Claire does not like being ignored. To her, the kind of people who don't listen to her are the same people who are headed for disaster. She's the smartest person in her class, after all. She might even be the smartest person in her grade. She doesn't mean to act pompous, but it's hard when all of her classmates are so . . . simple. If they would only listen to her, things would go a lot smoother. They'd get school projects done early, and their grades would be better, too. But no one listens to Claire. They think she's bossy. If she is, it's only because her ideas are so much better than everyone else's.
There is one person who listens to Claire, and that person is Karen. Karen doesn't have the courage to challenge Claire's authority, especially since she is the older sister. Claire quite enjoys playing games with Karen for this reason. She's a big pushover, and Claire takes advantage of that.
"Pretend we're in a magic kingdom, and I'm the queen."
Karen pouts.
"Can't I be the queen this time?"
Claire frowns.
"No, you can't."
"Merriweather wants a turn."
She holds up a purple pony with a yellow mane. Claire knocks it to the side with her own horse.
"Lickety Split is the queen."
Karen whines sadly. Claire decides on a compromise.
"Merriweather can be the princess."
Karen nods.
"Okay. Merriweather is the princess."
Claire marches across the lawn and picks up a dead butterfly with orange wings. Using a small wad of Blu-Tack, she stick it on her horse's shoulders.
"There. Lickety Split is the queen, because she has fairy wings."
Claire knows what Karen is going to ask next.
"Can Merriweather have wings too?"
"No. She can have a unicorn horn."
She sticks a dirty twig on her sister's pony.
"There. She's a princess."
Karen picks up another twig.
"Do you want one too?"
Claire snorts.
"Have you ever seen a queen with horns?"
Karen shakes her head.
"Then I don't want it."
Karen looks away sadly and puts the twig in her pocket.
"Good. Now, pretend we're going to the palace."
Claire flies her horse over to a pile of rocks. Karen follows, holding her pony a few inches off the ground.
"We're here to make trades with the governments of other countries," Claire continues, "Our plants are the best around, so we can get a lot of diamonds for them."
Karen frowns.
"This is boring. I want to go on an adventure."
Claire gives her a murderous glare.
"Do you want to play with me or not?"
Karen bows her head in submission and nods. Claire gives a victorious smile and plucks a white flower from her mother's garden.
"This is the best flower. We keep it for ourselves because it's the prettiest flower on earth. Everyone wants to have it, but we don't let them."
Karen grumbles.
"Mom's gonna get mad at you for picking that."
Claire stomps her foot.
"That's why you have flowers in the first place, dummy. What's the point of just leaving them there?"
Karen sighs.
"I don't wanna play anymore."
She tries to walk away, but Claire blocks her path.
"You're going to play."
"No, I'm not."
"Play, or I'll tell Mom that you picked the flower."
"I didn't pick it."
"I'll tell her anyway."
Karen whimpers.
"Okay. I'll play."
She places her pony on the pile of rocks just as Claire does. Somehow, they manage to topple the structure.
"Look what you did!" Claire sneers, "You messed it up!"
Karen shakes her head.
"Did not! That was your fault."
"No, it wasn't! You ruin everything!"
Karen crosses her arms.
"I'm not playing anymore. You're being mean."
As she walks away, Claire sighs reluctantly.
"You can be a queen."
Karen keeps walking.
"I don't want to."
"Yes, you do. Everyone wants to be a queen."
"I don't."
"Yes, you do, and if you don't, something's wrong with you."
"I don't care."
Claire growls and runs up to her.
"Play with me."
Karen shakes her head.
"No, no, no!"
Claire hits her hard, but not hard enough that she'll tattle. Karen screams in frustration.
"Stop it, Claire."
"Play with me, or I'll tell Mom about the flower."
"I don't wanna! I don't wanna!"
Before Claire can drag her sister back to the yard, their mother opens the screen door and smiles at them.
"Hey, girls. Are you playing nicely?"
Claire frowns.
"Karen picked a flower and broke my palace, and now she doesn't want to play."
Her mother gives a look of recognition. She's no stranger to Claire's fact-twisting.
"Claire, are you telling the truth?"
"Yes."
"The whole truth?"
"Yes."
Her mother turns to Karen.
"Is she telling the whole truth?"
Claire gives Karen a threatening glare. She glances to the side uneasily.
"I don't know."
Claire can't believe how stupid Karen is. By giving a response that is neither here nor there, she has unintentionally revealed that Claire was lying. Her mother knows this, and Claire suspects that she knew the answer before she asked.
"Claire, apologize to your sister."
"I didn't do anything!"
Her mother shakes her head.
"Karen looks upset. Apologize to her."
"For what?"
"Whatever you did wrong."
"I did nothing wrong! I was going to let Karen be a queen!"
Her mother gives her a stare that makes her feel very small.
"Apologize."
Claire balls her hands into fists and speaks through her teeth.
"Sorry."
Her mother crosses her arms.
"That's not good enough."
Claire snuffs angrily.
"I'm sorry."
"Try again."
Claire keeps as much bitterness in her voice as possible.
"Sorry."
"Again."
Claire sighs.
"I'm sorry, Karen."
Her mother nods.
"Okay. Come inside. Lunch is ready."
She walks through the screen door and enters the kitchen. Claire follows, but not before grabbing her sister's arm.
"If you do that again, I'm never going to play with you. Ever."
Karen sniffles and runs through the door.