“Everything’s ready!” Tiffany said cheerily. Everything, except for me. I forced a smile with gritted teeth.

  “So, you’re up first, right?” She nodded. Thank goodness.

  “Miss Roberts should be here any minute now,” Tiffany said, glancing down at her watch. Yes, Tiffany was going to be the best student anyone could ever ask for. She always had been, and she always would be. And she was going to have a blast, that was all that mattered. I was going to be the best student that I could force myself to be. That wasn’t much, but it would be enough to make Tiffany happy. Just then there was a knock at the door. Tiffany was across the room and flinging the door wide open before I could blink twice. Sure enough, there was Miss Roberts.

  I stood up and tried to look respectful. It was hard because all I could think about were the brands that were boldly written all over her clothes. We get it, you’re rich, very rich. How much had all of that cost? Probably more than I could ever afford. She taught a few courses and wrote a few books, and that was enough to get her here. There were so many people who spent all their lives slaving away to make it by and are never rewarded. I thought that, knowing full well that if I could afford it, I’d jump at the chance to by every single item of clothing she had.

  “Now, we can’t afford to be disturbed. I hope you understand that,” Miss Roberts said, looking at me. I fought back my snort and nodded. I half expected her to say, "time is money," or something like that. But all I did was smile and cheerfully say, “Of course, Miss Roberts.” I shot Tiffany an encouraging nod and left them alone. At least I didn’t have to go first. I glanced up at the clock. Everything was all set up and I had everything that I needed. I would have just enough time to go on a short walk before my class with Miss Roberts started. Walking was my way of escaping. Both from responsibility and from stress. My feet led me to the hill, past the garden and down to Connie’s grave. There was a cool, sweet breeze in the air today. It tickled my cheeks, tugged at my braid, and blew away my anger. If Connie were here still, where would she be in school? I bet she would be as bright as her sister. She had always been a fast learner.

  a chuckle escaped me at the thought of her sparkling eyes and soft cries of prideful delight. Passing through the garden, I plucked up a few of the summer flowers. After Connie died, Tiffany would pick wildflowers and bring them to her grave almost every single day for a long time. My fingers wove the bright blossoms into a tiny wreath and set it gently down by the gravestone.

  “There, hope you like that, Connie. What do you think of Miss Roberts? Do you think she’s a good teacher for Tiffany?” The wind rustled gently in the trees around me. “My thoughts exactly. Well, I don’t have a lot of time to spare. I should be heading back for my class. Wish me luck. Oh, one more thing, can you do me a favor and keep an eye on Tiffany for me? I’ve been very worried about her lately.

  I know I’m always worried about her, but I think she’s just going through a tough time. I hope these classes will help her with that. But please, could you still keep an eye on her for me? Can you do that for me, Con?” The wind fell silent, and I smiled. "Thanks, Connie, you’re the best.” With that, I turned and made my way slowly but surely up the hill back towards the house. Alright, now both the anger and the stress came flooding over me in full force.

  We were going to start with history, my least favorite. Everything was set up, but that did little to ease my mind. I quickened my pace. What time was it? I hoped I hadn’t spent too much time talking to Connie. Dang it, Tyla! Can’t you be more careful! The thing I knew I needed to prepare myself for in advance was the challenge of battling pettiness. I knew if Miss Roberts got on my nerves enough times, I would start failing and acting up on purpose. I couldn’t let myself do that. This wasn’t just about success and being a good student. My behavior would impact Tiffany too.

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  I couldn’t let myself drag her down out of pettiness. I was going to show myself, once and for all, that I wasn’t totally a selfish monster. I had reached the house now. I entered as quietly as I could through the front door. Oh no! I was running behind. My heart began to race. Deep breath. Panic didn’t help with anything. Besides, I could still hear voices drifting down from upstairs. Mama and Papa should be back in about an hour or two.

