The Unwanted, The Unstoppable

After ten years in the foster system, my family finally found me. I thought it was a dream come true, but I quickly learned my place. I was the workhorse who paid for my perfect twin sister Kristen's life, while she was the golden child they were proud of. The only good thing I had was my boyfriend, Jason.

Then, at a party I was catering, I overheard my parents plotting with his. They were arranging for Jason to marry Kristen, saying I had too much baggage and was damaged goods.

Minutes later, in front of everyone, Jason got down on one knee and proposed to my sister.

As the crowd cheered, my phone buzzed with a text from him: "I'm sorry. It's over."

When I confronted them at home, they admitted the truth. Finding me was a mistake. I was just an embarrassment they had to manage, and they had done me a favor by giving Jason to Kristen.

To silence me, my sister threw herself down the stairs and screamed that I had pushed her. My father beat me and threw me onto the street like trash.

As I lay bruised on the sidewalk, my parents told the arriving police I was a violent attacker. They wanted to erase me, but they were about to find out they had just started a war.

Chapter 1

The memory of being lost was a blur, a chaotic swirl of bright lights and loud noises from the amusement park. I was four. For ten years, the foster system was my life, a series of strange houses and colder shoulders. Then they found me. My family.

The Grahams.

For the first few months, I walked on eggshells, desperate for the love I had imagined for a decade. I gave them every dollar I earned from my two jobs, hoping to buy my way into their hearts. They called it my contribution, my way of repaying them for the years of searching.

My twin sister, Kristen, didn't have to contribute. She was the golden child, the one who was never lost. She went to a top university, her future as bright as my own was dim.

I thought I had one good thing in my life. Jason. My boyfriend. He was kind, or so I thought. He held my hand and told me my past didn't matter.

Tonight, I was working a catering gig at a lavish garden party. It was for a family Jason knew, the kind of people with old money and perfect teeth. My own parents were here, mingling effortlessly. I saw them laughing with Jason's parents, a perfect picture of suburban success.

I was in the background, a ghost in a black and white uniform, refilling champagne flutes. I tried to catch Jason' s eye, but he seemed to be avoiding me. A knot of unease tightened in my stomach.

Then, I ducked behind a large, manicured hedge to grab more glasses and I heard their voices. My mother, Alice, her tone light and conspiratorial.

"Jason is such a wonderful boy. So ambitious. A perfect match for our Kristen."

I froze, the heavy tray of glasses suddenly feeling weightless in my hands.

"He was a little hesitant," my father, the Colonel, said, his voice a low rumble. "Worried about... appearances."

"Of course," Jason' s mother, Mrs. Griffin, chimed in. "But we convinced him. Kristen is the daughter-in-law we always wanted. Polished. From a good family."

My own family. But they weren't talking about me.

"And Faith?" Jason' s father asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

Alice laughed, a sound like ice chipping. "Oh, don't worry about Faith. She's... had a difficult life. She' ll understand. She' s not exactly suited for a family like yours. All that baggage from the system."

"It's for the best," the Colonel stated, his tone final. "Jason knows Kristen is the right choice. He's just doing what's necessary to secure his future."

The world tilted. My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't move. I could only listen as they finalized the details of my replacement.

A few minutes later, the music softened. Jason walked to the center of the patio, a microphone in his hand. He smiled, a charming, practiced smile that I now saw was completely hollow. My mother and father stood beside him, beaming.

Kristen glided to his side, her dress shimmering under the party lights. She looked exactly like me, but perfect, unbroken.

"Kristen," Jason began, his voice amplified for everyone to hear. He dropped to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

A gasp went through the crowd, followed by a wave of applause. I stood behind the hedge, paralyzed, watching my life fall apart in front of a hundred smiling strangers.

My hands started to shake uncontrollably. The tray slipped. Glass shattered on the stone path, the sound drowned out by the celebration.

No one noticed.

They were all cheering for Kristen, for Jason, for the perfect couple. My parents hugged Jason's parents. Kristen held out her hand, a massive diamond catching the light.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Jason.

I'm sorry, Faith. It's over. My parents think this is for the best.

That was it. Ten words to erase our history.

I turned and ran. I didn't know where I was going. I just ran, away from the laughter, away from their perfect, curated world. The black and white uniform felt like a cage.

I finally made it back to the house, their house, hours later. My key scraped in the lock. The living room was dark, but I could hear their cheerful voices from the kitchen.

They came into the hall, their faces flushed with champagne and victory.

"There you are," Alice said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "You missed all the excitement."

Kristen wasn't with them. She was probably still celebrating with her new fiancé.

I looked at their happy faces. The betrayal was so complete, so casual.

"I want my money back," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

The Colonel's smile vanished. "What did you say?"

"I want every dollar I ever gave you. For Kristen's tuition. For her car. For this house." My voice grew stronger. "I want it back."

Alice scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Faith. That was your contribution to this family."

"What family?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "The family that sells me out for a better model?"

"You are being dramatic," the Colonel said, stepping forward. He was a big man, and he used his size to intimidate. "You were never a good fit for Jason. We did you a favor."

