Chapter 1

My sister Sienna Sinclair turned 22 that day, and she made a wish. "Thea, I want your engagement to Dominic." The room fell silent. Grandfather had arranged it before he died. In 22 years of watching Sienna take whatever she wanted from me, it was the one thing she had never managed to touch. My hand moved behind my back before I could stop myself. Mom caught my shoulder. Her voice left no room for argument. "Dominic has never even met you. What difference does it make if Sienna takes your place?" Dad wouldn't look at me. "Give her the ring. Don't make this harder than it needs to be." Sienna slid the ring off my finger and gave me a little wink. "Thea, you aren't upset, are you?" I remembered being 7 and watching her take my clothes, and then being 12 and watching her take my room. Every time, our parents would say the same thing. Sienna deserved the best things. I needed to be the bigger person. My phone buzzed. A message had just come in from Dominic. Dominic: I'll be there on time for our engagement. 'I'm not giving him up. Not this time. Not to her. Not to anyone.' ***** "Thea, look. Doesn't this look better on me than on those rough fingers of yours?" Sienna kept shifting angles in the backseat, hunting for the perfect selfie. The flash kept hitting my eyes. I had to shut them. The ring had been fitted to my finger. On her hand, it hung loose, slipping toward her knuckle. She kept curling her fingers to keep it on. I opened my eyes. "As long as you're happy." Mom stroked Sienna's hair and turned to me, her voice cold. "Thea, for once you're not being difficult. You're the older sister. It's your job to want good things for her. Sienna's always been frail. She needs someone to look after her. This engagement is her way out." Dad glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Your mother's right. Everyone knows Dominic is ruthless in the business world. Sienna is soft. She brings out the protective instinct in men. But you? You wouldn't last 3 days. I've already found someone for you. Nathaniel Crawford of Summit Logistics. He's 15 years older, but he's got money. You'd marry into wealth. Easy life. What's not to like?" Nathaniel had put his last wife in the hospital twice. She'd fled the country just to get away from him. My parents called this looking out for me. Something inside me shut off. "Fine." Sienna leaned over as if she'd just been handed a gift. "Oh, one more thing. I'm visiting Dominic's grandfather next week. Can I bring that painting you've been working on? I'll tell him I painted it. I heard Dominic loves art." I pressed myself against the car door. "I've already submitted it. It's in a competition next month. I can't pull it." Sienna's face crumpled. Her eyes welled up with tears in seconds. "Mom... Thea's still mad at me. I just want to make a good impression on the Thorne family. I don't want to embarrass us..." Mom's head whipped toward me. "Thea! It's just a painting. Sienna's future matters more. She finally has a chance to impress the Thornes, and you can't even help her? After everything we've done for you? This is what we get? How ungrateful!" "I can't get it back. The entries are sealed." Dad slammed his hand on the horn. "Enough! You drew the Grant Slip. That means you do whatever it takes to make the Wish Slip's wish come true. Figure out how to get that painting back and give it to Sienna tomorrow. I'm not asking again." The streetlights flew by outside. I said nothing and let the darkness swallow me. I'd been hearing this for 22 years. Every year we drew slips. Sienna always pulled the Wish Slip. I always pulled the Grant Slip. When I was 10, Sienna wanted the model I'd spent 2 weeks building. Mom said the Grant Slip gave way to the Wish Slip. She'd buy me new blocks. When I was 17, Sienna wanted my acceptance letter. Dad said the Wish Slip needed a good environment and I could get into another school on my own. I was smart enough for that. Then she wanted my room. Now she wanted my engagement. Every draw ended the same way. I stepped back again and again, and there was no end to it. They always told me the same thing. I had the Grant Slip, so I had to understand. I had to be good. I had to be reasonable. They told me good girls got rewarded. It took me 22 years to figure out that being good just made it easier for them to take advantage of me. We got home, and the coffee table was buried under designer catalogs. Mom pulled Sienna down next to her and started flipping through them. "This one would look gorgeous on you. Oh, and this set. So elegant." I headed for the stairs. "Thea, go cut some fruit." Mom didn't even look up. I stopped. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Mom's hand went still on the page. She looked up at me with something cold in her eyes. "You're still upset about the engagement? Thea, you can't be that selfish. Sienna is frail. She's been delicate her whole life. Dominic's family is powerful. She'll be taken care of. Besides, you drew the Grant Slip. That's not our fault." My hand tightened on the railing. I couldn't forget what I'd overheard last night outside the study. Dad asked, "Did you mark it? Sienna has to get that engagement." Mom sounded unconcerned. "Relax. I rounded the edge of the Wish Slip myself. I'll make sure Sienna picks first tomorrow." They'd rigged the whole thing. They gave Sienna everything and made me pay for it. "I understand." I went upstairs. I was closing my door when Sienna's voice came up from the living room. "Mom, maybe the engagement should go to Thea. I don't want her to be sad." Mom's voice went soft. "Sweetheart, it's always yours. She just wasn't born lucky." I sat down at my desk and opened the drawer. The old brooch was still there. It had been Grandfather's, the token exchanged when the engagement was arranged. I picked up my phone and texted Dominic. Thea: Okay. See you at the engagement banquet.