A basketball knocked me and my friend Aiden out cold. Waking up, I suddenly heard my late mother’s voice. “Sweetheart, don’t trust Aiden. He’s faking amnesia to impress Jennifer.” Stunned, I turned to Aiden as he mumbled, “Who… are you?” My mother’s voice returned, heavy with sorrow. “In another life, he left you alone in a fire to be with her. You died.” “Listen,” she urged. “Your father will ask you to pick a brother. Don’t choose Aiden. Pick Julian Shaw. He seems stern, but he’s the one who always carried your water bottle on hikes.” Before I could react, my father approached with photos of orphaned boys. “Lily, choose one. We’ll adopt him as your brother.” Without hesitation, I pointed to Julian. “I choose him,” I said softly. “I’m listening to Mom.” 1 My father stared, taken aback by my choice. “Lily, are you sure? You and Julian are usually at each other's throats. This is a big decision. Once it’s made, he’ll be your family for life.” My dad was a big shot on the base. Whichever boy joined our family was getting a life-changing opportunity. Ms. Evans, Aiden’s distant aunt, hurried over. “Lily, dear,” she said, her voice syrupy sweet. “I know Aiden’s memory is a little fuzzy right now, but you two have always been so close. Why don’t we wait a few days? I’m sure he’ll remember you then.” My mother scoffed in my head, a sound like static and fury. “What nonsense! In that other life, that little Jennifer girl ripped your favorite butterfly ribbon. You barely said a word, and Aiden locked you out in the pouring rain. You almost caught pneumonia. It was Julian who found you, shivering under the eaves. He grumbled about you being ‘so much trouble,’ but he wrapped his own coat around you.” A sharp pang of something—grief? recognition?—shot through my chest. I didn’t understand what my mom meant by "another life," but every word she spoke felt heavy and real, clogging my heart like waterlogged cotton. Besides, it was true that Aiden always put Jennifer first. Their games of house were an exclusive club, and I was never invited. “Dad,” I said, my voice firm. “I’ve made my choice. I want Julian to be my brother.” My father tucked the photos away and ruffled my hair. “Alright, Lily. I respect your decision. In two days, I’ll host a dinner for everyone on the base to make the official announcement.” My mother’s voice sighed with relief. “That’s my girl. This time, you’re going to be safe and sound.” Later, after my dad and the other adults had left to discuss the arrangements, I changed into a sundress and slipped out of the room for some fresh air. The moment I opened the door, I saw three familiar figures standing in the hallway. They were the other boys my dad had considered adopting, all kids I played with. Aiden was with them. The only one missing was Julian. Max sidled up to me, a grin on his face. “Lily! Heard you’re picking a brother. So, who’s the lucky guy?” Finn chimed in, “Who do you think? It’s gotta be Aiden! Everyone knows Lily follows him around like a puppy, saves all her best snacks for him.” Aiden just glanced at me, his expression coolly adult. “I honestly don’t remember the last few years,” he said, a little too smoothly. “I just remember always playing with Jennifer. But if this is what the adults want, I’ll look after you.” A cold laugh echoed in my head. “That’s the exact line he used in the other life,” my mother hissed. “Playing the amnesia card so he could keep Jennifer at his side while still taking everything you gave him. That little liar broke my baby’s heart.” I looked at Aiden’s nonchalant face. If it weren’t for my mother’s warning, I would have bought his act completely. I used to trust him so much. I thought he was my real friend. I remembered my birthday three years ago. He’d gathered all the kids from the base to sing for me, his eyes sparkling as he said, “Lily, I’ll always protect you.” I’d been so moved I cried. From that day on, I was his shadow. Now I saw it. He probably only ever nice to me because of my father. And now he was faking amnesia, a convenient excuse to openly prefer Jennifer while still positioning himself to be adopted by my dad. He couldn’t have it both ways. Not this time. You little monster. I bit back the urge to expose him right then and there. Let him enjoy his little fantasy for two more days. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he heard my father’s announcement. Seeing my silence, Max nudged me. “So? Who did you pick?” “You’ll all find out in two days,” I said flatly. I turned to leave, but Finn’s voice followed me. “Aiden, it’s definitely you. Remember when you had that fever? Lily ran through that huge storm to the clinic to get you medicine. She got totally soaked. She’d do anything for you.” “Is that so?” Aiden’s voice was laced with a smug satisfaction. “I guess she really does care about me a lot.” A sharp sting, like a needle prick to the heart. My eyes welled up, but I refused to cry. Everyone on the base knew I adored Aiden. The other kids called me his "little shadow," but I never cared. I’d lost my own mother so young, and with my dad away on missions all the time, Aiden was the one who stood up for me when others picked on me. When he let me be his friend, I was ecstatic. I promised myself I’d be the best friend he ever had. But now I knew. His kindness was probably just a transaction, an investment in my father’s influence. “Lily, wait,” Aiden called out. I turned. He was walking toward me, holding one of Jennifer’s Barbie dolls. “Look, I know you picked me, and I’ll be your brother. But I need you to promise you won’t interfere when I’m playing with Jennifer.” I looked him straight in the eye. “You have amnesia, remember? What makes you so sure I chose you?” He frowned. “Everyone says you like me best. Who else would you pick?” A wave of fury washed over me. He knew. He’d always known how much I cared, and he was still using it, still twisting it to his advantage. “Don’t worry,” I said, my voice colder than I knew I was capable of. “I won’t bother you anymore. You and Jennifer can play all you want.” And when he finds out I chose Julian, he’ll probably be thrilled. My easy agreement seemed to throw him. He looked stunned for a second. As I walked away, he reached out instinctively to grab my arm. Just then, a small pink bicycle came wobbling erratically toward me. The front wheel slammed into my shin, sending me sprawling onto the rough concrete. My palms scraped against the ground, instantly raw and bleeding. Jennifer hopped off the bike, her face a mask of panicked tears. “Lily! