"The worst feeling isn't being lonely. It's being forgotten by someone you'd never forget."
~ Unknown
She was something they never wanted. Her entire existence was a mistake. She was four years younger than Dawn and nine years younger than Evan. With dazzling white hair and piercing, icy blue eyes, her looks reassembled that of a doll. It was the result of those very looks that led her family to distance themselves from her. Children are innocent. Yet, sometimes their innocence can be cruel. A simple question. "Is she really my little sister?"
"Why does she look nothing like us?"
These simple questions with no malice planted seeds of suspicion in Gavin. And for the first time, he doubted Emma. 'Is she really my child? Why does she look nothing like me or Emma? Did… Did… Did Emma cheat on me?'
Luckily, a blood test proved that the baby was indeed Gavin and Emma's child. But, by then the damage was already done. A small, but undeniable crack had formed in their family. Originally, all of them had tried their best to treat her as precious family member. Dawn was also very excited to finally have a younger sibling. But, as I mentioned earlier she was undoubtedly a genius. Her intellect quickly exceeded her sister's and even caught up to her older brother's. This depressed Dawn, and stressed out Evan. Gavin and Emma realized that this couldn't go on and on her fourth birthday, they finally decided to send 'her' away to a special learning institution.
Time went on, and before even three years passed, news of 'her' graduation came back. The Rivers were astonished. Outwardly, they welcomed her back exchanging polite pleasantries. But, inwardly they could not help but feel awkward. They even subconsciously rejected her. 'Why did she have to come back so early? She should have just stayed there.' Dark thoughts like these swarmed the minds of the Rivers. Gavin and Emma worried that she would tear apart their family. Evan felt that his position as heir was being threatened. Even Dawn couldn't help but think negatively about her. She was in their way.
After 'her' graduation, her mind and senses sharpened greatly. She quickly noticed that her so called family didn't seem to like her very much. Though saddened, she - who may I remind you was still only around 6 at this time - decided to live a quiet life. She hoped that by doing this maybe her family could love her just a bit. That's when the accident started.
She who lived quietly, tried her best not to interfere with her family and invoke their displeasure. After some time passed, she noticed that though it seemed that doing this allowed her to live peacefully in coexistence with her family, her existence was slowly becoming smaller and smaller. She, to begin with, was a quiet child who rarely spoke, never caused trouble, and combined with the fact that she spent most of her time holed up in her room her family stopped taking notice of her. It started with small details like forgetting to call her for dinner, but it soon escalated into them even forgetting her birthday.
Her eighth birthday. That was the last time they ever celebrated her birthday as a family.
Her ninth birthday. That was when she learned that being forgotten by those whom she loved the most could feel so painful.
Her tenth birthday. That was the day she finally realized that no matter what she did she could never truly become a part of the family.
Her 16th birthday. That was the year she decided to move out and live independently.
Her 20th birthday. The day it all ended. The day it all began. The day she died. The day she lived. The day everything changed. And the day she… No. The day I was reborn.
Adrienne River. My name. The name I love and hate with my entire being. Adrienne River. The unfortunate one. The forgotten genius.
….
This is my story.