Jake slammed the door to his room as usual, but this time he banged it so hard that even the glass walls of the mansion quivered. “She’s no sister of mine, and she’ll never be,” he muttered, his voice shaking with fury. Moments later, there was a gentle knock on his door. “Jake?, Jake? Can you open the door for me ” The voice asked. It was Agnes. He opened the door quickly without hesitation, as if waiting for her to come over.

“She’s not my sister Agnes,” he blurted before she could even speak. “They told me. Maya’s not one of us, so why do they want to return her to this house? I don’t care what they say; she doesn’t deserve to live here. Not with me.”Agnes’s eyes softened as she held his hands. “Jake…”

“No, not this time, Agnes,” he interrupted her, pacing the room. “Everyone can keep pretending she’s an Anderson, but I won’t, I won’t, because I can’t forgive the fact that she made me hate Mom. I thought Mom cheated on Dad and had Maya. I won’t act like she’s my sister when she’s not.”

Agnes sat quietly for a moment, her heart beating fast and heavily. She wanted to tell him that love was stronger than DNA, that hearts, not blood, make families. But looking at him, his movements , how his fists clenched, his pride wounded, she knew her words would fall on deaf ears; it wouldn’t even make a scratch in his heart.

So instead, she sighed softly and said, “Alright, my boy. I understand what you mean. Take your time. Don’t forget you have school tomorrow and must get ready early. So let’s get you ready for bed.”

Jake didn’t respond. Agnes tucked him into his bed silently, brushed his hair from his forehead, and kissed him gently. “Goodnight, Jake,” she whispered.

“Goodnight,” he said flatly, turning away as the room fell into uneasy silence.

The next morning, Jake left for school alone with only his driver and no sister. Once filled with Maya’s chatter and warmth, the seat beside him now felt empty.

At school, his friends rushed to him and asked him questions. “Jake! Where has your sister been all week?”

He ignored them, walking straight to his locker and picking up what he needed for the day.

“Hey, what about Maya? She didn’t come to school today,” someone asked. “Is she okay now ?”

Jake froze for a while. Then, with a flash of anger, he turned around. “Don’t call her my sister!” he shouted. The hallway fell dead silent.

Whispers followed him all day around the school: confusion, disbelief, pity. The same Jake who once shielded Maya from bullies now couldn’t bear to hear her name anymore. Students kept asking what had happened, what had changed, and what caused the sudden change.

That afternoon, some of Maya’s classmates decided to visit her. They had missed her cheerful smile and her kindness. But their eyes widened in awe when they arrived at the Anderson mansion.

The gates revealed a glass palace, fountains, marble statues, trimmed gardens, and a driveway long enough to get lost in. It looked like something out of a dream or a fairy tale book.

Inside, maids hurried about in crisp uniforms. One of them, Agnes, noticed their presence and approached the children with a gentle smile. “Can I help you?”

“We came to see Maya,” one of the girls said shyly. “It’s been a week since we heard from her, and her brother refused to fill us in on what is wrong with her, so we came to find out for ourselves, they said in unison .”

Agnes nodded kindly. “She’s been unwell as you know, but she’s getting better and responding to treatment. She’ll be back at school sooner than you expect .”

The children sighed in relief, thanked her, and turned to leave. As the gates closed behind them, Agnes looked up at the grand house, at the windows that hid so much pain, and whispered to herself,

“Poor children… they have no idea how much has changed.”

Not long after Maya’s classmates had left her house, the Andersons’ black car pulled up quietly into the driveway. The mansion's lights showed off its glossy, beautiful surface as the driver opened the door. Maya stepped out slowly and quietly, holding on to her small backpack, her eyes searching instinctively for one familiar face, Jake’s face. She hoped that the moment she stepped out of the car, he would come and hug her, but he was nowhere to be found. But he wasn’t there. She turned to ask her parents where Jake was and why he didn’t come to see her after a long while. They told her Jake was asleep, but he was happy to see her.

The house, once so alive, now felt hollow and dead. As she walked through the tall glass door and climbed up the stairs, she realized that the usual laughter of maids and the hum of music were all gone. Only silence greeted her, a very thick, cold, and strange silence.

She looked around, confused. Why does everything feel so different all of a sudden? Did something happen in her absence? she thought. But she forced a smile and continued to climb the stairs to her room, convincing herself it was just her imagination.