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you…” Before I could say a word, my mother was already raging in my head. “That little actress! She’s always pulling this stunt! Last time, she pushed you off the swing and then cried like you were the one who bullied her. And that fool Aiden falls for it every single time!” Seeing Jennifer’s tear-streaked face, Aiden’s heart melted, just as predicted. “It’s okay, Jennifer, it was an accident. Lily won’t blame you.” He helped Jennifer up, then shot me a look of annoyance. “It’s just a scrape. Don’t be so dramatic.” My hands were on fire. I fought back tears as I pushed myself to my feet. Jennifer was still sobbing. “Lily, I’m so sorry. I was being careless. Here, I’ll hit myself to make you feel better!” She made a show of raising her hand to her own arm, but Aiden quickly caught it. He glared at me, his voice sharp with anger. “Lily, she already said she’s sorry. Can you stop being so unreasonable?” My mother was even angrier. “That little brat! My sweet girl hasn’t said a single word! It’s all that little drama queen’s performance! Sweetheart, you are not letting this go.” I always listened to my mother. I raised my hand and gave Jennifer a firm, solid shove, sending her tumbling back onto the ground. Then I turned to Aiden. “This is what being unreasonable looks like. My mother taught me that.” Jennifer sat on the pavement, stunned into silence. Aiden was speechless, his young face flushing with disbelief and rage. “Lily, you…” I raised my hand again and gave him a push, too. “And this is what it feels like to cross the line.” For as long as I’d known him, I had never, ever fought back. This had completely scrambled his world. He stared at me, his face turning a deep shade of red. “Fine. You’re really something, Lily. You started it. You’ll regret this.” “Jennifer, come on. I’ll take you to the clinic.” My mother’s voice was dripping with scorn. “He doesn’t even look at his injured friend, but he’s all worried about the one who caused the accident. Being family with a fool who can’t tell right from wrong is what you’d really regret. Oh, my poor girl, does your hand hurt terribly?” I looked down at the blood welling in my palm, and the dam of my composure finally broke. A hot wave of misery washed over me. Any other time, a scrape like this would have sent Aiden into a panic, fussing over me like I was made of glass. Maybe that concern wasn’t entirely fake, but the Aiden standing here now was blind to my pain, his world revolving only around protecting Jennifer. The things my mother was telling me… they were starting to feel terrifyingly real. Even if he did become my brother, it felt like we were already on a path to repeating the tragedy she described. 2 I wiped my tears and headed to the base clinic to get my scraped hands bandaged by one of the nurses. A few of the younger nurses were clustered by the window, looking out at the playground, so I peeked too. There, tucked behind the basketball hoop, were Aiden and Jennifer, whispering. Jennifer was tugging on Aiden’s sleeve, her voice a whiny murmur I could just barely hear. “Aiden… if Lily finds out you only pretended to have amnesia so you could play with me, she’s going to be really mad.” Aiden just ruffled her hair, his voice loud enough to carry. “So what if she gets mad? She’s obsessed with me. Even with amnesia, she’ll be begging to be my friend.” “In his dreams!” my mother seethed in my mind. “My girl didn’t choose you this time, you little narcissist. Just wait until the announcement. We’ll see who’s looking so smug then!” My face scrunched up into a pained frown. Cradling my bandaged hand, I started walking toward my classroom building. Suddenly, a scream cut through the air. “The older kids are fighting! Somebody get a teacher!” The playground dissolved into chaos. I instinctively turned to run, but one of the brawling high schoolers slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. He was swinging a broken broom handle, and it was coming right for my head. I’d learned some basic self-defense from my dad, but I was small and no match for him. I saw Aiden notice the commotion. “Aiden!” I screamed. “Help me!” He started to move toward me, but Jennifer immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his back. “Aiden, I’m scared! Please don’t go!” In that single moment of hesitation, the broom handle came down, cracking hard against my arm. The fresh bandages on my hand immediately started turning red as the wounds reopened. The pain was so sharp it made my vision blur with tears. “Unbelievable!” my mother cried out, her voice frantic. “That rotten kid has faked his amnesia for so long he’s lost his conscience! My sweet girl has been so good to him, and he just stands there and watches her get hurt!” The pain made my legs feel like jelly. I could barely stay upright. I summoned my last bit of strength. “Aiden, it hurts so much! Please, help me!” Before the words were even out of my mouth, Jennifer let out a piercing shriek. The other kid in the fight was now charging toward them. Without a second thought, Aiden spun around, shielded Jennifer with his body, and ran, never once looking back. I watched their retreating figures, a cold, sharp agony piercing my chest. Even if he didn’t want to be my friend anymore, we had grown up together. When I was in danger, he wouldn't even offer a hand to help me up?
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