(Sierra's POV)
I wake up around six the next morning. I feel guilty about yelling at Maddie yesterday. She didn't deserve to be yelled at. That's when I remember that they're taking me home with them today. I'm getting out of here!
I excitedly jump out of my bed and hurry towards my dresser. After grabbing my outfit, I enter my bathroom and take a long, hot shower. When I'm finished, I quickly dry my body and hair, pushing the thoughts of self-harm to the back of my mind. I don't want to look even more like a cat's scratching pole than I already do. I want to make a good first impression.
I change into a simple white tee-shirt and red jeans, sliding a jean jacket on over my shirt and lacing up my red, white, and blue Converse. I finish off my outfit with a red scarf and a red bow headband, then grab a bottle of white nail polish and exit my bathroom to paint my nails.
Once my nails are finally dry, I start to pack the few possessions that I have. I cram all of my clothes into the only suitcase that I own and slide my blade into the pocket of my jeans. I grab my suitcase and my white purse before exiting the room, thankfully not waking any of the other girls. It's not like I ever enjoy being bullied, but I especially don't feel like dealing with that today. Today is supposed to be a good day.
I wait in the head mistress' office for Maddie and her family to pick me up. They finally arrive after thirty minutes or so, and Mr. and Ms. De La Garza go off to sign some final paperwork for the head mistress.
"Hey," Maddie greets, taking a seat beside me.
"Hi."
"Are you excited?"
I nod.
"Me too! I can already tell that you're going to be an amazing sister," she says, wrapping her arms around me in a hug that I return.
It feels foreign to me. Nobody ever shows me any form of love or affection, only hate. She lets go first, and we just talk about random things until her parents return.
"Welcome to the family, Sierra," Her mom says.
"Thank you, Ms. De La Garza," I politely respond.
"Oh, honey, you're part of the family now! Call me mom, or Dianna, or just about anything you like," she says with a smile which I return. "We need to hurry and get home, though. Demi should be getting home any minute now," Dianna informs the three of us.
The drive to their... our house doesn't take too long. The house is gorgeous, but I don't have much time to admire it, for Eddie immediately grabs my suitcase, and Maddie leads me into the house. She takes me straight to her bedroom.
"This is my room," she says.
"Cool," I reply, trying to process everything.
"Yeah, so, let's go downstairs to the living room. Demi should be getting here soon," she says, taking my hand and leading me back downstairs.
We plop down on the couch, and her family joins us a minute later.
"That's Dallas," Maddie whispers in my ear, pointing towards her older sister.
I nod, silently.
"So, Sierra, are you okay with us adopting you?" Dianna asks in a worried tone.
Only if you're okay with dealing with a girl who cuts and purges.
"Yes," I reply, clearing my throat.
"Great! We're very open in this family. So, if you ever need to talk to any of us about anything, let us know."
"Okay," I squeak, nodding my head.
There's so much that I want to talk about, but there's no way that I'm telling them anything. They'll judge me and call me a freak or a coward. Dianna looks as if she is about to say something else, but the sound of a car door shutting cuts her off.
"That must be Demi!" she exclaims.
Soon after the sentence leaves her lips, we hear the rattling of keys, which is then followed by the turning of the doorknob. In walks a woman with blonde hair who I'm assuming is Demi.
"Demi!" Maddie squeals, jumping up from the couch and running towards her sister.
"Babygirl!" Demi exclaims, opening her arms to catch her sister in a hug.
A feeling of jealousy and envy washes over me, but I quickly push it away. When they release each other, Demi takes notice of me.
"Who the hell is she?" she asks.
I shrink back into the couch, not wanting to be judged or scrutinized by Maddie's older sister.
"Demi, be nice!" Dianna scolds. "This is Sierra," she introduces me.
I apprehensively stand up and walk over to Demi.
"H-Hi," I nervously greet her, mentally cursing myself for stuttering.
I extend my hand, and she shakes it, but it doesn't feel like a welcoming gesture.
"Hi," she returns my greeting, but she doesn't seem too happy about me being here.
I return to the couch, wishing that the world would just swallow me whole.
"Is she a fan or something?" Demi questions her family.
Fan? What is that supposed to mean?
"No, Demi. Sierra here actually has no idea who you are," Maddie whispers to her sister, but it's loud enough that I manage to catch what she's saying.
"She doesn't know who I am? That's new. Are you sure?" Demi says in a rush, barely taking a breath.
"Yes, Demi. I'm sure that she doesn't know of you," Maddie says with an eye roll. "Not everybody in the world does," she mutters.
Demi glares at her.
"I know that!" she spits.
"So, you're what, twelve? And you honestly don't know of me?" Demi asks me.
I shake my head no in response. She looks at me suspiciously but lets it slide. I almost breathe out a sigh of relief.
"May I be excused to the bathroom?" I ask quietly.
Maddie tells me where the bathroom is, and once I find it, I lock the door behind me and silently eavesdrop on their conversation.
"I don't like her," Demi says.
"Demi! That's rude. Why don't you like her?" Dianna questions.
"Because for all I know, she could be a fan who's just faking this innocent act. It wouldn't surprise me, actually."
"She's a girl who's had a difficult past. We're helping her by adopting her."
I expect Demi to become even angrier by learning that I'm now her sister, but instead she asks a question in a calm, even tone.
"Is she like I was?"
Nobody says anything. I'm confused.
"Is. She. Like. I. Was."
"We don't know," Dianna sighs.