That night, as the moonlight slipped through her blue curtains, Maya tiptoed from her room through the hall with a little gift box in her hands, a surprise for Jake. She knocked softly on his door. “Jake? It’s me,” she said with excitement in her voice. But there was no answer.

She knocked again. “Come on, Jake. Open up! I have something for you.” She waited for a while, and still nothing. Then she turned the door handle, and his door was locked. She frowned, whispering, “Since when does Jake lock his door?”Her heart sank. Something was definitely wrong. Feeling Puzzled and hurt, she turned away and walked to her parents’ room. When she entered, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson looked up abruptly, their faces marked with exhaustion and something else she couldn’t quite name.

“Mom? Dad?” she said softly, trying to hold back her tears. “Why is everyone acting so weird towards me? Why won’t Jake talk to me, and since when did Jake start locking his door ?”

They both exchanged glances, the kind that holds too many words and secrets.

“We’re all just… tired, sweetheart,” her mother said gently. “It’s been a long week.”

“But Jake… ”Her father interrupted her, forcing a smile. “He’s just stressed. Don’t worry too much about him.”

Maya didn’t believe them, but she nodded quietly and left. Mrs. Anderson walked her back to her room, tucking her in like she always did when Maya was little. She kissed her forehead and whispered, “Get some rest, darling. You have school tomorrow.”Then she shut the door softly behind her.

But sleep never came. Maya lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling, her heart heavy. The house's silence pressed down on her so much that she couldn’t hold back her tears. Why won’t anyone tell me what’s happening in the house? Why does everyone stare at me and treat me like a stranger?

The more she thought about what was happening, the harder she cried. Her silent sobs echoed softly through her room. The moon watched her quietly from the window as she whispered into her pillow, “I just want things to return to how they were. Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up and realize that all this is a dream .”

And with her cheeks still wet with tears, she drifted off to sleep, praying that morning would bring back the warmth that once lived in the Anderson home.

The next morning arrived like any other, but to Maya, everything felt really different.

Usually, Jake was the first person to knock on her door, teasing her to hurry up or she would miss school. He would help her tie her shoelaces, carry her bag, and walk beside her, like he always did. But this morning, the hallway outside her room stayed silent, no sign of her beloved brother and best friend.

Maya dressed independently, her small hands trying to find her way with the laces that Jake usually tied with a smile. When she walked downstairs, she saw him, sitting at the breakfast table, eyes glued to his food, pretending not to see her.

“Good morning, Jake,” she said softly, looking in his direction, expecting an answer or at least a smile from him. But he didn’t say anything to him

After breakfast, when the driver came to announce that the cars were ready, Jake stood up and said, “I’ll go in the white one. Give Maya a different car.”

Maya froze momentarily, her backpack hanging loosely from one side of her shoulder. A Different car? He had never done that before. What at all warranted this sudden change in behavior towards her?

Maya looked at her parents, who said nothing about the situation; their silence spoke louder than words, and at that point, Maya knew something was wrong.

The ride to school felt endlessly long and tiresome. The driver tried to tell her to ignore Jake and that he would come around later, but Maya just stared out the window, imagining what life was going to be like in school now.

At school, she waited at her usual spot when they had a break. That spot was under the old oak tree near the playground, where Jake always came to check on her between classes. But he never showed up.

She glanced outside the window in class, hoping to see his familiar face pass by and make a face for her to giggle. But that didn’t happen either. At lunch, she searched for him in the cafeteria, but that too was futile. She began to hear whispers from other students.

“Did they have a serious fight?” one asked.

“Maybe it’s a prank,” another suggested.

“No, oh no , I don’t think so, I mean look at Maya, she looks like she’s about to cry,” someone else whispered.

The truth was, no one knew what was happening between the Anderson siblings, not even the teachers, not their friends, not even Maya herself knew what was going on in the mansion.

But one thing was painfully clear: Whatever had transpired to break their bond was hurting Maya far more than Jake.

By the time the day ended, her smile was gone entirely, and her eyes got heavy with confusion. She decided that after school, she would go straight to Agnes and ask her what was happening. If anyone could tell her what was happening and if anyone would be honest with her, it would be Agnes.

But for now, though, all she could do was sit in silence, cling to her lunchbox, and wonder when and how her brother’s love had turned into distance.