Her teammate couldn’t stand it anymore. “Sharon,” he said, “Anna’s a good kid, she’s always so sweet and polite. What if something happened? We should go back and get her.”

But my mom just assumed I was holding a grudge, doing it on purpose to piss her off.

“Her? Sweet and polite? You haven’t seen the way she bullies Chloe at home. It’s all an act for you guys. She’s too scared to die.”

“After all, she was trying to kill Chloe before they were even born, right in my own belly…”

“Mommy, Mommy, I’m scared. Mommy, help me, help me…” A pale little face, streaked with shiny tears, reached out and threw herself into my mother’s arms.

Chloe, now awake, had cut my mother’s sentence short. Mom’s face softened as she hugged Chloe tightly, patting her back gently. “It’s okay, Chloe, don’t be scared. Mommy’s here.”

The other adults looked like they wanted to say something. “Sharon, Anna is still just a little girl, we should…”

My mother cut them off sharply. “She’s the one being difficult. You’ve all been working all day. Go get some rest.”

“Mommy, where’s Anna? Where’s my sister? You have to go save her!”

I saw a flicker of a smile cross my mom’s face before she put on a show of being worried sick about me.

My dad came over to comfort them. “Chloe, sweetheart, Mommy already moved the big rock off of your sister. She’s okay…”

“That’s right,” my mom chimed in quickly. “Mommy moved the rock off her. She’s just mad at me, that’s why she hasn’t come back. She’s so exhausting.”

Chloe started to cry again. “Mommy, she’s mad because I took her present on our birthday. It’s all my fault, boo hoo…”

I had to laugh. In front of our parents, she was the perfect, innocent little girl, begging for their affection.

But with me, she was a spoiled little tyrant, always flaunting the love she received.

I was already dead, and she was still scared I was going to steal our parents’ love.

But then again, she was the apple of their eye, the sweet, well-behaved, straight-A student. I wondered what their faces would look like when they finally realized she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

After all, I was the one she’d been bullying her whole life.

The moment she heard that, my mom’s anger flared up again.

“She’s the older sister, she’s supposed to let you have things. She owes you that. It’s not your fault, Chloe. There, there, don’t cry. You’ll mess up your pretty face.”

That’s right.

Because I was the older sister, it was my duty to give in to her.

If I’d had a choice, I would have never wanted to be the older sister.

Because the older sister never gets any love from her parents; only the younger one does.

Chloe cried until she could barely breathe. “Mommy, it must be something I did wrong, I must have made her mad. I’ll be better from now on, I promise.”

Mom’s expression immediately softened, her eyes filling with a loving warmth. “My Chloe is the most considerate little girl. Mommy loves you the most.”

A few nice words from Chloe and she was considerate. I could do a thousand things right and still be called cold-hearted.

I could never earn a single word of concern.

My heart was dead.

As the rescue operations wound down, they prepared to move to a new temporary home.

On the way there, it was as if they never even had another daughter. The whole ride was spent trying to make Chloe happy.

Mom held her in her arms. “Chloe, we’re going to our new house. We’ll give you the big bedroom, and we’ll paint it pink and fill it with all your favorite dolls.”

Chloe wrapped her arms around Mom’s neck, acting cute. “Mommy, let’s give the big room to Anna. I can take the small one. I don’t want her to be mad again.”

My dad gently stroked her hair. “You both came from the same womb. How did our Chloe turn out so thoughtful?”

“If only your sister were half as considerate as you.”

My mom sighed too. “I know. Our Chloe is just too sweet, and that’s why Anna bullies her all the time.”

Inside the cramped car, the three of them were a happy, laughing family. It was so warm.

I sat alone on the roof of the car, an indescribable sadness in my heart.

In their eyes, I wasn’t even as important as the stray dog Chloe had found.

While they were evacuating, Chloe realized her dog was missing. Mom and Dad ran all over the rescue camp looking for it, and in the end, they brought it with them to the new house.

But they never once went to look for me.

It was as if I wasn't their daughter, not a member of their family at all.

I wanted to leave them, but my soul was tethered to my mother, unable to stray far.

So all I could do was watch them shower Chloe with affection, a constant, painful reminder that they did not love me.

My heart broke, over and over again.