I self-consciously shift my focus down my clothing choice of dark leggings and a hoodie, making sure I didn’t accidentally put the discarded clothes back on from being sleep deprived.
That’s all I need, perched at Mom’s dining table with unexplained blood stains in front of my civil servant sister.
“Hi, honey,” Mom coos as she wraps her arm around me when I take a seat, one hand sticking out as it clutches a wooden spatula.
“Missed you, Mom, sorry I’m late.” I squeeze her back, catching my sister narrowing her eyes into her phone.
I tighten my own on her. “So, to what do we owe the pleasure?”
Her huff slowly releases before I even finish my sentence, clearly not enough caffeine in her to fill her social battery.
You never know with Louisa; she’s either up for the back and forth, or she wants to get out the room as quickly as possible, like marking the visit off a chores list.
“I have a meeting close by. Thought I would stop in when Mom said you were on your way, see what my baby sister looks like after a year.”
I watch her ass-like smile widen on her face.
The damn irony in her words; I have to find out about her life updates through the internet.
Mom walks back into the room, placing down plates as she rounds the table. A mischievous thrill erupts inside me, forcing Louisa’s face to drop when she realises.
I am nothing if not childish during a sibling battle.
“Louisa was just saying she might host a Thanksgiving party this year, Mom.”
I watch Mom’s eyes light up and my sister’s glow red behind her sockets.
“Oh, sweetie, that would be wonderful! You never have dinner guests round,” she exclaims, and I feel like pulling a scorecard out on my phone.
Louisa always travels for Thanksgiving, work relatedagain. So this will have pissed her right off.
And right on cue, she mouths, “Asshole,” at me, stabbing her fork into her pancakes.
Looks like she’s got a schedule to clear this year, otherwise Mom will be rattling the keypad to her home, turkey in hand.
“This is so nice, isn’t it? My baby girls around the breakfast table, just like when you were kids.” She takes a mouthful,chewing before she speaks again. “How’s work going for the both of you? Are you both remembering to take time for yourselves?”
My shoulders tighten whilst her attention is on my sister.
“Busy busy, Mom. Barry has his annual consumer party in a few weeks’ time, so I’ve been helping him prepare for that when I get a minute.”
My sister has been with her husband since early high school; they’re literally inseparable. She married well; he’s the heir to a premium vodka corporation named Absconditus.
Looking at both of them, they could be mistaken for everything I’ve learned to hate in this world.
They’re powerful and likely have enough money to hide a criminal record. But Louisa is my flesh and blood.
Despite her being the most annoying big sister in the world, she’d never be a part of something like that, nor would Barry. He was like a brother to me growing up. Even though we hardly see them, when we’ve truly needed them, they’ve dropped everything.
I hate to admit, and it’s one of those things I’m ashamed to say I did, but I checked their record. They had their own sororities in university.
I just needed to know that not everyone in power that went to Kingstone University was a part of that secret.
My paranoia back then had me deep within its grasp, and I lost trust for a lot of things.
That alone should ease the burning vengeance inside me, to not want to rip Kingstone apart and unveil every single member out there. That just because there are people within the same tax bracket, the bad only make up a minority.
Unfortunately for my marks, all of them are in a position of influence.
