Aira remember her childhood day where she was treat differently like love, care....
Memory – Age 7
The house used to echo with laughter.Aira ran barefoot through the sunlit halls, her hair dripping with water as her mother chased after her with a towel.
"You'll have to catch me first!" Aira giggled, darting around the corner.
Her mother laughed breathlessly. "You little monkey! Come back here!"
Her father stood by the doorway, arms crossed, smiling at the scene."She's faster than you, sweetheart," he teased.
"That's because she has your legs," her mother replied with mock exasperation, "and my trouble-making heart."
Aira squealed when Mira, her older sister, finally caught her and wrapped her in the towel. Mira's hands were warm and gentle as she dried Aira's hair, humming softly. Even Rayen, who was usually buried in his books, sat cross-legged nearby, letting Aira braid his hair with clumsy fingers while he studied.
Back then… she was their sunshine. Their joy.Every room she entered seemed brighter because she was in it.
But happiness has an end.
A Week Later – Hospital
The walls smelled of antiseptic, white and cold. Aira clutched her father's hand, confused but curious.
Her mother knelt in front of her, her voice soft."Aira, remember what we told you? There's a little girl who needs a home."
Her father added gently, "She doesn't have a mommy or daddy like you do. So we're going to bring her into our family."
Aira's eyes widened, her smile blooming like spring."A new little sister?!"
"Yes," her mother whispered. "Her name is Sana."
They stepped into the room. A small girl sat in the corner, her knees pulled to her chest, braids messy, eyes wide and guarded. She didn't smile. She didn't speak.
Aira, with all the innocence of a child, walked up to her. She held out her most precious treasure—a stuffed bunny with floppy ears.
"You can have Mr. Bubbles," she said, her voice bright. "He helps me sleep."
Sana stared at her for a moment… then reached out and took it.
That was the beginning.The beginning of everything.The beginning of her pain.
Months Later – Small Changes
It started with little things. Subtle, almost invisible.
Her mother asking Sana what she wanted for dinner.Her father hugging Sana first.Rayen scolding Aira more—but never Sana.
The differences were small, but Aira noticed. Children always notice.
One night, unable to sleep, Aira padded down the hallway. From the staircase, she overheard her parents whispering in the kitchen.
Her mother's voice was hushed, heavy with worry."She's been through a lot. We have to make her feel loved, even more than the others… for now."
Her father sighed."She's fragile. Aira's strong. She can handle it."
Aira froze on the steps, clutching the railing. She didn't understand all of it, not then. But she understood enough.
That night, for the first time, she felt… less.
The Shift
Sana broke a vase. Aira got blamed.Sana told a lie. Aira was punished.Sana cried. Aira was scolded for making her sad.
Slowly, the house stopped being hers.
"Stop being jealous," Rayen told her once, annoyed. "She's had it harder than you."
"You're the older one," her mother scolded. "Learn to share—your toys, your space… your place."
Her father's words cut deepest of all."Don't be selfish, Aira."
And Aira?She never told them about the night Sana ripped her drawings to shreds.Or the time Sana cut her hair while she slept.Because every time she tried to speak…They believed Sana.
Present Day – Aira's Bedroom
The room was dim, shadows stretching across the walls. Aira sat on her bed, staring at a worn, stitched-up stuffed bunny. Mr. Bubbles. The same bunny she had given away once, only to have him returned years later, broken.
She touched the crooked stitches with trembling fingers.
Her thoughts whispered like poison.
You took everything from me… and they gave you the knife.
They made me a shadow to protect the girl they pulled from darkness. And now… I'm the one drowning in it.
Her jaw clenched, tears burning her eyes.
They all wanted to protect that girl. To show her what family looked like. To love her, spoil her, shield her. But in the process… they forgot.
Yes. They forgot.
They already had a daughter—their own blood—who also needed love, care, support, protection… everything. But they forgot that. They thought I was strong. They thought I could handle it. But I was just a child too.
Her hand curled into a fist.
Didn't I deserve a family's love as well?
Aira's lips parted, her voice breaking in the silence.
"Blood doesn't make family."
And she pressed the bunny to her chest like it was the only family she had left