It was an average day in South Carolina. The sisters, Cherry and Ivy, were playing in their backyard. They were doing handstands against the garden fence to see who could last longer. The younger sister, Cherry, fell first and scraped her knee. It was painful—well, at least to her—and she started crying. In an attempt to calm her younger sister down, Ivy crouched next to her.
“Ah! Don’t worry, Cherry. Every mistake you make makes you stronger!” Ivy grinned widely.
Cherry couldn’t help but chuckle. “Haha… You’re right…” she continued, chuckling.
“What? What are you laughing at?” Ivy asked.
“I’m sorry, but your teeth look weird with those braces,” Cherry said, laughing again.
Ivy huffed. “Shut up, Cherry! You look weird!”
Just then, their mom walked outside to the garden, watching them. She chuckled. “Now, now, you two. Apologize to each other. Both of you look just fine.”
Oh, what Ivy wouldn’t give to live those days over again. Even if her family was just a facade—a puppet show or a dramatic play—she still loved them. Even if they weren’t blood-related to her, nor looked anything like her. God, she wished she could have loved them normally. She had taken them from the streets, rewritten their memories, made them believe she was their daughter, and had made them pose as her family—just for them to find out the truth and die while trying to escape.
She never meant to harm them. Yet, she didn’t know what she wanted from them either.
Recalling what happened, she realized that for as long as she could remember, she had craved the love of a family. Yet, she didn’t know how that worked. Nor did she understand why she wanted it. Nor did she know who she was, or what she was. She didn’t know anything about herself, yet she still craved something she didn’t understand.
A mindless entity, a stranger to itself, she wanted to be human. So, she adopted a new name, a new appearance, gender, and a face. She posed as the loving daughter of a happy family. And she made herself a happy life.
So, what choice was left now?
“Every mistake you make makes you stronger.” The words echoed like a broken record.
At first, they didn’t help. Then, they gave her an idea. Yes. Yes… Yes. She knew what she wanted. She’d try again, but this time, she’d make her own family with her own experience, so they’d be the perfect people for a good family. With no memories—unlike a regular human being—she’d give them fake ones so they’d love her.
She’d create them over and over again.
Until they were perfect.
After all, every mistake made her stronger.