Chapter 2

The Parkers' house wasn' t a house, it was a mansion. It sat on a hill overlooking the town, a palace of glass and white stone that mocked the rusted-out factories below.

As soon as we stepped inside, Ashley' s sweet demeanor changed. She clung to Eleanor' s arm, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Mom, I' m so happy Hailey' s here," she sniffled. "But... where will she sleep? Will I have to give up my room? It' s just... I feel like I' m being replaced."

Her brother, Brandon, a tall, athletic guy with the same entitled look as his father, immediately stepped in front of me. He was a wall of muscle and hostility.

"Listen," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Ashley is sensitive. Don' t you dare do anything to upset her. You' re lucky to even be here."

I just stared at him, my face a blank mask.

Eleanor cooed over Ashley, assuring her that of course she wouldn' t be replaced. I was just a guest. A temporary problem.

"Darling, your clothes..." Eleanor said, looking at my worn jeans and faded t-shirt with disgust. "We must take you shopping immediately. We can' t have you looking like... that."

They dragged me to a high-end mall, the kind of place I' d only ever seen in movies. Eleanor was about to hand me a ridiculously expensive dress when Ashley suddenly gasped, clutching her chest.

"I... I can' t breathe," she wheezed, her face turning pale. "My asthma... it' s bad."

Instantly, all attention was on her. Eleanor and Brandon panicked, scooping her up and rushing towards the exit.

"We have to get her to the hospital!" Eleanor yelled over her shoulder. "Stay here, Hailey! We' ll come back for you!"

They left me standing alone in the middle of the store, holding a dress I didn' t want.

A new comment floated in my vision.

[Wow, Ashley is a genius! A fake asthma attack to put the villain in her place. So clever!]

Another one followed.

[LOL, look at the villain standing there all alone. So pathetic. She deserves it.]

I dropped the dress on the floor and walked out of the store. I didn' t need their clothes. I didn' t need them. I took the city bus back to the mansion, the journey taking over an hour. My old life felt a world away, but I knew I couldn' t go back. Not yet. I had to change this story.