red dress clung to her body like a second skin, the silk cool and invasive

g. The fabric was unforgiving. The girl in the mirror was exactly wha

ls made her stiffen. The doo

a flicker of something ugly-jealousy-in their depths. The dress was vulgar,

into the room. She circled Alya like a shark, a fake smile plast

sharp movement, Chl

ne sloshed forward, splashing d

tain, the color of a fresh wound, spread rap

re her expression hardened into a familiar sneer. "Look w

s. At the triumphant smirk on her sister's face.

"Now you'll have to wear that hideous little black thing you own.

To humiliate her. To make her

with a clink, turned on her heel, and walked out, leaving

bursts. Then, with a surge of angry energy, she ripped the ruin

action of her absence. If they wanted to display her

r years, its fabric worn soft from too many washings. It was elegant in

en the bottom drawer. Tucked beneath a stack

folded neatly, lay inside. The embro

to her cheek. It didn't smell like wood and rain

down her cheek. She didn't let another one fo

had shielded her from the storm. He was her secret, the one

cked it into a small, hidden pocket sewn into

way the trace of her tear. Her eyes, which had been filled

being the g

opened her bedroom door and walked toward the