Chapter 6: The Recording
By the next morning, the video was everywhere.
Someone at the party had recorded the entire moment — from the moment Chloe started chanting to the second Maya dropped her robe and spoke into the microphone. The video had already been shared hundreds of times. Comments were flooding in.
Some people were shocked by the scars.
Some were defending Chloe, saying Maya was being dramatic.
Others were asking the question Maya had planted in everyone’s mind:
Why would Maya say Chloe only survived because of her?
Maya sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone. She hadn’t posted anything herself. She hadn’t needed to. The truth was spreading faster than she could have imagined.
A soft knock on her door made her look up.
It was Chloe.
Her sister stood in the doorway, still wearing the same pink bikini from yesterday, though she had thrown a hoodie over it. Her eyes were red and puffy, but there was a dangerous glint in them.
“You think you’re so brave now, don’t you?” Chloe said, stepping into the room without waiting for permission.
Maya put her phone down.
“I think I’m done being your shadow.”
Chloe laughed, but it sounded bitter.
“You really think people are going to believe you? I’m the one everyone likes. I’m the one they invite to parties. You’re just the weird twin who hides in her room. One video isn’t going to change that.”
Maya looked at her sister calmly.
“Maybe not,” she said. “But the truth will.”
Chloe’s face twisted.
“You always ruin everything,” she hissed. “Even when we were kids, you had to be the hero. You couldn’t just let me have one thing without making it about you.”
Maya stood up slowly.
“I didn’t get these scars to be a hero, Chloe. I got them because you were too scared to move, and I pushed you out of that burning shed. I got them because our parents decided your reputation was more important than my pain. And I stayed quiet for twelve years because they asked me to.”
She took a step closer.
“But I’m not six years old anymore. And I’m not going to let you humiliate me again just so you can feel better about yourself.”
Chloe stared at her for a long moment. Then, without another word, she turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Maya sat back down on the bed.
May you like
Her hands were shaking again, but this time it wasn’t from fear.
It was from the quiet, steady realization that she was finally done being afraid of her own sister.
