a surprise, but a welcome one, and Leanne and Jeffery found that after eight years, they were out of practice in the baby department. Juggling a child that was quickly approaching her tween years every day and a newborn at the same time proved to be more than they could say grace over. Cara, ever the perceptive child, noticed that the time which had been all for her to occupy was now delegated to the small bald human screaming in her bassinet. She still loved her, despite the negative effect she had had on the family's sleep schedule. Collins was a baby after all, and Cara was reaping some of the benefits of her granted wish. She got to help change the baby, feed the baby, hold the baby, soothe the baby. Everything was about the precious baby. Cara didn't mind; she was being responsible by helping. That was one of her favorite words to be called by the adults in her life. It wasn't until a few years later that the relationship started to sour.

First, it was Cara's free time. By then, Collins was about three and was forming her own personality. She wasn't completely helpless like a fresh baby, but she still couldn't be left to her own devices for too long. Cara was tasked with watching her sister whenever her parents were busy, which wasn't often, but did foil some of her plans at one point or another. A sleepover? Not this weekend, Collins has a checkup on Friday and neither of their parents would have the energy or time to look after a third child. A school dance? No, there wouldn't be anyone to pick her up once it was over and they didn't want to disrupt Collins's bedtime because she was finally getting over her fear of the dark. Beta convention? Money was tight, having two kids participating in sports — Jeffery Walker not only signed his daughters up for tee-ball at the earliest age, he volunteered to coach the team. Eventually, it was better to not ask and forgo the disappointment entirely.

Cara realized early on that she and Collins had very different personalities, despite any shared interests. Collins marched to the beat of her own drum, while Cara had learned how to follow the same rhythm as everyone else. And when Cara tried to get her younger sister to follow that rhythm, it usually resulted in an argument. If Collins would just listen, then things would work out much smoother, but the girl insisted on doing things her own way, making her own mistakes rather than learning from the mistakes of others. Over the years, their arguments got fewer and farther between, but grew in intensity, from petty fights about clothes to whether or not one or the other was making the right decision about their lives. Cara didn't like Collins's boyfriend or Collins didn't like Cara's major. Or maybe they both thought their parents were treating the other unfairly. Collins more often than not found it easier to let it go and ignore Cara's criticisms, and Cara did try to not let Collins's personality bother her unless it was detrimental in the long run. But eventually, one of them would lose their temper and say something they regretted. The situation would resolve itself like it did between most siblings, but until then, it would be like walking on eggshells around them.