NeverBloom

Chapter 1

Part 1

Brooke had once loved her older sister Vanessa, and considered her her very best friend in the whole wide world.

The two of them had been inseparable as kids - playing in the backyard, coming up with elaborate stories full of intrigue and political maneuvering for their dolls, and generally enjoying as idyllic a childhood as two sisters growing up in a small town could imagine.

In elementary school at recess, in spite of two grade levels separating them, Vanessa would always have her friends hang out with the shy and awkward Brooke. Brooke had good memories of making her first friends at school because of her caring older sister. She always felt so safe and protected when her older sister was around.

Then Vanessa hit puberty.

Everything started to change. Vanessa was in middle school, and couldn’t really help Brooke directly anymore. Brooke started to feel like she was slowly floundering socially at school. But while things got worse for Brooke, things kept getting better and better for Vanessa.

Vanessa was a very early bloomer, and some of the more precocious guys started to take notice of her. Suddenly, even the little time Vanessa used to have after school to try to talk through problems or spend time with Brooke went to hanging out with her new, cool friends, or a boy, or at her increasingly long list of extracurricular activities.

Brooke had entertained hopes that when she joined Vanessa in middle school, things might go back to the way things were. Brooke was Vanessa’s sister, so maybe puberty would shower the same gifts they had rained down on Vanessa in droves, and the two of them would be pretty and popular together.

But that wasn’t what happened.

When Brooke finally got to share a single year of middle school with Vanessa two years later, Vanessa wanted nothing to do with her. Brooke tried to sit with her sister at lunch, or join in with some of her after school activities, but she quickly got the message that she was not wanted.

Vanessa didn’t want her nerdy, and kind of weird little sister to ruin her reputation.

More and more, it seemed like Brooke was nothing more than an embarrassment for her cool older sister. The kind of person people would look at and say in hushed tones, “Oh, are those two really sisters? I bet she takes after he dad.”

Brooke was especially betrayed when she heard Vanessa and her friends mocking her behind her back. Laughing about her itty bitty titties and her plainness. It became much worse when they started doing it to her face.

Nearly every day, for nearly a whole school year.

When Vanessa moved on to high school and Brooke entered the seventh grade, Brooke still couldn’t escape comparisons to her older sister among the other middle schoolers, or even among the teachers. One of her most humiliating moments was when her parents gave her some hand-me-down clothes from when Vanessa had been in seventh grade, and Brooke had tried on one of Vanessa’s old bras.

Brooke’s cheeks had burned red, and a venemous envy had started to bubble in her heart when she saw that her little buds were dwarfed by the enormous cups of her sister’s bra. Brooke had always assumed her sister was just older than her, just hitting all of the growth milestones sooner than her, and that she would someday be her equal in looks. But in that moment, Brooke realized she would never reach Vanessa’s level.

The only area where Brooke ever beat Vanessa out was accademics. Vanessa wasn’t stupid or anthing, but with her attention divided between so much socializing and after school activities, her grades suffered.

Brooke grew more and more resentful of her sister throughout high school, as they drifted further and further apart, practically becoming strangers in the same house. And that venmous envy in Brooke’s heart just grew and grew, as year after year it seemed like Brooke fell more and more behind both Vanessa and her fellow classmates in the looks department.

The worst part was, Vanessa seemed to be the luckiest person alive. Everything came so easily to her!

That was how her first modelling job had fallen into her lap.

Vanessa had been 16 at the time, and hanging around the mall with her cheerleader friends. As they had been walking to the food court, a man walked up to her and asked if Vanessa had ever been scouted as a model before.

Vanessa never had, but was intrigued.

When she brought it up with mom and dad over dinner, they had been supportive of her and she had been allowed to try applying to the modelling agency the guy represented.

Brooke had privately fumed after the conversation. She had previously asked mom and dad if she could fly across the country for a Science Bowl competition, and they had said no. But when her *perfect* older sister asked to start working with some sketchy modelling agency they were all too eager to do let her have her way!

Vanessa was a natural at modelling, and she quickly started rising through the ranks. By senior year of high school, it wasn’t unusual for her to take time off of school and fly to big parties where all the big names were present. She was still just an up and comer, but people occasionally recognized her while the family was out.

