Everything was a competition between Emily and Leah.

They didn't go so far as to call it that aloud. In fact, they never spoke of it. They were best friends, closest cousins, sisters almost.

But there was always a hint of rivalry brewing between the two that was only evident to them.

When they were younger, it was over silly things.

"Look at my Barbie, Leah!" Seven-year-old Emily had waved her blonde-haired doll in Leah's face.

Leah had looked down at her Raggedy Ann with disappointment.

And when they were slightly older, over clothes, popularity, and friends.

"Wanna sleep over tonight?" Leah had asked, grinning. "We can pig out on brownies and popcorn, and watch a ton of movies."

Emily had rolled her eyes. "Brownies make you fat, Leah. I'm on a diet. Anyway, I can't. I have a date!"

Leah looked down at her feet. She'd never had a date; she wondered what was wrong with her.

Next week, she tried again. "Can you sleep over? I've got smoothie mix." This time she was on top of things.

"I wish I could," Emily said, "but I'm going to a party tonight."

"Maybe after?"

"It's gonna go pretty late..."

In most situations, Leah realized, Emily won. Not that she was keeping score. But it just didn't seem fair. Emily always had dates, always had the latest clothes, Then she realized it was never fair, never.

So when Sam Ulley finally asked Leah out, she thought of it as a small victory. She bragged about him constantly, until finally, she decided to introduce her boyfriend to her cousin.

Biggest mistake of her life.

Leah and Emily had had a horrible fight over it. Leah didn't buy the whole innocent Emily act. "It's not my fault!" Emily would say, tears in her eyes. "I'm really sorry; I know how much he means to you. But were in love… what can I do?" she would plead over and over again.

"Love, of course." She would smirk.

Sam and Emily were never apart. Every time she saw them she wanted to cry out in agony and claw Emily's eyes out. Sam was her first –and only- love, she would never get over it.

Emily had been crying and apologetic the whole time.

Until finally, as Leah made a snide comment about boyfriend-stealing best friends, Emily snapped.

"I'm sorry, Leah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I know he was your first real boyfriend, and I've tried to sympathize. But you can't keep blaming me for this! He broke up with you, he loves me!" that had done it right there, she broke.

"You didn't have to fall for him! If you were really my best friend, you would have just left him alone!" she had screamed through her tears.

"Face it, Leah! I win."

Emily had crossed the line. She had brought up the-competition-that-must-not-be-named.

Leah had collapsed into tears as Emily stomped from the room, cursing in her head and wishing thousands of terrible things to happen to Leah.

And they'd stopped speaking. Time meant nothing; achievements went un-named because the only person they wanted to talk to about it didn't care.

It had been weeks, verging on a month, when the accident happened.

Leah came home from school to find her mother's face in stunned silence, horror.

"What? What is it, Mommy? Are you okay?"

"Bad news," Sue managed to choke out. "Emily."

Leah's mind raced with possibilities. "Is she okay?" she asked quietly, avoiding the real question- "Is she dead?"

"Mauled by a bear," Sue said, tears beginning to stream down her face. "She lost a lot of blood, but she's okay, thank God. But her face... it's disfigured, forever. She was such a pretty girl..." She gave Leah a meaningful look. "I know you girls are fighting, but I know it would mean a lot to Emily if you visited her."

But Leah couldn't. She couldn't face Emily. So she waited, and fought with horrible thoughts in her head.

Doesn't she sort of deserve it, Leah? She did something wrong to you. It's karma. It's payback…right?

No, no, no!

Why haven't you visited, Leah? To torture her even further? That's not right, now is it? You should go.

After two weeks, she gave in. Emily was home from the hospital, but refusing to go to school. She sat in her room, watching TV and not letting anyone see her.

So she stopped at Emily's house after school, cautiously opening the door to Emily's room.

Leah stared at Emily with a sort of fascinated horror, at the scars that ran down the length of her cousin-almost-sister's face. They were puckered and red, scabbing over. Her beautiful face was deformed now; the scars tugged her mouth down into a scowl.

And in the back of her head, the evil nagging voice came back.

You're the prettier one, it hissed. Who could love her? She's ugly, Leah.

"Leah," Emily whispered, her eyes lighting, and a faint smile pulling up one corner of her disfigured mouth. "You came."

"Oh, Emily, this is horrible," Leah breathed, moisture collecting in the corners of her eyes and finally trickling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." Sorry for this happened, sorry for their fight.

But her eyes flashed with a sort of satisfaction behind her tears. She was sad for her best friend, she felt awful that it had happened.

But the voice was still there.

Who was winning now?