Hi my name is Maya, I have brown hair and blue eyes just like my mama. I love playing with my little sister and my friends In my bedroom and on my trampoline. I’m 8 years old and I have 2 sisters. My baby sister Jasmine is turning 5 this year and she always gets the good stuff… For her present mom gives us a $20.00 limit and let’s us pick out whatever we want for her.
Mama takes us to the flea market in downtown. I don’t like the flea market, it always scared me. Its very dark inside and it has a bunch of old toys that are scary looking. We go inside and start searching for the perfect gifts. My older sister is selfish because mama tells us whatever we don’t spend for the gift we get to keep. She always buys the cheapest toy.
I somehow end up alone in an aisle of stuffed animals and baby dolls, I don’t like this, I don’t like it at all. Its so dark, where’s mommy? Something caught my eye so I go investigate…I walk over to this gorgeous porcelin doll with brown hair and a beautiful sparkly purple gown. The price tag said $20. This is the one, it’s perfect Jasmine will LOVE it!
I take the doll to my mom and show her the price, she tells me Its beautiful and says that she’ll pay the taxes, whatever that means. Anyways, I hand her my money and we wait for my sister to finish. Jasmine birthday is tomorrow so I figure I better wrap her gift tonight and it can sleep with me so it will be safe.
I pull out mama’s wrapping paper from christmas, it’s old but it will work. I’m not the best at wrapping presents for Christmas or birthdays but I do it because I love my sister and want her surprise to be PERFECT. I sit in the floor of my bedroom and begin to wrap the doll when I notice her eyes, they are ice blue and so clear. I can’t stop looking at them…I’m getting really sleepy…so sleepy…I try to yell for mommy but I’m too weak, I lay down because I can’t sit up anymore and then everything goes pitch black.
I open my eyes and it’s morning. I’m laying in my bed and I hear mama yell for me to bring Jasmine’s present downstairs because she is ready to open them, she always gets to open all of them before we get to eat cake, I try every year but mama won’t budge she says Jaz is the baby.
I try to move but I can’t. Then I feel the bed move and I watch myself get out of bed and put on my house shoes. I turn around and walk back to me. I look into my eyes and realize she is not me but someone or something else. She picks me up and carries me downstairs and as we enter the hallway she whispers to me, “Its okay I’ll take care of your family.”