"A favor?" I repeated, the word tasting like poison. "You destroyed me."

"You were already damaged when we found you," Alice said, her voice sharp and cruel. "We gave you a home. We gave you a family name. You should be grateful."

"Grateful? For what? For being your workhorse? For sleeping in the smallest room while Kristen got a new bedroom set every year?"

"Kristen deserves it!" Alice snapped. "She is a constant source of pride. You are a constant reminder of a mistake."

"The mistake of losing me?"

"The mistake of finding you," the Colonel said, his voice flat.

The words hit me harder than a physical blow. I had clung to the hope that deep down, they loved me. That they were just... flawed. But there was no love here. There was only resentment and calculation.

I remembered something the social worker told me when they were located. The police report said the search was called off after two years. They had moved on. They had started a new life, a perfect life with their one perfect daughter. Finding me a decade later was just an inconvenience they had to manage.

All the years I spent dreaming of them, they spent forgetting me.

The rage that had been simmering for years finally boiled over. It was a hot, cleansing fire, burning away the last of my pathetic hope.

"You didn't look for me," I said, my voice trembling with fury. "You stopped looking after two years."

Alice' s face went pale. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter," I said, a wild, broken laugh bubbling up from my chest. "I know. You left me to rot."

"We did what was best," Alice said, dropping the act. Her face was a mask of cold fury. "Kristen needed a normal life. She didn't need the shadow of a lost sister hanging over her."

"So you gave her my life," I whispered. "You gave her my boyfriend."

"She was better for him," the Colonel stated simply, as if it were a business transaction. "It elevates the family. You should be happy for your sister."

Happy. They wanted me to be happy.

I looked at these two people who shared my blood. They weren't my parents. They were my owners. And they had just traded me in.

"I'm leaving," I said, the words feeling solid and real in my mouth. "And I'm taking back what's mine."

"You have nothing!" Alice shrieked, her carefully composed face twisting into a snarl. "Everything you have is because of us! This roof over your head, the food you eat!"

"The food I buy," I corrected her, my voice dangerously calm. "With the money from the two jobs I work while Kristen interns at her fancy firm for 'experience'."

"Don't you dare speak about your sister that way!" the Colonel boomed, taking a step toward me. He jabbed a finger in my face. "Kristen has class. She has a future. You have a chip on your shoulder and a history that makes people uncomfortable."

"You mean a history you're ashamed of," I shot back.

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin. "You ungrateful little brat. After everything we've done for you."

"Let go of me."

"You will show your father some respect," Alice hissed, her eyes gleaming with malice. "We should have left you where we found you."

The words barely registered. I was numb to them now. It was like listening to strangers talk about someone else.

"You value money and status," I said, looking from her face to his. "That's all you've ever valued. You don't care about family. You care about appearances."

I wrenched my arm free from my father's grasp and turned toward the large, ornate vase sitting on the hall table. It was a gift from the Griffins. A symbol of their new alliance.

Without thinking, I swept my arm out and sent it crashing to the floor. It shattered into a thousand pieces.

The sound was liberating.

Alice screamed as if I had struck her. "That was a Ming dynasty replica! It cost a fortune!"

"I'm sure Kristen's dowry will cover it," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Colonel's face was purple with rage. He raised his hand as if to strike me. I didn't flinch. I just stared back at him, challenging him.

Just then, the front door opened.

Kristen walked in, a dreamy smile on her face. She was practically floating.

"Mom? Dad? What was that noise?" she asked, her eyes wide and innocent.

In an instant, my parents' expressions changed. The rage vanished, replaced by fawning concern.

"Oh, honey, don't worry about it," Alice cooed, rushing to her side and fussing over her dress. "Just a little accident."

"Did you have a wonderful time?" the Colonel asked, his voice now gentle and paternal. "Did Jason get you home okay?"

"It was perfect," Kristen sighed, holding up her hand so the diamond flashed under the light. "Absolutely perfect. His parents are already talking about venues. They gave me this, too."

She handed my mother a velvet box. Alice opened it. Inside was a pearl necklace.

"Oh, Kristen! It's beautiful!" Alice gushed. "You deserve all of this. You've made us so proud."

Kristen finally seemed to notice me standing amidst the wreckage of the vase. Her smile tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Faith? What are you doing here? I thought you were working."

"She was," Alice said, shooting me a venomous look. "And now she's having one of her episodes."

"Oh, Faith," Kristen said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. She came toward me, all soft concern. "What's wrong? You look so upset."

She reached out to touch my arm, and I recoiled.

"Don't touch me," I said through gritted teeth.

Kristen's eyes welled up with tears. "I don't understand. I thought you'd be happy for me. Jason said... he said he told you."

"He sent me a text message," I said flatly.

"Oh, no," Kristen whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. "That's not how it was supposed to happen. He was going to talk to you. He told me he felt so guilty. He said you two just weren't compatible. He said... he said your past was too much for his family to accept. They were worried about... you know... your stability."

The words were perfectly chosen, each one a sharp, deliberate cut. She was quoting her new fiancé, twisting the knife my parents had already plunged into my back.

"He said that?" I asked, my voice hollow. I knew it was a lie, a performance for our parents, but a small part of me needed to hear it.

