My Secret Family

Anastasia

Sophie

44 kg and falling

"He's trying to interfere. Be careful, " Ana whispered in my ear. She never greeted Me whenever he came bounding over, although these days his walk had become more careful, more direct, like an arrow.

"He's sweet."

"Sweets are bad for you."

"Go away, Ana, " I said, but she carried on walking next to me, keeping up with me so easily even in her high-heeled boots. Ana never walked, she strode down every path as if it was a runway and she was the star of the show. I'm pretty sure she thought everyone was always looking at her. It didn't help that men would whistle at her occasionally, feeding her ego. Perhaps that was all she needed to survive.

Ana put her arm around my waist, balling her fist so that her fingertips didn't have to touch the fabric of me.

"I'm the only real friend you have left, Sophia, don't forget that. Everyone else is a fake, they just want to use you, to objectify you. They pretend to love you but all they want is to turn you into an empty thing. Oh yes, I know the truth about people. About the shallow lies of their love."

"I don't think you know what that word means, Ana."

"Don't question me. I see through them and their sick, fleshy desires, their disgusting bodily functions that they crave like animals. You are better than that. We must be perfect to be truly human. Sophia."

"I prefer Sophie actually, Anastasia, " I said, pushing back at her. I pulled at the bracelet around my wrist to hurt myself, but some spark inside stopped me and I saw Ana's smile turn into a grimace.

"That's not my name. You know my real name."

I pulled at the bracelet once more to take away the tension, to transfer it into something I could deal with that would fade away into irrelevance.

But I did not let it snap back.

Ana's grimace turned into an animal sound that came from the back of her throat, as if I had betrayed herintrinsic nature by staying in control. I turned my back and allowed myself the luxury of a small and secretsmile.