Natalie Akumiah

Her Eyes Natalie Akumiah

Twenty-year-old Anna Carrington has always been jealous of her twin sister Bella. Bella is gentle, sweet, attending an Ivy League college, and has the relationship of her dreams. Anna is abrasive, a little rougher around the edges, a college dropout- and is constantly under her sister's shadow. Bella seems to have the perfect life, and everyone tends to favor her over Anna. To the eye, the two are nearly indistinguishable. There's just one difference. A difference so minuscule, yet a difference so mighty that it consumes Anna. Anna has plain dark brown eyes and Bella has radiant royal blue eyes. Blue eyes that come from the father they never met. For this alone, Anna feels that her father too, has chosen her sister over her; and she viciously despises Bella for it. After nearly a lifetime of manifesting envy, resentment, and constantly being in Bella's shadow, Anna's jealousy becomes catastrophic on the night of their twenty-first birthday, when she causes a freak accident that puts Bella in a coma and strips both of them of their eye color. Anna sees this as her one chance to change her fate and in a split second, makes the decision to switch not only her and Bella's eye colors, but their entire identities, stealing her sister's life.

After just hours of pretending to be her sister, Anna decides that just a few hours aren't enough. She wants to be Bella forever. Anna is ruthless, and willing to sacrifice everything to continue to be Bella- betraying her family, friends, and her own humanity. Bella's coma is only temporary though, and Anna's drive becomes nefarious when she realizes the lengths she will have to go to ensure her plan goes smoothly. Anna sees this as her chance to finally have the perfect future, the perfect love, and the perfect life; and she won't let anything or anyone get in her way. She refuses to give up her chance at having everything she's ever wanted and is determined to eliminate all obstacles.

At whatever cost.