Forlot: Welcome to the Dummy House - Book Forty-One

Chapter Eighteen

The good news is that I had no homework. I found out at school that they never give homework. Homework is illegal in Forlot. I am loving this town already! The bad news is that Alexis and Jack were going on their date. I would rather eat liver and onions than watch Jack take my sister.

It is like Cinderella. Alexis is my wicked stepsister, and I am Cinderella. Except that I am not a princess. And I am not as beautiful as Cinderella. And Alexis is related to me. I would give almost anything for her to be out of my life. For her to not be my sister.

"She is a mistake," I muttered. "Alexis is a stain on this planet. She is a disgrace to our family. She gives us bad names. She is nothing but a mistake."

"Who are you talking to?"

I gasped and looked up. It was Mom. She was standing in the doorway and gripping the sides. She seemed like that she was setting my soul on fire. Did she hear it all? Did she hear what I said about my sister? I meant what I said. I was not ashamed. I did not love her. Mom and Dad did. They loved her as much as me and Olive. I do not understand how you can love somebody who never changes.

I am not God. You are not God. You had better not be.

I was sitting on my bed with my legs crossed and had a pen in my hand. My sketchbook was in front of me and open to a page of sketches that I had doodled. I flipped to a new page and pretended to focus. But how could I when Mom was in my doorway? I crossed my fingers. I prayed that she never heard me.

"Janice," Mom said. "Are you going to answer me? You going to answer my question? Or are you too intrigued in your work that you cannot?" She stepped in and put her hands on her hips. "Do not act like that you did not notice. I saw you. You looked up at me and returned to your sketchbook. What are you drawing anyway?"

I laid on my stomach and put my feet in the air. I made eye contact with her again and tried smiling. "Hi there, Mom. I am sketching ideas for my new dolls." I kicked my legs back and forth and gritted my teeth. "The next doll must be perfect."

"All your dolls are perfect, sweetie. Each and every one of them. But my favorite is the doll that you created for my birthday. It is so small and so precious."

Hearing Mom's compliments made me feel good. Now if only Alexis could give me some. She believes that my unique dolls are useless and stupid. Funny because she is the one who is useless and stupid. Said dolls are way smarter.

"Is there something that you wanted, Mom?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to say goodbye to your sister."

"Which sister?"

"Alexis. She is going on a date with Jack, remember?"

I tapped the end of my pen on my sketchbook. "How in the world could I ever forget?" I threw my pen onto my bed and closed my sketchbook. "How could I forget the date of a lifetime?"

"You are correct, Janice," Alexis spoke. "It will become the date of a lifetime. My lifetime."

Alexis walked past Mom and spun around. "You like?"

I cringed and scrambled off my bed. I scooped up both my pen and sketchbook and set them on my desk. How I wanted to stick out my tongue, but our mother was in the room still. I did not want her to scold me. I crossed my arms and asked Alexis what she was wearing.

"What does it look like that I am wearing? It is my new dress."

My eyes grew wide as I examined her dress. "Please do not tell me that you picked it out."

"What is the matter, Janice? You jealous?"

How I hate her.

But then the strangest thing happened. My sister never returned home.