Chapter 1

Have you ever seen real favoritism?

My mother called me a useless burden every single day.

When I was eight, I got a perfect score on a math test. My parents told me that no matter how high I scored, I wasn't fit to be compared to my brother.

When I was fourteen, I ranked first in the entire grade. My parents demanded that I never let my grades be better than my brother's again.

When I was eighteen, I sat for the college entrance exams and supposedly scored a zero. My parents actually scolded my brother, demanding he apologize to me...

1.

My brother, Bennett, held up a test paper and leaned into Mom's arms, fishing for praise. "Look, Mom! I got a seventy on my final exam!"

Mom rubbed his head, looking completely satisfied. "My boy, you're amazing! If you're getting a seventy now, imagine what you'll do later! What do you want for dinner? I'll treat you. Should we go to that steakhouse downtown?"

I stood to the side, timidly holding out my own paper. "Mom, I got a hundred."

The paper was covered in red checkmarks. My teacher had even drawn a smiley face next to the perfect score.

To my surprise, Mom just glanced at it and gave a flat "Mm," as if she hadn't seen anything at all.

Seeing this, Bennett started throwing a tantrum. "Mom! She got a hundred!"

Mom's head snapped toward me, her eyes narrowing. "Why did you get a hundred?"

I froze, stunned by the sudden interrogation. "Mom, Bennett got a seventy, but I got every question right..."

"Spit on that! You useless burden, you think you're in the same league as your brother?"

She glared at me, clearly displeased by my weak attempt to defend myself.

"What's the use of a hundred? Even if you could fly, you're still just a girl. You'll just get married off anyway. Your brother is the one who's going to be the pillar of this family!"

I stood there like a statue, unable to believe my ears. "But why?"

She laughed out of pure anger, then suddenly stood up and snatched my paper. Rip! Rip!

"Even if your brother only gets a seventy, he's still the pride of this house. Unlike you, showing off at such a young age. You'll never amount to anything!"

The paper was torn into confetti in her hands. Then, she threw the pieces on the floor and ground her heel into them, erasing the smiley face.

"A girl is a girl. Even if you grow wings, you'll never be better than your brother!"

Then, Mom turned back to Bennett, her face instantly melting into that of a doting mother.

"Son, let me tell you, she only beats you because girls develop earlier. Once you hit your growth spurt in middle school, she won't be able to keep up no matter how hard she tries."

I stared at the shredded paper on the floor. My eyes burned, and my vision blurred with tears.

Bennett and I were twins. I was born just minutes before him.

I was the first to enter the world, yet my arrival only brought sighs from the family. "How did this happen? We tried every old remedy, and we still ended up with this bad omen?"

When Bennett followed with a loud cry, the family's mood instantly brightened. "There's another one! It's a boy! This is a blessing for the Blake family!"

Before I was even a month old, my parents were discussing how to give me away.

They had already found a family willing to take me. It was almost a done deal.

But right then, Bennett came down with a high fever that wouldn't break. He cried until his voice went hoarse.

The illness was strange. No matter what the doctors did, they couldn't find the cause.

Finally, my grandmother claimed to know the reason.

"These two are twins. They share a single fate. If Willa is mistreated or sent away, it will damage our grandson's luck."

My parents weren't happy about it, but they didn't dare risk Bennett's life. So, they kept me.

Later, this story became their favorite thing to brag about.

Mom would tell the neighbors, "My son has been so selfless since he was a baby. We were going to give his sister away, but he saved her life. Really, he's her guardian angel!"

The neighbor, Mrs. Miller, would nod in awe. "Incredible. That boy is going to do great things!"

Mom would beam with pride. "See? I told you, boys are just better. They give you peace of mind. Not like girls. A girl is just water poured out of a cup―once she's gone, she's gone."

I would crouch in the corner listening, my heart aching with every word.

Two years later, we started elementary school. But whenever I was at school, I felt like a thousand eyes were watching my back.

I would hear them whispering, but when I turned around, everyone would act like nothing happened.

Eventually, a classmate couldn't contain his curiosity and ran up to me.

"Willa Blake, your brother says you're their family slave. He says he saved your life, so you have to do whatever he says. Is that true?"

I felt everyone's gaze lock onto me. I bit my lip and said nothing.

"It's true. Look at her clothes. Those were mine two years ago. She only gets them when I'm done with them," Bennett interrupted.

Hearing him, several boys laughed mockingly. "Then why isn't your sister saying anything?"

Bennett strutted over, looking me up and down before pointing a finger at me.

"Willa Blake, take off my jacket."

I took a step back, gripping the hem of the oversized sweater I was wearing.

Even though I was young, I had a sense of dignity. Doing that in front of everyone felt humiliating. I shook my head, begging him.

"No, Bennett, please don't. I'm asking you, please."

But Bennett kept coming, and the other kids started clapping and cheering.

"She won't fight back! Get her!"

At Bennett's command, several kids rushed forward, grabbing at my clothes.

I didn't want this. I didn't want to be stripped bare for everyone to gawk at. I flailed my arms, trying to break free from the hands pulling at me from every direction.

In the chaos, I must have scratched someone. Immediately, a sharp slap landed on my face, making my cheek burn.

I was dazed, unable to stop the mob. With a loud tear, my top was ripped wide open.

My upper body was exposed, leaving me in nothing but a thin, frayed undershirt that looked like it was about to snap.

Students cast all sorts of looks at me. They covered their mouths, whispering and laughing, their eyes grazing over my skin like knives.

I stood in the hallway, completely alone and helpless.

Bennett grinned. His face was full of the joy of someone who had finally gotten exactly what they wanted.

A fifteen-minute recess should have felt short. But those ten minutes standing naked in the hall felt like an eternity.

My eyes filled with tears. The boys' jeering, the girls' laughter―it all cut my pride into tiny pieces. I had no shame left to lose.

Finally, the bell rang.

The crowd scattered like birds, everyone rushing back to class.

I was too heartbroken to care about the stares. I sank to the floor and sobbed. My tears hit the linoleum one by one. For the first time in my life, I skipped class.

I cried until I couldn't breathe. My tears were like a broken string of pearls that wouldn't stop falling.

When I got home, my eyes were still swollen. I told my parents what happened.

To my shock, they looked at Bennett with nothing but pride.

"Our boy is a natural leader! Look at him, already knowing how to give orders to his sister. He's going to be a big shot one day. Not like his sister―even with wings, she's destined to be a burden!"

Then, they turned to me, their voices dripping with disgust.

"What did your brother say that was wrong? If he hadn't saved your life, you wouldn't even be in school! You're the older sister, shouldn't you be yielding to your brother?"

I felt sick. All the humiliation from the day rushed back into my heart.

I didn't understand. We came from the same mother. Why was I treated like this?

I was the one with the high grades. Bennett was the one who did something wrong...

But in my parents' eyes, everything he did was right. And everything I did was trapped by my gender, simply because I was a girl.

Is it really just because I'm a girl?

I didn't believe it. Are girls really destined to be inferior?

I wouldn't accept it!