Nine years between them, with different fathers, neither of whom make more than a seasonal impact; two weeks for Emily in SoCal, she could write the book on both Disney and Lego lands, while for Katelyn it’s a different state every summer, chasing her father around the US and South America.
Emily, still such a little girl in most ways, chooses to spend Christmas at home with their mother, but for Katelyn it’s a matching mystery location each Christmas. The result is two sisters with few holiday memories to counter-balance the daily sibling drudgery.
The front door opens, and their mother calls.
Katelyn is out of time. She gets in Emily’s face, and whispers, “You. Little. Freak.”
Emily pushes past and runs into the hall, her shoes slapping the wooden floor as she calls out, “M-o-m”.