Sisters of the Neversea

Chapter
1
Tick tock. Tick tock. Each tick, tick, ticking second brought Lily and Wendy closer to the end of their time sharing a home as stepsisters. Not that they were on speaking terms anyway.
You see, Wendy’s father, Mr. George Darling-that’s him in the trim, navy suit-he had already accepted the assignment on Wall Street. And Lily’s mama, Ms. Florene Roberts-Darling-that’s her in the bright blue calico-she had flat-out refused to quit her job with the Tribe and move away from Oklahoma. And this, in turn, had created a rift between the girls over their own summer living arrangements. But that evening the whole family was still together, surrounded by community, celebrating big brother John’s high school graduation.
Gripping her rolled-up ceremony program, Lily exclaimed, “He’s next, John’s next!”
Flashing a brilliant smile, John strode across the stage in a flowing black robe with a beaded eagle feather dangling from his mortarboard.
His parents and siblings proudly rose, cheering. His grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins proudly rose, cheering. Great Auntie Lillian had done the beadwork herself.
“He looks so grown-up!” Wendy exclaimed as John raised his
diploma high.
“Way to go, John!” Lily sang out, as if he could hear her from the arena bleachers.

In that joyful moment, Wendy Moira Angela Darling never would’ve muttered that John was merely her stepbrother, and Lily Maria Roberts never would’ve boasted that John was her real brother. Instead, Wendy blinked back tears because everything was changing, while Lily gave her mama and daddy bouncing high fives. Meanwhile, Mr. Darling lifted the siblings’ four-year-old baby brother, Michael, onto his shoulders for a better view of John’s big moment.
“John, John, John, John!” Michael chanted, clapping. “John, John, John, John!”
Michael shared a mama, Ms. Roberts-Darling, with Lily and
John.
Michael shared a father, Mr. Darling, with Wendy. Michael would be staying with Lily, John, and their mama in Tulsa rather than boarding tomorrow’s red-eye flight with Wendy and their father for New York City.
Or so they all assumed at the time.
The stepsisters’ silent truce had lasted all the way through the very, very, very, very long speeches and graduates’ roll call and ceremonial fanciness. It had survived a few scathing looks and a couple of turned-up noses in the expansive leather back seat of Mr. Darling’s sedan.
What’s more, the girls had managed to mostly avoid each other at the boisterous potluck reception in their backyard. On the wraparound wooden deck, Lily and Wendy helped serve sherbet fruit punch and chocolate-raspberry sheet cake without exchanging a word.
“You girls must be so proud of John,” Auntie Lillian said, accepting a plated serving.
“I’m proud that he graduated with academic honors,” Lily answered. “I’m proud that he got a baseball scholarship,” Wendy replied.