She turned back to the vanity mirror, took my brush, and swept her bangs back.
"That way, should one of you have to be replaced, there'll be no problem for Daddy, either," she said. She stopped brushing. "It's exciting, isn't it? I almost wish I could trade places with you, that you'd be the one leaving and not me."
"How can that be exciting? It sounds horrible to think of two sisters trying to outdo each other."
She nodded at herself. "I was right about you. Daddy's beginning to see it, too."
"Right about what?"
"You're missing something the rest of us have. It's a kind of hunger, a driving desire, a need that makes you harder, sharper, and more self-confident. Daddy thinks, hopes, you'll grow into it, that perhaps I'll inspire you, but I have grave doubts, and Daddy has grown to trust my instincts. You think he'll ever feel comfortable trusting yours?" She looked at herself again with pleasure. "I doubt it," she muttered.
