In Her Shadow

I grabbed my suitcase, ready to walk out, but my dad's grip on my arm was like iron.

"Where do you think you're going? Did I say you could leave? This is how it's going to be. You're swapping schools with Jen!"

"Why should I?"

"Why? You owe it to Jen! If you hadn't let her make that mistake, would she have ended up at a junior college?"

I could not help but scoff. "Her grades were mediocre at best. Why should I give up my spot at a top university for her?"

My dad's voice was icy. "After all the trouble you've caused Jen, you think this is unfair? Be grateful we're not making you drop out to wait on her hand and foot. Your mother and I are being more than generous!

"You've always been this way, as unpleasant to look at as you are on the inside. You're nothing like Jen with her beauty and kindness. Maybe this will set you straight."

"If I'm so hideous and Jennifer is so gorgeous, how could she possibly take my place at school?

"People would spot the difference in an instant, wouldn't they?"

My parents were momentarily at a loss for words.

Jennifer and I were identical twins, mirror images of each other since we were little. We had been mixed up more times than I could count.

However, for some reason, our parents always called me the plain one and praised Jennifer's beauty.

In a moment of tension, their faces flushed with anger, they then went pale with worry.

"We can see you're not as pretty because we're your parents, Ella. Strangers can't tell you two apart! Enough of this, you're going to switch schools with Jen!"

Out of the blue, Jennifer said, "Mom, Dad, Ella's got a point. What if the university uses fingerprint scans for ID checks?"

Our parents exchanged anxious glances. "What's the matter, Jen? You're not thinking of backing out, are you?"

Jennifer grinned. "No way. However, we've got to figure something out.

"Hey, Mom, I heard sulfuric acid can wipe out fingerprints. Maybe we should test it on Ella?"

Sulfuric acid?

My heart raced with terror as I looked at them, shaking my head desperately, trying to bolt.

However, it was no use.

My dad pinned me down, and my mom fetched a small bottle of toilet cleaner: sulfuric acid. She soaked a cotton swab in it and ruthlessly dabbed it onto my fingertips.

The acid hissed against my skin, and the agony was so intense I convulsed and screamed until my voice was raw.

My mom watched my charred fingertips and nodded, pleased with her work.

Then she turned to Jennifer, her face lined with worry.

"It hurts a lot to burn off fingerprints with acid, honey. I'm scared it'll be too much for you. Should we try something else?"

They kept me locked up at home and took Jennifer for a skin regeneration at the hospital.

"Look, Ella." Jennifer flaunted her perfect fingers. "Not a mark, and it didn't hurt at all."

"Yikes, but your fingers, they're a mess. Gross!"

The moment Jennifer walked through the door, she could not wait to flaunt her victory in my face.

I ignored her taunts, lost in thought about something far more important.

University marked a fresh chapter in life, and I was determined not to settle for a junior college…

I pleaded with my parents. "Mom, Dad, if you're set on sending Jennifer to school instead of me, can I at least take a gap year to retake the SAT?

"I'm willing to work hard, I can try again next year..."

However, my plea was swiftly shot down.

"Do you have any idea how much we just spent to clean up Jen's mess? And you think a gap year to retake the SAT is free? You don't get it, do you?

"It's simple. Either get yourself a job or go to Jen's junior college. It's your choice."

Despair washed over me. In the dead of night, while they slept, I snuck back to school.

The following day, my parents, with Jennifer in tow, appeared at the classroom door.

Ignoring the ongoing class meeting, they stormed in and yanked me up.

"Jennifer, you've got some nerve, impersonating your sister!

"You lack the talent to make it on your own, yet you'll try to steal your sister's spot? Aren't you ashamed? Get back to the junior college. Now!"