☆

the outside, it was a quaint, weather-beaten cottage, its overgrown rose bushes a riot of color against the chipped paint. It could have been

ace in the town's social hierarchy. Their father, a man whose back was perpetually bowed from years of tireless labor at the local mill, had hands calloused and a spirit worn thin. Their

ir lives. With her cascading auburn hair, luminous hazel eyes, and a smile that could melt even the iciest hearts, she was a vision of beauty and grace. Her intelligence was sharp, her academic

people would murmur, their eyes gl

s. She was showered with affection, her every whim catered to, her every success celebrated. The mother's he

other daughter, Katherine. While Caroline was the sun, radiating warmth and light, Kathe

r sister's radiant charm. Where Caroline was outgoing and social, Katherine preferred the quiet solitude of her own company, her thoughts a labyrinth of introspective

sharp and cutting, sliced through her already fragile self-esteem, leaving behind raw wounds that bled into her nights. Kath

nded a hand to her sister. She seemed, in fact, to take a perverse pleasure

spoken sentiment that permeated their household. "After all, Katherine was th

ascent confidence. The whispers, the taunts, the relentless shadow of her sister's perfection, all conspir

sn't as smart as Caroline, she didn't excel in academics, and she wasn't blessed with her sister's radiant charm. But Katherine possessed

m prying eyes, her imagination ran wild, her pencil gliding effortlessly across the pages, bringing to life her dream

to escape the confines of her suffocating reality. Every time she sat at her sewing machine, her fingers fly

resilience, creativity, and a quiet defiance. Each garment was a silent protest against the

to whenever the world outside became too overwhelming. It was a sanctuary where she could finally

h and the poor were blurred, but never truly erased. The students, all clad in the uniform of white button-up sh

nce, her charisma - all worked in her favor, allowing her to manipulate the perceptions of those around her. She used her influence

from the relentless bullying she endured. Instead, she seemed to revel in Kathe

ne's indifference. She had come to accept her place as the shadow, the one w

llying at school all conspired to chip away at Katherine's spirit. She was dro

any sun, that her talent, her ability to create, was her saving grace. It was the one thing that separated her from her sister, the

low the whispers and the taunts to define her. Katherine was determined to step out o