Fifth of Five, and Wholly Myself

Someone has to keep this family on track. It might as well be me.

People meet five identical faces and assume we are interchangeable. We are not. I am Itsuki — the fifth-born, the one with the star in her hair, and yes, the one with the biggest appetite. Being last to arrive somehow made me first to worry.

I keep the schedules. I keep the peace. When everyone else is chasing their own storms, someone has to stand still long enough to hold the door. I decided a long time ago that someone would be me.

I will not pretend I am the easiest sister to live with. I am stubborn. I dig my heels in. But everything I plant my feet for, I plant them for us. That is the difference people miss.