rave and roses

the grand foyer of the sterling manor smelled if polished mahogany and old money a scent Jane had spent seventeen years believing was her birthright. she stood at the top of the sweeping marble staircase , her hand resting lightly on the cold wrought-iron banister .down below, the butler was ushering in two people who looked entirely out of place amidst the crystal chandeliers and velvet drapery. one was a tired looking woman with grease-stained knuckles and a faded cardigan; the other was a girl who wore Jane's exact face , minus the high-end skincare and tailored silk . Her name was Maya .or, more accurately, according to the DNA result sitting in a sealed manila envelope on her father's desk her name was jane, and Jane was someone else entirely. "Jane ,darling, please come down" her mother -Mrs. sterling -called out. her voice, usually crisp and commanding, carried an unfamiliar tremor. she wasn't looking at Jane. her eyes were fixed on the girl by the door, tracing the sharp line of her jawline and the distinctive hazel flecks in her eyes. the same hazel flecks that hung in the oil portraits of the sterling ancestors lining the grand hallway. Jane smoothed the front of her pleated skirt, forced her shoulders back, and took the first step down . Every eye in the foyer tracked her movement, but for the first time in her life Jane felt completely invisible. across the room, Maya met her gaze. there was no hatred in the girl's eyes, only a weary, defensive caution that made Jane's chest tighten. Maya looked like a stray cat that had been dragged into a palace, while Jane suddenly felt like an intruder caught wearing someone else's clothes. "this is ridiculous", Julian, Jane's elder brother, muttered from the doorway of the study. he crossed his arms, staring past Maya as if she was a ghost."hospital records from seventeen years ago? a mix-up in the nursery power during a power outage? it sounds like a cheap soap opera." "the lab's test were ninety- nine point nine percent conclusive, Julian" Mr. sterling said, stepping out from the study, he held the manila envelope in his hands, his expression unreadable, he looked at Maya, then at Jane, his gaze lingering just a second longer on the daughter he had raised. " we have to be rational about this." "Rational?" the woman in the faded cardigan - the woman who had raised Maya in a two-room apartment three towns over_finally spoke up. her voice was scratchy, worn down by years of double shifts at the auto shop. "you called us here. you threw your lawyers and fancy test at us. Maya didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask for any of this". "Neither did I," Maya said quietly. the softness of her voice cut through the tension in the room instantly. she looked up at the towering ceiling, then down at her scoffed boots against the spotless marble. " I just want to know what happens now". The question hung heavily in the air, echoing off the high walls. Jane reached the bottom step, stepping onto the polished floor, she was three feet away from the girl who had stolen her identity- or rather, the girl whose life she had accidentally spent seventeen years living. Mr. sterling cleared his throat, adjusting his cufflinks. " what happens now is that we correct a mistake. Maya belongs her and Jane..."he hesitated, the word catching in his throat for a brief agonizing second."... we will ensure that Jane is taken care of." Taken care of. the word felt cold, clinical, and completely temporary. Jane looked at Maya, seeing the faint scar near the girl's left eyebrow, the worn leather of her jacket, and the quiet dignity in her posture despite the chaotic world crumbling around her. then Jane looked at the family that loved her yesterday, only to look at her like a stranger today. "I think", Jane said, her voice remarkably steady despite the storm brewing in her chest, " it's time we figure out who we actually are."