Zoey was like every other kid.

she wanted to make her parents proud.

she got good grades .

she helped bake cookies

she watered the flowers

there was just one problem

Kayla....

whatever she did,

she did them perfectly.

she was the perfect child.

Kayla bakes the perfect cookies.

the perfect grades.

her parents adored her

for Zoey,

it was either the cookies were too salty

or she got a C in math.

she could never make them proud enough to notice her.

it was Kayla and not Zoey.

Kayla got the bigger room not Zoey

Kayla got the family looks not Zoey

life gave Kayla everything that Zoey wanted.

it scares her,

it haunted her that she would leave in her sister's shadow forever.

she lost hope,

she never wanted to live.

.

.

.

when Kayla died in a car accident,

she felt oxymoronic.

she was sad because Kayla was her sister,

deep down she was happy,

she thought life had a given her hope.

her parents finally noticed her,

but they looked for the Kayla in Zoey.

when they couldn't find their little miss perfect in her

they left her again

then it hit her

no matter how hard she tried to make good grades and bake delicious cookies,

they would always look for her elder sister in her.

she was never good for them....

she was never enough for them.

in the end...

she never got what she wanted,

she met Mona,

Mona gave her all the attention she wanted.

then Adrian came along.

she was happy for Mona

even if there was a bitter feeling down her stomach when she looked at them....

.

.

.

.

Zoey wondered how it would feel to get noticed by a boy.

she wondered if she'll ever get a happy ending like Mona,

she didn't know that Mona's ending was far from happy....

it was all her fault.

she wanted what Mona and Adrian had

NO

she craved for it.

she craved for true love..

she got tired of waiting.

she got tired of looking for what she never had at the first place.

.

.

.

.

.

Zoey's admiration for Mona gradually turned into envy,

envy into jealousy,

jealousy into anger,

anger into hatred.

all it took was an imperfect idea in an imperfect mind...

Mona was an obstacle.

if she could remove Mona like how she cut the brakes in Kayla's car.

Mona would be gone just like Kayla.

she would have Adrian,

she would have her happily ever after.

that idea became a plan,

the plan turned into a motive,

the motive turned into want and obsession.

she wanted him

she wanted Adrian

she had all it takes to end Mona.

she had Mona's trust..

she played according to plan,

she told Mona it as girls night out,

they were going on a boat,

just to watch nature,

just to watch the crescent moon,

just to watch the stars.

how Mona was excited,

they paddled and paddled until they were at the middle of the lake

Mona told Zoey how she felt like she could touch the moon only if she was a bit taller,

it was Mona's turn to rant and it was Zoey's turn to ignore her...

then Zoey told her a story of how a shadow finally got what she wanted,

just when Mona fell asleep, Zoey dipped her head forcefully into the lake,

Zoey ignored her struggles

there was no guilt because each time she loosened her grip she remembered the reward

and made grip tighter.

she stopped when she saw her pale and lifeless Mona was

then she pulled her out and smiled

a bitter smile.

she dragged the body up to the hills

he watched...

she stared at the necklace she gave Mona on her 17th birthday

a gift that sealed their love, trust and sisterhood.

it was broken...

she ripped it out of the corpse,

if Mona was alive she wouldn't wear it..

not if she knew this would happen..