Samantha

"It's my birthday!" Samantha grinned back at herself in the mirror that centered the dark blue walls of the hallway upstairs. Her sun-kissed blonde pigtails were braided with pale purple ribbons that carefully matched the ribbons of her satin and lace dress. She wore white stockings and her mother's favorite shoes, the shiny black ones that always pinched her feet just a little too tight, but she didn't care, because today was special.  

Samantha twirled herself around, not too much, just a few times, so she wouldn't get dizzy. Her mother always scolded her for twirling in her dresses, but she didn't care, because today was special. A special dress for a special birthday. There would be cake and ice cream, unicorns and games, but best of all, there would be presents! Presents from her mother who loved her very much. 

No, you cannot. Stop. Don't do that. Her mother's words, a painful reminder of the past. Well, there would be no stopping, there would be no don'ts or cannots, because today was special.  

Today they would love her new dress, praising her as she twirled for everyone to see, while her mother lovingly watched with pride, a love she so desperately deserved. Today they would sing to her as she blew out the candles on the cake made of strawberries and the darkest of chocolates her mother could afford.

Today they would watch as she opened the presents that were wrapped so carefully in shiny gold paper and big beautiful sparkling bows to match.. All of them. She would open them all as her mother nodded her head in approval and smiled. And smile her mother would. Oh, would she smile.

She would smile when Samantha entered the room. She would smile when she twirled around in her new dress for everyone to see. She would smile when she blew out her candles and opened all of the wonderful presents. But most importantly she would smile because she loved her. 

Then, she would show her just how wonderful of a daughter she could be, just how deserving she was of that love and not Victoria. Never Victoria. Mother didn't need Victoria, ever. She would never ever need to see Victoria again. 

Samantha frowned at the thought of her mother's attentions towards Victoria. Victoria this, Victoria that. Victoria was always mother's favorite. She would always get the shiny fancy dresses and the pretty little ribbons for her hair. Mother always allowed her to blow out the candles on the cake and open all of the presents, while everyone watched with excitement. 

Worst of all, mother allowed Victoria to love her. She hugged her, praised her, smiled at her. Mother loved Victoria, not her, never her.  But soon mother would, very soon, because today was special.

Samantha turned away from the mirror and headed downstairs to the party. Mother was standing by the living room doorway greeting each guest as if they were Kings and Queens and this was their castle. She watched her mother bow to each and every one of them, taking their hats and coats as she did.  Mother wore a lovely red satin dress and black heels that made her seem much taller than she really was. Her hair was carefully smoothed into a bun and she wore bright red lipstick to match her dress. 

Careful don't let her see you. Samantha crouched down against the wooden staircase, hidden from her mother's wandering eye.  

Samantha waited and watched. She noticed how some of the guests brought only a single present, some small some big, while others carried bags full of presents, bags  so full, the sides were beginning to split at their seams. But then she noticed something else. She noticed there were no children, only adults. Hadn't she heard children earlier? She could have sworn their laughter filled the air moments before she had came downstairs. 

Samantha frowned, her thoughts focused on the children. Where were the children? Without them, there would be no Birthday Party. Where were the children? 

She  cautiously peaked around the staircase and studied the  living room, but there were no children. There were adults chatting quietly amongst one another, there was her mother still greeting the guests, while hanging up there coats and hats on the coat rack, but there were no children and there had to be children! Then an idea crossed her mind. What if - What if they were all hiding upstairs?  That was it. She decided. The children were playing a game. Hide and Go Seek. Yes, that was certainly it! 

Quickly, she made her way back upstairs to find them. Room by room she looked for the children, but there were no children. She looked under the beds, even her mother's, in a room she knew she was forbidden to be in. She even searched the closets, including the one in her mother's bathroom where she would often hide things she didn't want to be found in the little cubby hole behind the closet wall,  but there were no children. 

A sudden rage  overwhelmed her. There had to be children. She closed her eyes and clinched her hands into a fist, then she ran through each room once more, certain the children were teasing her or waiting to scare her. She stopped in the hallway and caught herself standing in front of the mirror. She stared at the girl in the mirror who stared back at her, cold pale lips and sun-kissed pigtails that were stained with blood.  "It's my birthday and you're not invited." She told the girl. 

The girl shook her head, then looked away as if she were ashamed of something. When the girl looked back, there was only a reflection of terror staring back at her as a black mist of death, surrounded the girl who was once her sibling, now something more.

A single tear fell from Victoria's cold pale cheek. "Oh Sam. Oh my dear brother Sam. What have you done?"