The Sister

American accent

Alice Parker was happily married to her husband, Daniel. They lived in a small town and had a quiet, happy life.

One evening, there was a knock at the door.

Alice opened it and saw a woman about her age.

“Hello,” the woman said. “My name is Sophie. I think I’m your sister.”

Alice was shocked.

“My sister?” she asked.

Sophie nodded. “Our father had another family before he met your mother.”

Alice did not know what to think. Her father had died many years before. He had never talked about another daughter.

Sophie showed her some old photographs and papers. She also knew things about Alice’s father that not many people knew.

At first, Alice was not sure. But Daniel thought Sophie might be telling the truth.

Over the next few months, Sophie visited often. She came for dinner and spent time with Alice and Daniel. She was friendly and easy to talk to.

Slowly, Alice began to trust her.

When Alice’s mother was ill, Sophie drove her to the hospital. When Daniel was busy at work, Sophie stayed with Alice.

By Christmas, Sophie felt like part of the family.

One evening, Alice smiled and said, “I always wanted a sister.”

Sophie smiled back.

“And I always wanted a family.”

After that, Sophie became even closer to them.

She had a key to the house. She knew their friends. She came to birthdays and family meals.

Alice was happy. She felt that something important had been absent from her life, and now she had found it.

Then small things began to happen.

One day, Alice’s friend Sarah asked, “Are you and Daniel okay?”

Alice looked surprised.

“Of course. Why?”

Sarah looked uncomfortable.

“Sophie said you argue a lot.”

Alice was confused. She had never said that.

A few days later, Daniel came home looking upset.

“Sophie told me you are unhappy,” he said.

“What?” Alice replied. “I never said that.”

Daniel looked surprised.

Over the next few weeks, there were more problems.

Sophie told Alice that Daniel was keeping secrets.

She told Daniel that Alice was angry with him.

Soon, small problems became bigger ones.

Alice and Daniel argued more often. Sometimes they did not speak to each other for hours.

One evening, Alice sat alone in the kitchen.

Something felt wrong.

The next day, she met Sarah for coffee.

“Has Sophie talked about me?” Alice asked.

Sarah was quiet for a moment.

“Yes,” she said. “She says many things.”

“What things?”

Sarah told her.

Sophie had been telling people that Alice was difficult and often angry.

Alice felt sick.

That night, she told Daniel everything.

For a long time, they talked.

Then they saw the truth.

Every problem had started after Sophie arrived.

The following weekend, Alice came home early from work.

As she walked into the house, she heard Sophie talking on the phone.

“I almost have everything,” Sophie said.

Alice stopped.

A voice on the phone asked, “Are they still trusting you?”

“Yes,” Sophie replied. “They tell me everything.”

Alice couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

She walked into the room.

Sophie turned around and looked shocked.

“You lied to us,” Alice said.

Sophie ended the call.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Sophie laughed.

“It was very easy to trick you.”

Alice looked at her.

“You’re not my sister, are you?”

Sophie shook her head.

“No.”

Alice felt cold.

“The photographs were real,” Sophie said. “But I found them online. I spent months learning about your family.”

Alice could hardly believe it.

Everything had been a lie.

Just then, Daniel arrived home.

Alice quickly told him what had happened.

Daniel called the police.

Sophie tried to leave, but she was stopped before she could get away.

Later, the police found out that Sophie had done this before. She would pretend to be a family member and become part of people’s lives.

Then she would use what she learned for her own reasons.

A few months later, life was normal again.

One evening, Alice was looking at old photographs.

She found a picture from Christmas.

She, Daniel, and Sophie were standing together, smiling.

Alice looked at the picture for a few seconds.

Then she put it back in the box.

She closed the box and put it away.

Sophie was gone, but some things had changed.

Whenever the doorbell rang, Alice and Daniel looked at each other.

For a moment, they always felt nervous.

They never knew who might be standing outside.

📒 Key vocabulary

• knock – the sound made when someone hits a door to get attention
• shocked – very surprised, often because something unexpected or bad has happened
• nodded (nod, nodded, nodded) – move the head up and down to say “yes” or show agreement
• trust (trust, trusted, trusted): – believe in the reliability or truth of (someone)
• absent – not present; not in a place where someone is expected to be
• upset – unhappy, worried, or troubled
• trick – to make someone believe something that is not true
• pretend – to act as if something is true when it is not

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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