A Yale Scholarship For His Lies

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king the glassware clink loudly. The kitchen was massive, gleaming with stainless steel appliances, but I couldn't find anything. My

glass clinking precariously, back to the living room. Aubrey snatched the glass from the tray, her eyes

h of gin and tonic sloshed onto her pristine white dress. My heart leaped into my throat. The liquid felt cold

r eyes wide with feigned horror. "Evelin! What did you do? You clumsy fool!" She shrieked, her voice rising in pit

ed across my palm. Blood welled up, a bright crimson against my pale skin. The pain was immediate and intense

her dress with a napkin. "Aubrey, darling, are you alright?" He completely ignored my bleeding hand, my visible pain. His focus was entirely on h

signer piece! She probably did it on purpose, the jealous little witch!" Her lies were delivered with such conviction,

g right?" His voice was sharp, laced with open contempt. He didn't care about my injury, only about Aubrey's superfici

The security guard, who had been lingering nearby, stepped forward, his eyes fixed on me, a silent warning. I was being punished for

wound was deep. I meticulously prepared another drink, my movements careful, precise. Each step back to the living room was agony, but I for

r a mishap. A spill on the rug, a misplaced cushion, a wrong type of snack. Each incident was met with Jefferson's stern disapproval and my forced compliance. I cleaned,

only allowed out to serve Aubrey and her friends. I ate scraps left over from their lavish meals, slept only when they had gone to bed, and mo

robbing. I found a small first-aid kit in the bathroom cabinet. I cleaned the cuts, wincing at the sting of the antiseptic. My reflection in the mirr

tment. "You should put this on your hand," he said, his voice flat. He didn't meet my eyes. His gesture was

t him. His sudden "concern" felt like a calculated move, a way to assuage some internal gu

you clumsy. She's delicate, you know. Doesn't like drama." He blamed me for her complaints, twisted her cruelty into m

p your head down. Don't cause any more trouble. You're here to serve, Evelin. Nothing more. Remember that." His words stripped me o

ng as it took to escape. Marcus' s message, my grandfather' s lifeline, was my only hope. I needed to hold o

hanically, my mind numb, my spirit retreating further within itself. I moved through the opulent house like a phantom, av

fferson and I had adopted together. He was a stray we found near the community college, a little ball of nervous energy that we had both instantly fallen in

buried my face in his scruffy fur. His warmth, his unconditional affection, was a balm to my bruised soul. He w

I felt a pang of longing for the simple days, before the deception, before Aubrey. Charlie was innocent, un

as an oversized, plush bed, a silly indulgence Jefferson had insisted on. "Only the best for our Charlie," he had sa

gh my numbness. Charlie always slept in his bed. He loved that bed. He was never away from it for long

agony. My blood ran cold. It was Charlie. My mind screamed. I dropped the leash and ran towards the sound, my hear

bushes, a metal gardening trowel in her hand. Her face was contorted in a sneer of pure sadistic pleasure. At her feet, Charlie lay

still. His eyes, once full of playful mischief, now stared blankly at the sky. He was gone. Aubrey stood over him, a tri

nto my mind. My vision swam. My throat closed up. The world around me spun into a dizzying vortex of horror and rage. My childhood

ays barking, always getting in the way. Now he's trash." She laughed, a chilling, heartless sound that echoed the e

nees beside his lifeless body. My tears mingled with his blood, staining the earth. "How could you?!" I cra

d. "He was a menace. I was just defending myself. You know, Jeff warned me about him." Her words wer

standing over us with a nonchalant smirk. His eyes flickered, a momentary flicker of something, perhaps shock, perhaps

he had to protect herself." He dismissed my grief, minimized Charlie's life, and justified Aubrey's monstrous act. The m