I've heard enough. I'm now even more confused than I was when this all started. What does Demi mean by asking if I'm like her? Why doesn't she like me? I never did anything to her! Hell, I only met her, like, twenty minutes ago!
I angrily take my blade from my pocket, strip out of my jacket, and slash three cuts on my left wrist. I freak out a little bit when they start bleeding slightly more than usual. I drop the blade, and it pings against the tile floor. Just as I'm starting to feel dizzy, I manage to find a towel and stop the bleeding. I wash the cuts with water, wincing the entire time, then return the towel to its spot, shut off the water, and put my jacket back on. I flush the toilet to make it sound like I used it and walk out of the bathroom, returning to the living room.
"Took you long enough," Demi mutters as I walk past her.
I'm just going to ignore her... or at least try my best to.
"So, Sierra, what do you like to do?" Dallas asks me, trying to include me in a conversation.
"Um, I like reading and playing soccer." I reply, trying to sound like a normal person with normal hobbies besides cutting and purging.
"What else?"
"Art, especially drawing and painting. I also like music, although I don't get to listen to much," I mumble.
"What's your favorite song?"
"I don't know the name of it," I sheepishly reply. "Like I said, I don't listen to much music because I never had access to it, but one of the girls played this song at the home, and it's now my favorite, but it's also the only song I know, really," I ramble, causing a blush to creep up my neck and flood my cheeks.
"Why don't you sing a little bit of it?"
"No, I can't sing," I deny, shaking my head.
"Oh, come on. Please?" she begs, making the puppy-dog face.
"Dallas, shut up! Obviously, the girl can't sing. Drop it," Demi harshly interjects, causing my sudden boost of confidence to deflate.
"Gosh, Demi, when did you become such a bitch?" Dallas retorts.
She wasn't always like this?
"She wasn't always so rude, like this," Madison whispers, practically reading my mind.
I yearn to ask her what happened, but I decide against it.
"When that fuck-up entered our house!" Demi screeches, pointing toward me.
Damn, that stung.
"You don't know anything about her, Demi!" Madison defends me.
You don't, either.
"You probably don't, either!" Demi argues, snatching my thoughts.
"I can leave," I speak up. "I don't want this to cause any family rifts or anything," I murmur.
"There were rifts way before you showed up," Demi bluntly states before sauntering upstairs.
I hear the slam of a door a few seconds later. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief. Is she really that horrible?
"I'm sorry about that," Dallas apologizes.
"It's okay," I dismiss her apology.
"She wasn't always so bitchy. She used to be really caring and bubbly and sweet. Her smile alone could light up a room, and her laugh used to be so infectious," Dallas says, looking lost in memories of when her sister was... happier, I guess.
"What happened?" I whisper, nervous that they'll treat me coldly for asking.
"A lot of things," Dallas murmurs. "It's not exactly my story to tell."
With an apologetic expression on her face, she gets up and exits the room.
Everyone else also gets up and goes their separate ways, leaving me on the couch. The mood has shifted to a solemn one, and I know better than to disturb anybody.
I decide to look around upstairs and try to learn my way around. As I pass by the bathroom, I hear the thumping of loud music. I turn and see a closed door that I didn't notice before. I listen closely to the music, trying to commit it to memory. I never know when I'll hear a song again. It's then that I realize that somebody is singing. It's Demi, I believe.
"I throw all of your shit away, then I clear you out of my head. I tear you out of my heart, and ignore all your messages" she sings.
She's really, really good, and that's an understatement. She sounds almost exactly like the girl on the track. I don't recognize the song, but I like it.
Eventually, he music is cut off, and I don't even realize that I'm standing with my ear pressed against Demi's door until it opens, and I fall to the floor. Demi stands above me. She scoffs and rolls her eyes, and I swear I can see tears in them.
"I knew that you were no different. Just another fan lying to try to meet me. It's pathetic, really," she says before stepping over me and walking back downstairs.
"Bye, mom!" she calls out.
"Where are you going, Demi?" I hear Dianna ask.
"It's none of your business!" Demi snaps.
"Be careful."
"Always," Demi says, followed by the slam of the front door.
The pain from my fall subsides, and I manage to get back onto my feet. I continue to explore upstairs until I come across another bedroom. Maddie is laying on the bed, watching television.
"Hey, Sierra," she chirps.
I offer a small smile that doesn't come anywhere close to meeting my eyes.
"Is something wrong?" she asks, concern and worry etched into her tone.
Damn, she's good.
"Nope, everything's great. I was just wondering where my bedroom was," I easily lie.
She laughs.
"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot. Let me show you."
She leads me to a room. It's simple and quite large for it just being me sleeping here.
"Thanks, Maddie," I say with a genuine smile.
"No problem. I'm sure you're tired. I'll see you in the morning," she says before exiting my room, shutting the door behind her.
I am pretty tired. I look around the room and find my suitcase tucked away in the walk-in closet. I guess Eddie brought it in here earlier. I dig through it and find a pair of pajamas.
I walk to the bathroom attached to my room and strip out of my outfit. I trace the fresh cuts on my wrist. It stings to touch them, but I continue to do it anyway. I take my blade from the pocket of my jeans and cut myself three times on my left thigh. After cleaning up the blood and changing into my pajamas, I return to my room with the piece of metal clutched tightly in my palm.
I search the room for somewhere to hide my blade, but I find nothing. I sit on my bed and frown. I have to find somewhere to hide the damn thing! Eventually, I just slide the blade into my suitcase, making a mental note to find a hiding place for it tomorrow. I'm far too tired right now. I collapse onto my bed and quickly fall asleep.
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