My Sister Vanished, But Everyone Says I Was Always an Only Child

When my stepfather was in a bad mood, he took it out on me with his fists.

My mother was afraid of him. She looked away from his violence like it wasn't happening.

It was my older sister who threw herself in front of me, over and over, taking the blows so I didn't have to.

Until one day, she was gone.

I looked everywhere. I couldn't find her.

I asked my mother, and she frowned.

"What's wrong with you now? What sister? You don't have a sister."

My stepfather and my mother exchanged a look. Something strange passed between them.

A bad feeling took root inside me.