𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 ⇉ 𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

Daddy's Little Girl

ARIELLA BROUGHT the sleek, silver HMS to a halt. Her heart hammering against her ribs.

She crept towards the family boat.

She was careful to move silently across the wooden dock.

She glances at her family.

Their faces were bright with carefree smiles.

It was as if today was nothing more than a simple, sun-drenched outing.

The sight twists her insides into knots.

Of course, it was always her and Rafe who were left out.

She rolls her eyes as she fought back the familiar surge of resentment.

She moves to quietly slid open the cabin door.

The musty scent of saltwater and old wood fills her nostrils as she steps inside.

She began her search for the scuba gear.

She knew the boat's layout like the back of her hand and so, she heads straight for the narrow storage closet.

She pulls the door open and smiles with a surge of relief as her eyes land on the neatly stacked gear.

Everything she needed was there.

Ari slips the boat keys into her back pocket, quickly stuffing the heavy scuba gear into a worn duffel bag before she hoists it over her shoulder.

And with that, she made her way back out of the HMS and into the open air.

"Oh! Hey." Sarah's voice cut through the morning quiet, catching Ari off guard. "I didn't see you come in last night."

"I decided to crash at John's again." Ari replies, her tone trying for casual, but the words hung heavy with unspoken tension. "Since I was heading here anyway, figured I'd drop off the tanks. Plus, I didn't want to face you and end up beating up Topper again."

She walks down the length of the boat, placing the tanks where they belong, loading three onto the boat, unsure of how full they were.

The metal clanks against the deck, each sound amplifying the distance between them.

"You know...I miss my twin." Sarah says, her voice soft and sincere, the words floating in the space between the boats.

"I miss you too, Sarah." Ari admits, her voice wavering slightly, betraying the carefully constructed facade. "But you know perfectly well why we aren't as close anymore."

She jumps back onto her boat, the distance between them feeling more like a chasm than a few feet of water.

"Dad just wants the best for you." Sarah sighs, trying to bridge the widening gap, her eyes pleading.

"When are you going to understand that Dad doesn't give a shit about me?" Ari snaps, her voice breaking with a raw emotion she couldn't contain. "You've always been the better one, Sarah. The golden child. Dad has slowly been destroying my life, making sure I'm not seen. You can't help but follow through. The only one in the family who really made me feel wanted is Rafe. I'm done playing daddy's little girl, Sarah, and you should be too."

With that, Ari started the engine.

The roar of the motor filled the air, drowning out any possible reply.

She sped away, leaving the painful conversation and her sister behind.

The wake of her boat churns the water, a visible representation of the turmoil she carried within her.