Daddy chuckled as he patted my head. “Alright, Sof, you win. Grab your jacket, and we’ll head out. We have one quick stop to make before the movie starts.”

It may have only been early November, but it felt like Christmas morning to me. I bolted up to my room to grab my yellow jacket and put on my red sneakers. As I was headed out of my room, I caught sight of Maria in her room with one of Mama’s candles. Stunned, I watched as she burned a small piece of paper, then lifted one of Lessi’s dolls and held its beautiful golden hair to the flame.

“I’m gonna tell!” I called out from the doorway, knowing Maria would be in big trouble. She might be nine already, but she still wasn’t allowed to play with Mama’s candles, and she certainly wasn’t allowed to burn Alessia’s doll.

She didn’t balk or chase after me. Maria just looked up and curled her finger at me. “Come here, Sofia. I want to tell you something.”

Cautiously curious, I stepped inside her room. She was the oldest of us girls and claimed to be too old to play with Alessia and I. It didn’t bother us too much because she could be a little mean. Maria mostly kept to herself or Marco, so she was a mystery to me. When she called me over to talk to her, I was unable to resist hearing what she had to say.

“Have you ever heard anyone say ‘snitches get stitches’?” she asked coolly.

I shook my head, eyes wide as I gaped at my oldest sister.

“It means when you tell on someone, that person will hurt you for getting them in trouble. What do you think I’m going to do if you tell on me?” She lifted her brows, giving me a chance to imagine all the nasty things she was capable of. “And it’s even worse when you tell on family, then you’re a rat, a traitor. You see something you’re not supposed to, you keep your mouth shut or bad things are gonna happen to you. Understand?” She glared at me, making tears burn at the back of my throat.

Maria could be all kinds of mean when she wanted to be. I didn’t want her angry with me, so I nodded, unable to speak.

“Good, I’d hate for your paints to accidentally get thrown away or your pretty golden hair to get chopped off in the night.” Her cold gray stare gave me no doubt she’d do it. I didn’t know why my older sister didn’t seem to like us—that was just the way she was—and I had no desire to make it worse.

I ran straight for Marco and the safety of his company, my lips sealed about what I’d seen. “I’m ready for the movies!” I said, giving him a big hug and trying to forget what Maria had said.

He chuckled, then ruffled my hair. “Alright, let’s get in the car.”