Amber didn’t normally feel jealous. Really, she had nothing to be jealous of. She was lucky. Her parents had lots of money, they cared for her, she had good friends and a home. What was there to be jealous of? Maybe her own brother.
It all started that summer at the train station coming back from her second year. The owl had arrived that day. I’m sorry, I won’t be able to pick you up from the train or at the airport to Canada. We sent a taxi to take you home. Hopefully we can meet you there. We are busy with work and Finn.
It was fine with her at that moment. A little more adventure for her anyway. That was until she had arrived home and found another similar note saying that Finn had wanted some food and that since her flight had been delayed they went to go get his favorite food. Usually when she came back from school she got to pick. Not Finn.
She had thought at the time that she was overthinking it. But when her parents barely seemed to pay attention to her even when they came back home, she felt off. She felt strange. She felt different. What was going on? Was she being selfish? And suddenly she felt the slightest tinge of feeling. Pain, hurt. But mostly: jealousy. And towards her brother of all people. Her life was becoming odder and odder by the second.
As the time flew by, July came. Her parents paid some attention to her. Not a ton. But not none. She didn’t mind as much because she was mostly out and about and her parents were busy people. They had high-ranking jobs that required them to work many hours, and often. Maybe they were paying more attention to Finn because he was starting school this year? That was probably why. But Amber really just wanted to make sense of why her parents seemed to care so little about their daughter who used to be their everything.
Was it because she was a girl? She was quite literally the least girlish girl she had met. Cared nothing about boys and makeup and clothes and despised dresses. Much preferred to be pranking or being outdoors having an adventure with Kaya. A bit sexist but sounded like a boy to her. She sighed. There was no good explanation and the guilt for the fact that it could be her fault weighed her down. Her fault, her fault, her fault. She really hoped it wasn’t her fault. Or else she would never forgive herself.
This was why she spent most of her time practicing Quidditch. In the air she could be whoever she wanted and only the birds cared. She also decided she would go to summer camp once again. It wasn’t like her parents would care if she went. They paid her no attention right now anyway. They were busy people. It would be better to be somewhere else and not at home. At home she would just think about this more. And that was something that she should not do.
She boarded the flight to summer camp, her parents had said goodbye to her. At least that was an improvement. Finn had been a sweetheart. He had made her a little baggie with food for the ride to the airport. She smiled at that thought. At least someone cared for her.
That was not the way to think though. She had a quidditch game to play in, what she had practiced for so much and summer camp to attend where she hoped she would have fun.

Amber had had fun at summer camp. She had completely forgotten about the way her parents were treating her. She had sent home one owl when she got there which she had gotten a quick response to and another when she lost the quidditch game. That had been sent back with a “it’s ok, you’ll do better next time.”
She didn’t want to remind herself of that quidditch game. It was terrible. All of that practicing had gone to waste. She was determined to do better next year. But as summer camp came to a close, Amber found herself thinking more of her parents, and why they were paying no attention to her. She decided that she would ask. The flight home would hopefully give her the courage to do so.
Amber was grateful that she was finally home. She had missed her family, but she highly doubted that they had missed her. Maybe Finn. But not them. She felt the tension as she entered the house. That and the silence. She hated silence nowadays.
“Hey, Amber! You’re back!” Finn exclaimed, running to greet her. Finn would always cheer her up. And suddenly she felt bad for being jealous.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” she asked, glancing around the house. Part of her hoped that they would be there ready to welcome her home with a big hug.
“Oh, they’re in the office,” Finn replied, shrugging. “They’ve been busy with work again.”
Amber’s heart sank. “Right. Of course.” Of course she was wrong. She didn't say that though.
She had to ask her parents though. And going up to their office was the only way to get it done. She slowly walked up and tapped softly upon the door. Her mother called out, "Come in!"
As Amber entered, she saw her parents, bending over, their faces lit only by the soft light of the desk lamp. They looked up with a start, but the warmth she had been hoping for was not there.
“Amber, you’re back!” her father said, attempting a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Yeah, I just got back!,” she said, trying to sound cheerful. “Camp was great!”
“Good to hear,” her mother replied distractedly, flipping through a folder. “We were just discussing some important matters for work.”
Amber sighed. Always work. Work. Work and work. She'd hoped for them to connect, maybe a chance for her to share how her camp was. Instead, she felt like an interruption.
"Um, I hung out with my Quidditch team. A lot of us got to be in the same cabin." Amber pressed on, forcing herself to speak. "And we got to compete in a water race!
Her parents looked at each other, but not the spark she wanted to see. "That's nice, Amber," her dad said, returning to his notes.
Frustration bubbled over. "Am I the only one, or does it feel like you guys are just distracted?" she asked, her voice slightly shaking.
Finally, her mom looked up and addressed her. "We have a lot on our plates these days, Amber. You know that.”
"Yeah, but it feels like you only care about Finn and your work! I get it, he's starting school, but I'm here too!" The words spilled out before she could stop them. She felt the jealousy and hurt. She had exploded.
Her parents exchanged another glance, this time more serious. "Amber, that's not fair," her father said, his tone sharp. "We care about you. We've always cared about you."
"Then why does it feel like you don't?" she fired back, brimming with tears. "I just wanted to share my life with you, and you seem more interested in your work and ALWAYS! I sent so many owls! And a few words were all that you responded with!"
"Watch your tone," her mother warned. "We are trying the best we can here, and we do need you to understand. You're old enough to know that this job requires much of our time, and with Finn starting school we just have less time for you.”
Amber could feel the disappointment. "I know, but I just want to feel important too."
"Of course you are important, Amber, but you need to understand that we cannot always stop everything because of you," her father said, a hint of annoyance rising in his tone.
"Maybe if you tried a little harder, you'd see how much I need you!" she shouted before turning around and storming out of the room. She ran straight to her bedroom.
Amber collapsed onto her bed, her heart racing. She felt guilty and selfish and utterly stupid. She thought that asking her parents would then make her feel better. Her parents would then talk to her more, respond to her owls or something! Instead, she had just made a fool of herself, and drove a deeper wedge between them.
Amber never cried but she felt like it at that moment. Never before had she felt so alone. It wasn’t the end of the world. But why did it feel that way to her?