Dreams Turned to Nightmares

 Trin came home from school just like any other day, "Lynn, Rose, there's groceries in the car!" she shouts. She sets her black backpack down next to the end table as her siblings walk outside from the dining room. They're homeschooled, they have been for a while now. They usually do their schoolwork from the dining room table their parents made the previous summer. Even though they're homeschooled they still have to do P.E. and usually that means walking to the gas station down the street. It's about a mile each way, which really isn't that far. They walk together and are really close because they talk while they walk. Trin always wishes she could go but they don't want her there. She walks outside, grabs the last two bags, closes the trunk and sits on the couch. She turns on the T.V. and listens to some music. After about a half hour she shuts it off and stretches a bit, she usually falls asleep when she listens to the music. Her siblings always make fun of her for it and tease her. They go to every length to make her feel bad even when she tries her hardest to be nice and get close to them. She wants to be close with her siblings but they want nothing to do with her.

She's always felt like an outcast, bright red hair, crystal blue eyes, tall, and covered in freckles while her siblings were short, had no freckles, deep brown hair, and usually brown or hazel eyes. They always say she was adopted but her parents deny it when she asks. "Want to go to the gas station Lynn?" Rose asks. He nods.

Trin, expecting the usual answer, asks, "Can I go with you guys today?" They look at each other and nod.

"Sure. You can come, but only today." Lynn says. Trin lights up and rushes to the door with them. They start walking and Lynn carries a small, brown backpack, probably for whatever they get at the gas station. They take a right turn onto a dirt road behind the liquor store. Trin is confused at first but they know the way better than her, so she doesn't question it. They aren't talking which is weird but she guesses it's because she's there.

"Thanks for taking me. This is really nice." Trin says.

"No problem, it gets nicer too. Once we get between the liquor store and the pizza place, there's a lovely patch of flowers and cactuses." Rose says. They all stopped talking and continued walking. They stop in what looks like a garden, covered in flowers of orange and red and the cactuses are green and a burgundy color. "The flowers smell nicer than they look. Try it." Rose says. Trin crouches down and smells the flowers.

"They do smell-" She stops, and puts her hand on the ground. Her knees fall and she falls to the ground. She coughs and blood comes out, spraying the flowers with it. "Wh- what have, you done?" she asks, "You're my siblings."

"We never were your siblings. You're an unwanted freak who mom and dad accepted in the family. Your own parents left you to die. That night when you were found, crying in the alley, they took pity on you. You deserve nothing but death for taking our parents and trying to live with us. We've hated you, we always have and today is the day we get our old life back and you get what you deserve." Lynn says. He kneels next to her and shows her the certificate of adoption. Her eyes widen and Rose pulls the knife from her back. She cleans the blood off the knife onto the ground and they both leave. Trin rolls over so she can look at the sky- a clear, baby blue sky without a cloud in sight.

"Even... after this... to think... I love them..." she laughs at herself. The owners of the garden moved a long time ago. No one is coming for her, no one can see her or hear her. Even if someone did, would they care? She thought not, she felt the pain in her back, but was too weak to move. "I still... love them..." she whispers and closes her eyes. She took a deep breath in, and her last breath out.

She is left alone, without a family, killed by the people she loved. All she wanted was to be loved back. When she was found by the emergency services, the family pretended to be devastated- or at least the siblings did. The parents buried her there after buying the property. Every day since, they visit the garden and plant a new flower until the garden was full. They left a stone in the center with the inscription, "Trin, 2002-2016 Our Daughter".