She was always so sweet. But only when Dad was around. The second he left for work, she’d make me get on my knees and bark like a dog. I wouldn't get to eat until she decided I’d done it well enough, and even then, it was just their leftovers. Her slimeball son, Kevin, would just stand there, clapping and yelling, "Yeah! Go, doggy, go!" like it was the funniest show on earth. But Dad never believed she was anything but kind. She was so ‘petite and pitiful’ in his eyes. And this ‘petite and pitiful’ woman actually wanted to be my mom. My name is Sarah Miller, I'm 16, and I just started high school. I used to dream about high school, imagining all the fun and freedom. But so far, it hasn't brought me any joy. I've felt lonely for a long time, especially after Mom passed away. Dad travels a lot for work, so he’s barely home. "Sarah, aren't you leaving yet? You're going to be late!" Linda hurried me along. She’s the housekeeper Dad hired to look after me. "I know," I mumbled, dragging myself out the door. She only ever spoke to me that nicely when Dad was actually home to hear it. Walking into school felt like stepping onto an alien planet. Strange faces everywhere. I felt like a total outsider, watching everyone else laugh and joke around, feeling completely invisible. "Hey, I'm Kevin. You're the new girl, right? Heard your family's loaded," a boy said, popping my lonely bubble. He was Linda's son. "Hi, I'm Sarah," I managed a small smile. "So, Sarah, heard you guys are rich?" Kevin’s friendly tone vanished instantly, replaced by a nasty, jealous edge. "Does that matter?" I asked, confused. "Nah, just figured rich kids are different," he sneered. Later, during passing period, I overheard a girl whispering to her friend, "Did you hear about Sarah Miller? Kevin said she acts all high and mighty, thinks she's better than everyone 'cause her dad has money or something." "Really? I thought she seemed okay," the other girl replied. Comments like that just made me feel even more out of place in this new school. And things were only going to get worse… 2 When I got home that day, the air felt different, heavy with something unfamiliar. "Sarah, I want you to properly meet Kevin, Linda's son," Dad said, giving me an awkward smile. Linda stood beside him, beaming. "Hey, Sarah. Guess we're family now," Kevin chuckled, looking way too pleased with himself. Family? What was he talking about? "Maybe you should start calling Linda 'Mom'," Dad suggested suddenly. "Why? I already have a mom," I blurted out, reeling from the shock. What was Dad thinking? Mom hasn't even been gone that long. That night, as soon as Dad left for a work dinner, I heard my bedroom door creak open. It was Linda. "Why is your room such a pigsty? Didn't your mother teach you how to clean up after yourself before she died?" Her face twisted into a snarl, like a hyena defending its food. "Who said you could come in here? My room isn't messy! And don't you dare talk about my mom!" I shot up from my chair, yelling. Hearing me shout, Linda stalked towards me, her expression getting uglier by the second. Slap! Her hand cracked across my face, hard. Pain exploded on my cheek. Shock and fear washed over me, and I choked back tears, clutching my face. "Remember this," she hissed, leaning in close. "From now on, I'm the one in charge of this house!" I couldn't hold back anymore. Sobs ripped through me. Slap! Slap! Two more times, just as hard as the first. "You be a good little girl and listen," she spat, "or I'll skin you alive, you worthless brat!" She threw the words at me like stones, then stormed out, slamming the door behind her. The next day, I noticed some of my personal things were missing from my room – some jewelry Mom gave me, a picture frame. Panic tightened my chest. I suspected Kevin took them. When I saw him later, I tried to ask, "Did you see the stuff on my desk?" The memory of last night made my voice shrink. "Some things are gone." "Why would I want your junk, 'sis'?" He looked me up and down, a nasty grin spreading across his face. That evening, I was on the phone with a friend. "...if she hears me, she'll kill me... I'm so scared..." "Sarah, calm down," my friend whispered back. "Just be careful when your dad's not there. Maybe just try to stay out of her way? Look, my mom's calling me, gotta go." She hung up. Suddenly, I felt a chill. I turned around slowly. Linda was standing in my doorway, her face dark and furious. "What were you just saying?" she asked, her voice dangerously low, a terrifying smile plastered on her face. "I... I wasn't saying anything," I stammered, trying to look calm, but my hands were shaking uncontrollably. "You watch yourself, you motherless little thing." Linda shot me one last venomous glare and turned away. The sharp click-clack of her heels echoed down the hall, sounding like a countdown, urging me to just disappear from my own home. 3 Lying in bed that night, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hear Mom's voice in my head: "Sarah, no matter what happens, always try to be a good person." But reality was making it harder and harder to hold onto that. At school, kids avoided me like I had the plague. Whispers followed me everywhere: "Didn't you hear? Kevin said Sarah Miller's mom died and nobody taught her basic hygiene. She stinks, like she never showers or changes her socks." Just then, Kevin walked over, a smug look on his face. "Hey, Sarah. How's life treating you lately?" "Why are you doing this?" I trembled, fear and anger warring inside me. "What? I'm your big brother now, Sarah-bear. Just looking out for my little sister, anything wrong with that?" he replied, practically strutting. After school, I walked home with a heavy heart. As soon as I opened the door, I heard Linda's voice, dripping with false concern, talking to Dad. "… she's been bullying poor Kevin! Honestly, that child is so ungrateful." "Why don't you ask your precious son what he's been doing? Let's hear his side and see who's telling the truth!" I finally exploded, emboldened by Dad's presence. "Sarah, what is wrong with you?" Dad interrupted, his voice sharp with anger. "Linda has been nothing but good to you, practically like a mother! How can you speak to her like that? Didn't we raise you to have manners?" Behind Dad's back, Linda turned her head slightly and gave me a sickeningly sweet, triumphant smile. In that moment, I felt completely alone. Utterly hopeless. Later that night, hiding by my window trying to wipe away tears without making a sound, I saw Linda downstairs in the yard. She was talking quietly with some man I didn't recognize, their heads close together. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but something felt wrong. A tiny spark ignited inside me. Maybe… maybe the time to fight back was coming. The whole world felt like it was laughing at me, mocking me. But Mom's words echoed again: Be strong. Keep going. I was starting to understand, though. When the world turns its back on you, sometimes fighting seems pointless. One person can't take on everyone. People are complicated, dark, full of secrets. Linda was the perfect doting girlfriend and stepmom-to-be in front of Dad, but I knew the monster hiding underneath.
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