Lily entered an elevator and went to the highest floor possible. Once she got out, she trudged toward the front doors and reached the balcony. Lily rested her elbows on the black handlebar and sighed, staring at the nighttime scenery ahead of her, lost in thought.

She should be happy. She made it this far without any help, and even proved her mother and big sister wrong. But why was Mindy jealous of her? Lily finally got out of her sister’s shadow and made a name for herself. A new life. Why must she be petty and try to take that away from her? Mindy wasn’t a part of her life anymore. She shut her out. Despite this, she still brought over a group of people to take her down. How ungrateful. Mindy already had stolen everything from her.

Teachers loved her, even their own mother acknowledged her more and expected great things from her. They always talked about her accomplishments and talents, how she can grow up to be anything, and achieve it. Meanwhile, the mother would occasionally talk about Lily and wave her off as ‘a slacker’ or ‘too indecisive and shy’, mostly behind her back. Not that Lily didn’t enjoy working hard, but she had difficulty concentrating and focusing on the information presented to her. No matter how much she tried, she could never live up to her sister’s legacy or even get the same level of praise.

Mindy was the more studious of the two, prioritizing work over making friends, and not caring what anyone thought of her, including her mom. There may have been a time when Lily admired her older sister, but after falling out and hearing non-stop praise towards Mindy, she grew resentful and envious towards her. Mindy this, Mindy that. It’s all she heard for so long. Lily got sick of it.

She eventually left home, changed herself, gained followers, and started her life over. She was on top and admired by many. It was everything she wanted, right? But, if that was the case, why did she feel like this?

A door creaked open from behind her. She didn’t need to turn around to know who that was. Richard entered the area, bending over and panting. He straightened himself and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Man, I finally caught up with you.”

“What do you want?” Lily retorted without looking at him. “Why are you following me?”

“I just wanted to talk to you.”

Lily shook her head in disbelief. His voice may sound genuine, but she wouldn’t be deceived again. “You’re just like my sister. I can’t believe you’d lie to me like this.”

“What?” Richard seemed hurt by that response. “But I’m not lying. What would I gain from lying to you?”

“I know why you’re here. You’re trying to distract me while Mindy goes to my office to steal that capsule.”

“What? I didn’t know about that. I’m serious!”

“Well, it didn’t work, because that one over there is a fake.” Lily taunted, playing with her hair. “I know where the real one is, but you’ll never find it without my help .”

Richard shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I think I can find it on my own, thank you very much.”

“Then leave.”

“No thanks, I don’t want to.” Richard walked closer to the balcony and rested his arms on the handles.

“Why not?” Lily glanced over and asked.

“Well, like I said, I want to talk. I’m sorry about what happened last time. Is it possible to make it up to you?”

The two stayed silent for a while as they watched the city lights in front of their view and the muffled sounds of blaring car horns and people talking filled the night. They looked away from each other, neither of them sure what to say.