At St. Jude’s Home for Children, a wealthy couple came to adopt. They wanted my brother and me. My ten-year-old brother, Leo, held my five-year-old hand tightly. He pointed to a boy standing by the door, a scruffy kid clutching a dirty rag doll, looking a little lost in his own world. "Hey, Lily," Leo said, his voice soft. "Why don't you play with him for a minute? I'll come get you when it's time to go." I watched his back as he walked away, a knot of fear tightening in my stomach. I instinctively ran after him. But I stopped short at the door to the director's office. Through the glass, I saw him holding another girl’s hand. Maya. He was pleading with Mrs. Gable, the director. "Maya's really good, and she listens," he was saying, his voice earnest. "Please, let her take Lily's place. Let her be adopted with me." I froze, my hand hovering over the doorknob, my world tilting on its axis. The dirty little boy from the doorway shuffled over to me, his eyes wide and serious. He gently took my hand. "We need a little sister at my house," he said, his voice clear and simple. "You can come with me." 1 Watching my brother walk away, a deep sense of unease settled over me. Ever since our parents died and we’d ended up here, Leo and I had been inseparable. He’d promised we’d be adopted together. He said it was the only way he could be sure no one would bully me. I looked at the scruffy boy who only seemed to talk to his doll, and a shiver of fear ran down my spine. After a moment's hesitation, I turned and bolted in the direction Leo had gone. I found him in the director's office. He was holding Maya’s hand, his back to me, speaking to Mrs. Gable. “Maya’s really good, and she listens. Please, just let her take Lily’s place and come with me.” Mrs. Gable looked troubled, her brow furrowed. “Leo, honey, Lily is your sister. She’s your family. Are you sure you want to give her up? I’m afraid you’ll regret this one day.” My brother shook his head, his voice firm and unwavering. “Lily’s so smart and pretty, she’ll find another good family. But Maya… she only has me. I have to look out for her.” My nose stung. Tears welled up in my eyes and started to fall, hot and fat, down my cheeks. But he was all I had. Mrs. Gable glanced at Maya's face, at the faint, silvery web of scars that traced across her cheek, and spoke honestly. "I'm not sure the Walters will agree to this." Leo pulled Maya closer, into a protective hug. "They'll agree," he insisted. "They only ever really wanted to adopt me anyway. Taking Lily was just a bonus. Swapping her for someone else won't make a difference to them." Finally, Mrs. Gable sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll ask them." I clung to the window frame, watching my brother and Maya hug each other, their faces alight with joy. I couldn't understand how everything had gone so wrong. The scruffy boy had been watching me from the doorway. He finally seemed to make up his mind and trotted over. He took my hand, swinging it gently. "We need a little sister at my house," he repeated, tilting his head happily. "You can come with me." My lip trembled. I snatched my hand away. "Don't touch me! My brother would never leave me. I'm not going with you." The boy frowned, his expression serious as he shook his head. "Nope. Your brother doesn't want you anymore. I heard the whole thing." A sob tore from my throat. "You're lying!" I cried, shoving him away. "I'm going to go ask him myself, right now." 2 Inside the office, Leo was smiling gently at Maya. "From now on, we're family," he said softly. Maya’s lips curved into a happy smile, and she nodded vigorously. "Yeah. You're the best brother, Leo." He patted her head affectionately. I burst through the door and ran at them, shoving Maya away from him with all my might. "Get away from him! He's my brother!" Maya stumbled back a few steps before catching her balance, her face a mask of hurt. "Lily!" Leo gasped, rushing to Maya's side. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Maya just shook her head silently, but a huge, glistening tear welled in her eye, threatening to fall. Leo spun around to face me, his expression clouded with disapproval. "Lily Sterling! Who taught you to push people like that? Is that what I've taught you?" A wave of injustice washed over me, but I choked back the sobs. "Why are you replacing me?" I demanded. My brother had the grace to look guilty, his eyes darting away from mine. That only fueled my anger. I pointed a trembling finger at Maya. "Trading your own sister for her? Is that something a real brother does? What would Mom and Dad say if they could see you now?" Leo’s mouth opened and closed. Finally, a flash of anger crossed his face. "Why are you so selfish?" he shot back, his voice rising. "There are so many kids here waiting for a home. Does our family have to take up two spots?" I didn't know how to answer that. I just stood there, my eyes wide, tears streaming down my face. Just yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. Walters, a rich couple, had visited the orphanage. They saw Leo and me, thought we were beautiful children, and were touched that we were brother and sister. They wanted to adopt us both. Leo had been ecstatic. He'd told me we'd never be separated. He’d even excitedly started packing my favorite toys and blankets. And Maya… she was the daughter of my mom's best friend. They had been on the same flight. Her mom didn’t make it either. So she came to St. Jude’s with us. She had always orbited Leo, complaining about how lonely it was to be an only child. Leo had been nice to her, sure, but he’d always said that I was his number one, that no one could ever come before me. Just yesterday, I’d seen him comforting her. "Don't worry, Maya," he'd said. "Someone will come adopt you soon, you'll see." But he'd been quiet and moody after that. That night, just before we went to sleep, he’d asked me, "Lily, do you think… when we leave and Maya is all alone… do you think someone might bully her?" A spike of alarm went through me. I wrapped my arms around his arm. "No way. Mrs. Gable won't let them." He was silent for a few seconds, then spoke again. "But what if the people who adopt her aren't nice?" Panic flared in my chest, and my voice rose without my meaning it to. "Mrs. Gable will check on her! Leo, that's not our problem." 