After our parents’ tragic death, Elara and I were both put up for adoption. In my previous life, a timid Elara chose to stay with Grandma Sarah in our secluded community. But Grandma worked her to the bone every day, leaving her utterly exhausted. Meanwhile, I was adopted by the wealthy Sterling family, transforming into an elegant socialite. Elara cried, begging Grandma to let her leave, but Grandma slapped her and locked her in the barn. When I snuck in to visit her, she set the barn on fire. We perished in the flames, only to awaken, reborn, back on the day we were to be adopted. This time, Elara was the first to take Mrs. Sterling’s hand. I smiled, turning to tightly clutch Grandma Sarah’s sleeve. I was sick of being a pawn in other people’s games, constantly passed around. After Mom and Dad died tragically in the fire, the question of where my twin sister, Elara, and I would go became the most pressing issue in our isolated community. As everyone worried, Grandma Sarah and Mrs. Sterling, a wealthy socialite visiting our community, both offered to adopt us. Seeing Elara rush to grasp Mrs. Sterling’s hand, I knew she had been reborn with me. In our past life, fear of the outside world had made her choose Grandma first. “Maya, I’m scared. You promised Mom and Dad you’d take good care of me. Please, go with them, okay? You’re so smart; the Sterlings will love you.” With so many eyes on me, I knew I had no other choice. Grandma Sarah was old and couldn’t possibly afford to raise two sisters. So, even though I was just as terrified, I followed the Sterling couple out of the secluded community where I had grown up. Our last meeting in that life was at Grandma Sarah’s 61st birthday celebration. I stepped out of a luxury car, wearing a beautiful designer gown, with a nanny and bodyguards trailing behind me. The people in the community, the aunts and uncles who’d known me forever, greeted me warmly, their faces beaming as they asked about my life in the outside world. “I can’t believe that little country bumpkin has turned into such a beautiful young lady!” A middle-aged woman grabbed my hand, unwilling to let go. Elara, dressed in a faded, worn-out dress, sat beside me, her eyes filled with resentment and envy. After the gathering, Elara went to Grandma Sarah again, proposing her desire to leave the community. But Grandma slapped her and locked her in the barn. I secretly snuck in to visit her, but she locked the door from the inside and suddenly set the barn ablaze. Her face twisted with a maniacal grin as she stared at me: “Maya, why do you get to leave and live a good life while I’m stuck here, suffering in these mountains? If I can’t leave, then you’re staying here to keep me company.” She held me in a death grip, and we both died in that fire when we were eighteen. When I opened my eyes again, we were back to that fateful day when we were eight years old, the day our destinies diverged. This time, Elara was the first to take the Sterling couple’s hand.
“Mrs. Sterling, please take me with you. I promise I’ll be a good girl.” “Maya, you’ll let me, right?” Mrs. Sterling didn’t seem to care which one of us sisters chose to go with her. Since Elara had chosen her first, she simply reciprocated, clasping Elara’s hand and pulling her closer. Elara clutched Mrs. Sterling’s hand, her eyes gleaming with triumph. With the matter of our adoption settled, everyone started to disperse, leaving only the Sterling couple and Grandma Sarah waiting outside our door. As Elara and I went back to our room to pack, I watched her cheerful retreating figure and couldn’t help but try to dissuade her: “Are you really going with the Sterlings? The outside world isn’t as good as you imagine.” I was genuinely trying to warn her, out of a sense of kinship, but Elara instantly bristled, like an angry cat, and hissed at me: “Maya, don’t even *think* about trying to steal my new mom. You already had your turn in the last life, this time it’s mine. You can just stay in this community with that old hag and live your miserable life.” Seeing how utterly deluded she was, I didn’t try to persuade her any further. Instead, I quietly went to my side of the room and started packing my own clothes. If she wanted to steal my life, she could have it. I just hoped she wouldn’t regret it later. Outside, Mrs. Sterling was growing impatient. “Elara, are you ready yet? What’s the point of packing those old rags? Once you’re out of this place with us, you can have all the clothes you want.” Hearing Mrs. Sterling’s words, Elara immediately dumped her clothes out, grabbed an empty bag, and headed for the door. Before leaving, she looked at me with a triumphant smirk: “Did you hear Mrs. Sterling? She said she’ll buy me countless beautiful dresses. You can keep these old rags.” Elara walked out without a backward glance. Watching her carefree departure, the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but curl upwards. Good. This life, I wouldn’t have to navigate the Sterling family’s wolf’s den, wouldn’t have to be passed around like a mere toy.
I followed Grandma Sarah back to her house. Only then did I realize her home was in a very unique location. From the attic, you could see the entire community, but from anywhere else in the community, you couldn’t see Grandma Sarah’s house. When Mom and Dad were alive, Grandma was quite reclusive, rarely interacting with us. So, looking at my only remaining relative, I felt like I was with a complete stranger. Grandma Sarah was far stricter than I’d imagined. The day after I arrived, she presented me with a detailed schedule. It specified when I had to wake up, when to study, when to go out to the fields with her to work, and even how many times I could use the bathroom each day—all meticulously laid out. I held the schedule, lost in thought. Grandma Sarah watched me, her expression stern: “The conditions here are tough, and my expectations are high. If you can’t handle it, go find Chief Miller right away and see if he can arrange for you to leave too.” Chief Miller was the unofficial title of the community leader, but Grandma calling him “that guy” (“那小子” in Chinese implies a certain informal seniority from Grandma’s side). This immediately told me her standing in the community was anything but low. I carefully taped the schedule onto the desk Grandma Sarah had prepared for me, then looked at her with determination and said: “Grandma, I won’t regret this. That wealthy couple might not be as kind as they seem. I’d rather stay here with you in these mountains. It has beautiful scenery, and a Grandma who truly cares about me.” As I spoke, I reached out and gently took her arm, a gesture of goodwill. Grandma Sarah’s eyes fixated on me, as if trying to see through my facade: “You’d better mean what you say. I don’t welcome deserters here.” I offered her a sweet, compliant smile: “I won’t be, Grandma. I’ll stay here, with you, always.”
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