𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐰?
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Nova is tired, but she doesn't let it show. After years of playing mother to her young twin sisters, years of overexerting herself in school, at home, and at work, she c...
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𝔬𝔫𝔢 | 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔪
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But what about your family?
And which of these three categories did my mother fall into?
My fork scraped noisily against the porcelain dish, too loud in the awkward silence. I stabbed a piece of steak, then swirled it through a mound of potatoes I'd painstakingly whipped to perfection.
The food I worked so hard on was delicious—I mean, I made it. Of course it was—but I couldn't savor it with that vixen perched at the other end of the table. I might as well be chewing sandpaper and swallowing sawdust.
Everything about Mom's presence here rubbed me the wrong way, but I was expected to sit here happily. Celebrate her like some long awaited guest. Feed her. Watch as Sola and Luna, my identical twin sisters, gawked at her like she was the answer to all their prayers.
Maybe she was.
I bit into my food with too much angry fervor. The fork's tines scraped my gums painfully, the metallic taste of blood soon mixing in with the night's flavors. I winced, reaching for my glass of water.
This was her fault too.
"Are you girls still taking those dance classes?" Veronica asked lightly, peeking over her own glass at my sisters. Her tone was conversational, but I saw the gleam in her eyes, the look that meant your next words were absolutely crucial.
My sisters didn't know any better.
"Yes!" Luna chirped eagerly, leaning forward in her chair. One of her long braids swung forward and slipped in front of her eyes, its tip landing right in the middle of her food. I cringed as she distractedly brushed it aside. Veronica's eyes followed the movement as she lowered her glass, her mauve-tinted mouth turning downward just a fraction.
Her judgment was familiar. Scathing. But seeing it directed at my little sister made my skin burn hotter than it had in a long, long time.
"I want to compete," Luna continued, her voice rising with her excitement. "Coach said I might be good enough to start next season. Isn't that great?"
Sola was the quieter sister, but no less eager to please. She peeked up at her mother from beneath full lashes, her gaze unsure. "Me too," she added shyly.
"That's excellent, my stars," Veronica sang. The familiar nickname sent my blood to ice. I placed my glass of water down on the tabletop with shaky hands.
"Of course," Veronica continued, her voice sickly sweet. "You'll need to balance it out with academics. An artistic pursuit is wonderful—integral even—but it's not enough on its own. You'll need to add something more substantial."