3 Leo nodded distractedly and rolled over to sleep. But I knew. I knew he was worried about Maya. My mom's best friend had been a single mother. Our families were close, so we saw them all the time. And while Maya had always been clingy with Leo, he hadn't been especially close to her before. He always used to say that a brother's special love was reserved for his sister, and that was me. But a person's feelings aren't just dictated by blood. When Leo was eight, a man tried to grab him. It was Maya who saw it happen. It was Maya who fought back. She’d latched onto the kidnapper’s car door and refused to let go, getting dragged for what felt like a mile before people on the street finally realized what was happening and called the police. She saved him, but she was badly hurt. The road rash and deeper cuts left scars all over her body, even her face, that never truly faded. My own memory of it is fuzzy, just flashes of her screaming in a hospital room. After that, kids at school started calling her "monster face." And after that, Leo started taking care of her, worrying about her. My mom would always say, "Maya is our family's hero, Lily. We have to be grateful." At first, I’d nod along, not fully understanding. "Maya is our hero. We have to be nice to her." But gradually, Leo's attention shifted more and more to her. If he got me a gift, he had to get one for her, too. Once, he managed to get his hands on a limited-edition action figure I really wanted, but he gave it to her instead. Panic set in. He was my brother. My own brother. And so, I started to hate Maya. I hated her for always stealing my brother from me. One day, when no one was around, I confronted her. "Stay away from my brother," I warned. "He doesn't even like you." Maya leaned in close, her voice a low whisper right next to my ear. It felt cool and slick, like a snake I’d seen on TV, and it made me shiver. "Too bad," she hissed. "Your mom said I'm like a daughter to her now. That makes Leo my brother, too. And I'm going to hang out with him. Every. Single. Day." I snapped. I shoved her to the ground and raised my fist. "If you come near him again, I'll hit you." Her lip trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. Just then, Leo walked out of his room. It was the first time he ever got truly angry with me. "Lily, why are you being so selfish?" "We've spoiled you rotten!" 4 After that, I hated her even more. She never said a word, but somehow, she had stolen everyone's attention. I didn't know what to do, except that I just wanted her gone. My parents grew more and more disappointed in me, and Leo grew closer and closer to Maya. But we were still family. They just thought I needed more discipline. No one ever imagined a plane crash would take my parents away. When we got to the orphanage, I became even clingier with Leo. He was the only family I had left. No one could take him from me. He promised me again and again that he would never leave me, and begged me to stop picking on Maya. But he didn't know. After Maya got hurt, she changed. She became… strange. She’d always have her head down, looking at me with this creepy, hateful glare from under her hair. And I knew for a fact that he was secretly saving his candy and milk rations for her. I couldn’t make myself like her. But I never, ever imagined he would give my spot, my chance at a family, to her. Maybe it was because I was crying so hard. Leo’s expression softened, and he stepped forward to wipe my tears. "Don't cry, Lily. We're brother and sister. That will never change, for our whole lives. But Maya is different. She has no one. And she's so fragile… it'll be hard for her to find a good family. If I abandon her too, what will she do? Don't worry, I'll ask Mrs. Gable to find another great family for you." I was trembling all over. I reached for his hand instinctively. "Brother, please don't leave me." He turned his head away, unable to look at me, and gently pushed me out of the room. I didn't understand all of his words, but I understood one thing. He was really leaving me. 5 Outside the door, the scruffy little boy was still there, clutching his dirty doll. When he saw me come out, his eyes lit up. "Did you check? Your brother doesn't want you, right?" His words just twisted the knife in my already broken heart. I covered my face with my hands and started to wail. The boy tugged on the hem of my shirt, pulling me gently towards the exit. "It's okay. I'll take you home." I was crying so hard I couldn't see straight, just letting myself be pulled along by his gentle force. A few moments later, we were out on the street. Suddenly, I heard a shout that cut through my sobs. I looked up. "Where have you been? Your father and I have been worried sick!" "If something happened to you too, I don't think I could survive it!" A beautiful woman in a purple dress was hugging the little boy, her eyes red. The boy used one hand to wipe her tears and the other to hold onto me. "Mommy, I found a sister," he announced happily. "Don't be sad anymore." I took two steps back, scared. Leo had told me never to leave the orphanage alone, that bad people took little kids. The woman looked at me, completely baffled. "Honey, where did you find this child?" The little boy turned and pointed proudly back at St. Jude's. "In there! There were lots of sisters, but I picked the prettiest one!" A man standing behind them, his face grim, snapped, "That's enough of this nonsense." The two of them brought me back. Mrs. Gable was pacing anxiously in the foyer. "Lily! Why did you run off by yourself?" I burst into fresh tears and threw myself into her arms. "Mrs. Gable, my brother doesn't want me anymore!" She stroked my head lovingly before turning to thank the couple. The little boy, however, started kicking his legs and shouting. "She's the sister I found! No one can take her away!" He was carried, struggling, back to their car. I could see his face pressed against the window, leaving a smear of dirt and fingerprints on the clean glass.
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