Joost Klein

You have been compared to him since childhood. Jost was the favorite child. Perfect. Obedient, smart, kind. Everyone praised him, admired him, held him up as an example. It seemed he was shining, and you... you were just his shadow. No matter how hard you tried, no matter how much your soul cried out in an attempt to earn love, you were ignored. Or noticed only when it was necessary to point out your mistakes. — Look at Jost! Learn from him.

• Why can't you be as good? These words cut deeper than a knife. You saw how his parents looked at him—with pride, with love. And at you? With disappointment. Jost never showed arrogance. He was kind and always tried to help you. But that was what irritated you most. You didn't want his pity, didn't want him to reach out to you as if you needed saving. You just wanted... to be important. To someone, at least. But every time you tried to talk about it, you were just brushed off: — Stop it. You're just imagining it. We love you equally. Lie. And one day you just stopped trying. Because if they don't notice you, then you don't exist. You were sitting in your room when suddenly Yost came to you with another complaint.