Between Love And Lies

ONE. Joy was seventeen the day her world ended. It started like any ordinary morning. The sun was pale and soft, spilling weak light over the quiet neighborhood. Birds chirped lazily, and a faint breeze stirred the laundry hanging outside. Joy's mother called from the kitchen, asking if she had finished her homework. Ella, still rubbing sleep from her eyes, yawned and shuffled to the table. "Morning, girls," their father said, smiling as he adjusted his tie. He seemed unusually cheerful, unaware that life had already begun to shift beneath them. Joy smiled politely back, though her stomach churned nervously. She always had a habit of waking early, checking that everyone was ready, that the little things were in order. It gave her a sense of control, even on mornings that felt too quiet. "Mom, breakfast smells good," Joy said, trying to sound cheerful. "Try it, Joy," her mother replied, placing a small plate of pancakes in front of her. "You need energy for school." Ella giggled, too tired to eat properly, and complained about the cold water that Joy had splashed on her face earlier. "Why do you always wake me up like this?!" Their mother laughed. "She's just trying to make you ready. Someday, you'll thank her." Joy smiled at her younger sister, brushing her hair out of her face. It had been years since she had felt this ordinary, this safe. She didn't know how precious that morning would become. --- The tragedy came suddenly, without warning. A phone call, the sound of a man's voice she did not recognize, and then a single sentence that made her world shatter. "There's been an accident... your parents... they didn't make it." Joy could not hear the rest. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the small couch, clutching the phone. The world around her seemed to slow, as though the sun itself had paused in grief. She could hear Ella's voice screaming in the background, incomprehensible and shrill. "You're lying!" Joy shouted into the receiver, but no one responded. The words hung in the air, meaningless. The neighbors came quickly. Some spoke softly, trying to console, while others muttered prayers. But Joy did not hear anything. She was consumed by a terrible, blank horror. When she finally managed to stand, she felt a strange emptiness. The familiar sounds of the street, the wind in the trees, even the faint smell of the pancakes in the kitchen..all of it felt distant, unreal. Ella clung to her, trembling, her small body shaking against Joy's. "Where's Mom? Where's Dad?" she whispered repeatedly. Joy did not have an answer. She only wrapped her arms around Ella and held her close. For the first time, she realized that the tiny, fragile girl she had protected since childhood would now depend entirely on her. --- The funeral arrangements were a blur. Relatives came and left. Some cried, others scolded Joy for not asking someone else to take Ella in. "You're too young," they said. "She needs a proper guardian." Joy listened silently. She nodded politely, though inside a fire was building, a quiet, relentless determination. She did not want anyone else to take Ella. She would do it herself, no matter the cost. At night, when the house was finally empty and quiet, Joy sat on the floor of her parents' bedroom. The bed, once filled with warmth, now lay cold and uninviting. She traced her fingers over the folded clothes, over the small personal items her parents had left behind. Every object reminded her that the world she had known was gone. Ella slept fitfully on the small mat beside her, clutching a worn teddy bear. Joy watched her little sister, feeling a mixture of fear and resolve. "I'll take care of you," Joy whispered, her voice shaking. "I promise. I'll make sure nothing ever hurts you the way it hurt me." Ella murmured in her sleep, unaware of the weight of the words, unaware that her life had just changed forever. --- The weeks that followed were merciless. Joy dropped out of school without telling anyone, taking odd jobs to cover rent, food, and school fees. She worked at a small shop during the day, ran errands for neighbors in the evenings, and washed clothes late at night. Her hands grew rough and calloused, her eyes tired and hollow. Ella thrived at school, oblivious to the sacrifices made in silence. She came home with stories about her friends, about her classes, about the small victories that made her smile. Joy listened, encouraging her, cheering her on, but each cheer came with a silent cost. One afternoon, Ella hugged her tightly after returning from school. "Joy, I want to be someone great someday. Someone the world can't ignore," she said, eyes shining with hope. Joy smiled, holding her sister a little longer than necessary. "You will be," she said softly. "I promise you will." Yet when Ella's laughter faded into her bedroom, Joy allowed herself a moment of bitterness. She thought of her own life, full of potential and dreams she had never pursued. She thought of love that had never come, of youth that had been traded for responsibility. Her voice trembled in the darkness of the room. "Why me?" she whispered. "Why did I have to be the one to lose everything?" No answer came, only the quiet ticking of the clock and the soft sound of rain beginning outside. --- As days turned into months, the pattern settled into a rhythm. Joy gave. She sacrificed. She endured. Ella grew stronger, happier, unaware of the toll it took on her sister. But beneath the surface, something stirred. A quiet shadow, barely noticeable at first. Joy had begun to understand that life was not fair. She had given everything, yet time still passed, leaving her behind. And though she loved Ella with all her heart, a small, dangerous thought took root...one that whispered she deserved something for herself, that perhaps one day, the world owed her a chance. Joy pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm the storm inside. She was seventeen. Too young to carry this burden. Too young to feel the bitter mix of love and envy that now whispered in her ears. She did not speak the thought aloud. Not yet. She only watched over Ella, promising silently to keep her safe, while a quiet determination and a seed of something darker was born that day. The rain fell harder, drumming on the roof above, echoing the rhythm of her heartbeat. Joy hugged Ella tighter and whispered, almost to herself, "I will protect you. I will raise you. And one day... one day... I will have my life too." But deep down, she did not yet know what price that life would demand.