Chapter 1
Rebecca sighed as she walked through a dirt-ridden and dark alley, drawing up her coat to chase away the chill that ran through her bones. She was just coming back from a job that involved delivering something she knew was illegal but could never quite confirm. Ever since she started this line of work, she’d made it a rule never to look too closely. She was scared that if she did, she might fall into a void of guilt so deep it’d never let her out again. Anything illegal couldn’t be clean-but she had to survive. Not only for herself but also for her sister’s sake.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she reached their cramped apartment. Unlocking the door, she stepped into the warmth like a diver breaking the surface of freezing water. Heaven, if heaven had squeaky floors and walls thin enough to hear your neighbors breathing. Dropping the snacks she’d picked up on the way onto the chipped kitchen counter-barely bigger than the bathroom sink in her old life-Rebecca glanced around. The place wasn’t much. A one-bedroom space reconstructed by someone with just enough plywood and desperation to pretend it was a two-bedroom. The “living room” was a sliver wider than the kitchen, and the only real light came from the cracked screen bolted to the wall.
She ignored the creaks underfoot and made her way to the second bedroom-really a broom closet with delusions of grandeur. Knocking gently, she heard humming from within. Soft, tuneless, and full of joy. A sound she lived for.
She pushed the door open.
Lia looked up at her at that moment, eyes sparkling. A wide smile broke across her sister’s face before she practically launched herself off the rickety bed and dragged Rebecca toward the kitchen. Rebecca let herself be pulled, humoring whatever plan the fourteen-year-old had cooked up.
The two sisters were almost mirror images of each other, save for their hair. Rebecca had long, wavy brown locks while Lia’s was straight, raven-dark. They shared dimples, freckles, and those warm, knowing green eyes that always seemed older than they should be.
“Recca, close your eyes,” Lia chirped, buzzing with excitement.
“Should I be worried?” Rebecca asked, but she closed her eyes anyway. She heard some shuffling, the opening and closing of their ancient oven, and the faint click of the gas lighter. A flicker of panic teased the edge of her thoughts-Lia and flames didn’t mix well-but she forced herself to relax.
“Okay, open them!”
Rebecca blinked and found her sister holding a small, lopsided cake, proudly grinning as candlelight flickered. Happy Birthday was written in shaky pink icing.
The first thought that hit her was: Oh. It’s my birthday.
Detached, that realization floated in her mind before finally dropping anchor in her chest. Her throat tightened, her heart squeezed, and before she could stop herself, she pulled Lia into a hug.
“Careful,” Lia laughed, her voice muffled against Rebecca’s coat. “If you knock them over, there won’t be any cake left to eat!”
“I can eat it off the floor,” Rebecca said, her voice cracking despite her smirk. It’s my first cake in three years.
“Let’s try to avoid that,” Lia replied, pulling back and gently handing over the cake. “Make a wish.”
Rebecca looked down at the crooked candles. Wax dripped slowly onto the pink icing. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel something-gratitude, sadness, longing. But before she could make a wish, the doorbell rang . Lia left to check who was at the door as they had seldom had visitors since they moved. ” Lia who is it ” Rebecca asked lifting her head.
Then: the click of heels on hardwood.
Rebecca turned, the smile on her face sliding off like water on glass. The face she saw standing in their doorway was sculpted perfection: high cheekbones, crimson lips, white coat that screamed expensive. For a heartbeat, time stopped. The cake slipped from her fingers.
Guess it’s floor cake, she thought numbly.
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