  There was no point in disturbing Miss Roberts and Tiffany. If they weren’t in a hurry, I sure wasn’t. They could run over a little. This probably meant that they were both doing amazing. I grinned as I imagined Miss Roberts' shocked face as she was totally and utterly blown away by Tiffany’s brilliance. It was a nice thing to think about. Seeing as I had a little bit of time to spare, I set to work, making some hot chocolate for Tiffany to have once she was done. This was her favorite drink to have. How she managed to stand drinking it in weather like this was beyond me. Luckily we did have a smidge of chocolate left in the pantry.

  Soon, there was a pot of steaming chocolate waiting for her on the table. From the looks of it, I had outdone myself. Another glance at the clock. Gosh, they really were running over. I listened. Sure enough, there were still voices drifting down from upstairs. Hmm, they hadn’t forgotten about me altogether. Right? There was no way. I started up the stairs slowly and quietly. I listened more closely. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. It was mostly Miss Roberts talking. She sounded very irritated.

  Strange. Suddenly, something shot through me. It was feeling something that I hadn’t felt in years and years, but it was a feeling I could never forget. I had told myself many times that I’d never have to feel that again. Yet here I was. I dashed up the stairs as fast as I could. It was a feeling that clawed at my heart as it rose up in me. It was the feeling… no… the understanding that something truly awful was about to happen. I reached the room we had set up as a study yesterday. I tried the door, only to find it locked. My hands were shaking.

  “Tiffany? Tiffany, are you there?” No answer. Now there was nothing but silence coming from the room. I knocked. “Open the door! What’s going on in there?” Miss Roberts' voice answered me. It was at this moment I decided once and for all that I hated her with every fiber of my being.

  “Hm? What do you mean? We’re almost done. Please just wait a little longer.” Oh heck no. Tiffany wasn’t answering me! My fists balled white with worry. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this angry. I needed to get into that room right now, this moment. I felt as if I could rip the door right off the hinges and dash in just like that. The key, the key, where was that ding dang key again? Angry, confused thoughts spun through my mind.

  “Let me in!” I screamed. No answer. The carpet, the carpet under my parents' room. I darted down the hall. Hang on, Tiffany, I’m coming for you; don’t worry. I groped around under the carpet desperately. COME ON, COME ON, DANG IT. Finally, It my fingers brushed something small and metal.

  Back down the hall. “Tiffany!” I shouted, flinging the door wide open. Oh my gosh, for once in my life I had been right, right about danger. But this time, it was too late. Tiffany lay on the ground, eyes closed. The slow rise and fall of her chest was the only indicator that she was still alive. For a moment my vision blurred, and my head spun as I spotted the blood dripping down her neck. My mouth fell open.

  “Why? Why! Why’d you do this!”

  “I can explain,” Miss Roberts' voice was slow and painfully calm. The key, the key in my hand. “I’ll tell you why,” she said, slipping her hand into her back pocket. Eyes, aim for the eyes. Key in hand, the blind stabbing began. She let out a cry and I felt blood dripping down my arm. The next thing I knew I was being shoved to the ground. No! I had missed! Blood dripped down from her cheek, but her eyes were intact. The key was yanked out of my hand and my limbs were pinned to the ground.

  “No! Stop!” A sharp pain shot through me and a scream escaped my lips. “I’ll kill you! I’ll make you suffer for this! I’ll make you bleed and beg!” Now there was a soft, slow, sweet numbness spreading over me. My anger turned towards this numbness. Every fiber of my being despised that sweetness that made me want to surrender; it was sickening. “Tiffany! Tiffany! Are you alright? Answer me! Please!” But she lay there perfectly still. No, no, no.

  Please, I couldn’t die, not here, not now. Tiffany still needed me. She couldn't be left here all alone in this cold world. Who was going to take care of her now? My vision blurred once again. Maybe it was from my tears, maybe it was from something else. “Tiffany! I’m sorry! I’m so, so, sorry!” Slowly her face faded away into the darkness and the shadows that covered me. Then they carried me kicking and screaming somewhere far away.