ISABELLA•POV

It's a new day dawning, a cold Monday. Already dressed in the school outfit — a pleated skirt falling above my knee, a shirt with a tie and a jacket, a pair of knee-high socks with my pair of shoes. I was dressing my braided top knot hair well while looking at my reflection in the mirror. I was tall and slender, with large eyes and long eyebrows.

I then scanned look to find my wristwatch on the nightstand, but suddenly remembered, I had borrowed my younger sister, Chloe yesterday, when she was going out.

I glanced at the chubby, light skinned, short girl, sitting on the bed, tying her shoelaces. Well, no one would love to miss the first day of school. We shared the same room together.

"Hey, Chloe!" I said in a hurry, staring at her. I knew mom who would dropped us off at school, would have been waiting for us. "You didn't return my wristwatch."

"I know that." Chloe, concentrating on tying her shoelaces, muttered. "Do you need it?"

"What kind of question was that?" I threw back a question at her, not in a harsh way.

"You don't need a wristwatch." Chloe answered, trying not to laugh.

"Hey, stop teasing me. I don't have time for this." I rolled her eyes. "Let me have the wristwatch."

Chloe laughed, mimicking me and raised her head.

"What wristwatch? Have you forgotten?"

With her reply, I knew Chloe had started again, why? I didn't deserve this from my little sister. I loved Chloe but the hatred Chloe had for me was too much for me.

I pleaded "Chloe, please don't start again."

Chloe paused and turned to me with her smirking face. "Really? Mom bought the wristwatch for you, right?"

I nodded, gesturing yes, already knew where Chloe was heading to.

"Then why didn't you answer my question? Have you forgotten that I'm only the birth child here?" Chloe growled.

Tears began to well up in my eyes. At this point, my phone rang but I couldn't even check it or pick up the phone. My heart sank whenever Chloe said those words to me. I couldn't believe Chloe wanted me to feel bad again.

"Look, whatever my parent buys for you are all mine. You don't belong here, you are not wanted. You are just a stranger, leaving one day."

Chloe was right, she was the birth child, while I was the adopted child. When I clocked seven, my adoptive parents told me that they adopted me when I was four months old and they gave birth to Chloe, fours years later.

This was one of the memories I would never forget in my life. I was adopted from an orphanage. The only thing I knew about my birth family was that my birth mother, being a drug addict, couldn't raise me with the kind of life she was living, so they had to place me in orphanage before I was being adopted.

Nothing else was known about my birth parents and I had no desire to find them, even when I reached the legal age to find them.

My adoptive parents loved me, I felt special around them. They had showed me what love is and I had been really grateful to them. Chloe also did get well with me. They didn't tell Chloe about my adoption.

But unfortunately, Chloe had changed to me after she learnt about my adoption from Lucy who had been staying with us some years after my adoptive father died.

Lucy was my mom's younger sister. She was living with us while schooling.

Since then, Chloe had been bullying me, about it. Lucy also did have Chloe's back when bullying me, though not in mum's presence. They knew mum wouldn't approve to it. So they did this to me whenever mum wasn't with us.

Chloe kept reminding me that I was adopted and my birth mother was a drug addict did make me felt terrible. I didn't like to talk about me adoption but my sister kept reminding me

I would have hurt Chloe if Chloe was someone else, but she was my little sister and I loved her so much that I couldn't hurt her.

I could remember during dad's funeral, how I held Chloe tight, both shedding tears. "Stop crying Chloe, we will be fine, I promise I won't let anything hurt you, I will be there for you." Chloe glanced at me and hugged me tight in return.

But now, Chloe had been making me feel non belonging while I couldn't hurt her. I would rather shed tears Chloe should shed if she was someone else.

Instead of replying Chloe, I quickly rushed to the bathroom and washed my face with water, then returned. I grabbed my phone and my backpack, wore my backpack and walked out of the room.

Chloe burst out laughing as I shut the door, I didn't care, then I started dashing down the stairs. Getting to the living room, I dropped my backpack on the couch and walked down to the kitchen.

It was mum's turn to prepare breakfast though I already knew it's bread and tea but I couldn't believe mum fried some eggs. Wow! With the fried egg, it would complement the recipe. I quickly made my tea and headed to the dinning with a tray of my breakfast.

My mother was already having her breakfast.

"Good morning mum." I greeted as I gave her a side hug.

"Morning Bella." My mom replied.

Staring at me as I sat down, my mom burst out with some bread in her mouth.

"Your eyes get a little puffy, are you okay?"

"Of course, I'm okay mum." I quickly replied with a smile, rubbing my eyes with my thumb.

Was I okay? But I knew I would be okay when I meet my best friends, Jerry, Mary and Dennis at school. I felt so special around them, we felt special around ourselves.

"May be you slept late last night, watching movies." Mum suggested.

"Yeah may be." I nodded, staring intently at my breakfast. I didn't sleep late last night but I didn't have to tell her the truth.

I started eating, the breakfast was good. I placed some eggs in the middle of the bread and started chewing it. Mom who would drop my sister and I off at school was almost done with her breakfast, so I had to be fast.

"And how long will it take Chloe to get dressed? Knowing that I'm late for work." Mom stated.

"But she was tying her shoelaces when I was coming downstairs." I managed to say, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. Chloe had already warned me not to be meddling in her matter so I had to caution myself on what to say.

"She will soon be here." I added.

"Well, I think Lucy will drop her off at school today." Mom responded.

I couldn't say anything and we continued eating in silence. That's what Chloe actually liked, she always loved hanging out with Lucy. I knew Chloe would be on her phone now, chatting or rather playing games, waiting for mom and I to set off so that Lucy could drop her off at school.

★★★

Mom dropped me off at school. Chloe couldn't go with us because she was having her break fast when we wanted to set off.

I stared at the school gate opened while some of my schoolmates were passing by. I shook my head with a smiling face, indicating happiness and warm.

"Bye mommy." I said as I grabbed my backpack. Mom then gripped my hands and gently squeezed it.

I felt a relief, all I could do was I stared at our hands, she was a fair woman while I had a glowing brown skin.

"Bella!" Mom started in a low and calm voice. "Remember you are the best thing that has ever happened to us."

I felt so belonging whenever mom and my late father said this to me. The best thing that had ever happened to them?

Sometimes, I would feel like asking them why I was the best thing that had ever happened to them.

I wondered why my adoptive parents loved me, being adopted, the same way they loved their birth daughter. I hoped I would never disappointed them.

"You are chosen, you are wanted, you are cherished, you grow in our heart everyday, you are loved." Mum continued.

Those words made me felt so special. Tears already welling up in my eyes, I stared at her face. She gently nodded with a smile, expecting me to respond.

All I could do was I nodded back and hugged her tight.

"I love you mum." I gulped, trying not to cry.

"I love you more Bella." She responded and kissed me on the forehead.

Releasing her from the hug I hopped out of the car. Still staring at me, she waved me goodbye and I waved her back, grinning.

You guys are the best thing that has ever happened to me too. I love you mum and I really miss you dad. I thought.