"He said he cared about you, but he couldn't build a future with someone so... broken," Kristen continued, her voice trembling with crocodile tears. "He said you deserved someone who could handle your issues."

The pain was a physical thing, a crushing weight in my chest. I looked at my twin sister, the perfect copy, and saw a monster.

A twisted, bitter smile stretched across my lips. "Wow. You're good. You're really, really good."

"I don't know what you mean," she sobbed.

"That's enough, Faith!" the Colonel barked. "You're upsetting your sister on the happiest night of her life!"

"She's right, dear," Alice said, stroking Kristen's hair. "Faith is just jealous. She can't stand to see you happy. We've done our best to raise her right since she came back, but you can't erase a decade of damage."

"Maybe... maybe we can both be with him," Kristen said, her eyes wide with feigned earnestness. "I wouldn't mind sharing. We're sisters, after all. I just want everyone to be happy."

The sheer audacity of it, the incredible, insulting hypocrisy, was breathtaking. I stared at her, then at my parents, who were nodding along as if this were a reasonable suggestion.

Laughter, raw and unhinged, tore from my throat.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face. The absurdity of it was too much. Sharing him. Like he was a toy and she was the benevolent older sister offering me a turn.

"You are unbelievable," I finally gasped, wiping my eyes. "Truly."

Kristen flinched as if I'd slapped her. "I was just trying to help."

"No, you weren't," I said, my voice turning cold. "You've been 'helping' your whole life. I remember when I first came here. You'd 'help' me by giving me your old clothes, then telling your friends I had no taste. You'd 'help' me with homework, then take credit for my good grades. You've never done a single thing for me that didn't benefit you more."

"That's a horrible thing to say!" Alice cried out, clutching Kristen protectively.

"It's the truth," I said, turning my back on them. "I'm done. I'm getting my things and I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Kristen's voice was sharp with panic. The tears vanished instantly. "You can't leave! Who's going to pay the mortgage next month?"

The question hung in the air, raw and selfish. It was the only thing she truly cared about. Not my pain. Not the betrayal. The money.

"You've got a rich fiancé now," I said over my shoulder as I walked toward the stairs. "Get him to pay for it."

"You get back here!" the Colonel roared. "You're not going anywhere until you apologize to your sister!"

I ignored him and started up the stairs. My room was at the end of the hall, a small, cramped space that had once been a storage closet. My few possessions wouldn't take long to pack.

As I reached the top of the stairs, my mother's voice, suddenly soft and pleading, stopped me.

"Faith, honey, wait."

I paused but didn't turn around.

"Don't do this," Alice said, her voice trembling. "We were just upset. We didn't mean those things. Your father is just... protective of Kristen."

I remained silent. It was a familiar tactic. The explosion, followed by the soft, manipulative apology. It had worked a hundred times before.

"We love you, Faith," she said, the lie sounding thin and worn. "We were so lost when you were gone. We searched for you for years. Don't leave us again. It would kill me."

The performance was almost convincing. But tonight, I had seen behind the curtain.

"You told me you never took a vacation for ten years because you were using every penny to search for me," I said, my voice flat. "You said you couldn't bear the thought of enjoying yourselves while I was missing."

"That's true, darling," she said eagerly. "Every single day was agony."

I turned around slowly. "Funny. Because when I was packing some old boxes in the attic last month, I found a photo album. It was full of pictures from your trip to Hawaii in '05. Your cruise to the Bahamas in '08. Your ski trip to Aspen in '11. You both look so... agonized."

Alice's face froze. The color drained from it. The Colonel looked away, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

"You lied," I said simply. "You lied about everything."

"You don't understand..." Alice stammered.

"Oh, I understand perfectly now," I said. "I wasn't a lost daughter you grieved for. I was an embarrassing problem you had solved. And when I showed up again, I became a new problem. A source of income and a convenient scapegoat."

"How dare you!" the Colonel bellowed, his face turning red again. "We gave you a second chance!"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "You gave Kristen a second chance. At my expense."

"Faith, please," Kristen begged, her voice taking on that whiny, pleading tone she used when she wanted something. "Don't do this. Mom and Dad are just stressed. Think about my wedding! The Griffins will ask questions if you're not there. It will look bad."

It was always about how things looked.

"You should have thought of that before you stole my boyfriend," I said, turning away again. "I'm getting my money, and I'm getting my life back."

My mother started to cry then, loud, theatrical sobs designed to break me down. "My own daughter, accusing me of such things! After I suffered for so many years! I almost died from a broken heart!"

I had heard this story a thousand times. The story of the grieving mother. I used to cry with her, hold her hand, and promise I would never leave her again.

Tonight, I felt nothing. The well of my sympathy had run dry.

"I don't owe you anything," I said, my voice hard. "My debt is paid. I worked for ten years, surviving things you can't even imagine. I came here and worked for you. I paid for your comfort with my pain. We're even."

I looked at the three of them, a perfect, miserable little tableau of lies and greed.

"I'm not part of this family," I said, the realization settling over me with a strange sense of peace. "I'm just the ghost who pays the bills."