Vanassa’s looks had only improved since 16. At 18, she had gone from a very good looking girl, to a 6 foot tall knockout of a woman, who seemed destined for great things. Meanwhile, Brooke was now 16, and she was regularly asked if she wanted a kids menu at restaurants. The envy in Brooke’s heart was becoming an ever-present bit of background radiation in her life, and almost all of Brooke’s positive feelings towards her sister had been twisted by the ever present awareness of the gulf that separated the two of them and always would.

A part of Brooke tried to be rational about her sister’s success. To be happy for her sister, for her amazing modelling career and all the prestige and clout that came with it. To remember the good old days in the backyard together.

But the venom inside of her only grew. She couldn’t be anything but resentful or spiteful towards her sister.

And so it was a welcome surprise when their parents finally snapped.

Vanessa was in her senior year of high school, and was on top of the world. But even though her parent’s had always been laxer with her than they had ever been with Brooke, they finally had to crack down when she took advantage of them being out of town by throwing a huge party that caused thousands of dollars of damage to their house.

And Vanessa had the bad sense to do this in the same week that word came in from the school, saying that several girls had come forward complaining of very nasty bullying, and she ended up suspended for a week.

For the first time in her life, Vanessa was going to face consequences.

Nobody noticed Brooke eavesdropping on this momentous occasion.

“Daddy, I’m sorry! Both of those things are minor blips, they’ll never happen again!” she said.

But her father shook his head.

“No, Vanessa. I realize now that your mother and I didn’t do a good job raising you. You need to learn that there are consequences in life.”

Vanessa’s eyes widened.

She tried every trick in her book to get out of a punishment, but none of them worked.

Finally, understanding just how badly she had messed up, she hung her head, and asked what her punishment was even going to be.

“Well,” he father considered carefully. “I think we need a punishment that fits the crime. You’ve been acting immature, and so we’re going to make your exterior match your behavior.”

Vanessa’s heart sank. She knew what this meant.

“No, daddy! Please! I know I messed up, and I know you have to punish me, but please don’t make me drink Youthies!”

Vanessa and Brooke’s parents had been holdouts when it came to Youthies.

Other parents liked the way it tended to make their kids easier to manage and deal with for a time, and the mark of shame it carried to come into high school looking like a fifth grader (or younger!)

Vanessa’s father raised his voice, something he never did with her.

“No, Vanessa! I’m tired of you acting like a spoiled princess. You need to learn to act your age, and that’s final.”

Vanessa hugged herself, and looked at her feet. “I’m 18,” she said quietly. “I don’t have to stay here, and take this.”

Her father’s eyes widened, but then he seemed to double down on his anger. “So leave then! Go see how you do without our money and support in your little modelling career. See what kind of big parties you’re able to get into, or what kind of clothes your able to buy if we cut you off!”

Vanessa was shocked to hear those words. She knew her dad was serious.

Modelling meant everything in the world to her, and she knew she wasn’t yet famous enough to make the big leagues and support herself. She was still at the lower tier of aspiring models waiting for her true break into mainstream stardom.

“I- I’m sorry, daddy,” Vanessa said, tears welling up in her eye. “I won’t leave. I’ll stay. I’ll drink the Youthies.”

Her dad nodded, and went to where Vanessa’s mom was waiting in the other room. Her mom had a stern look on her face, and looked like she was really struggling with the idea of punishing her golden child. No wonder she let dad solo this.

“Okay,” her dad said, pulling out a purple bottle that said ‘Youthies’ in big bold letters. “Let’s measure out how young we want to make her.”

Vanessa’s mom looked down, and said in a hollow voice, “It should be before she filled out so much, back when she was still on the edge of puberty.”

Her dad nodded. He carefully measure out some of the liquid, and handed the cup over to Vanessa.

Vanessa looked down crestfallen at the cup in front of her. The effects of youthies usually lasted about two weeks, and then it took about a week for a person to grow back to their original age. She was going to be suspended for a week and thus away from any prying eyes, but then she was going to have to face a week or two of mocking and ridiculing in high school at her new age.

Vanessa steeled her resolve, and drank.

She felt a strange warmth envelop her body as she felt the liquid start to digest, and began to feel the first effects.