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On December 26, I registered with the website and Jane dropped off my sample at the post office, since we didn’t have a mail box. According to the site, my DNA sample could yield results in a month, which was too long for Sheena.
“I can’t believe it will take so long,” she cried into the phone. “I’m dying to know if you’re related to a famous person.”
“Even if I am, what then? It isn’t like I could call a famous person and say ‘hey, I’m your long-lost cousin, give me some money,’” I responded as I stretched out on my bed.
“What if your father is a famous athlete, and he didn’t know about you?” Okay, it was obvious that Sheena had a Cinderella complex, something that living a quiet life had cured me of. I liked the Bane family well enough, and college seemed like a goal that I could accomplish as long as I was given the scholarships I had applied for. But the idea of a long-lost famous father bailing me out didn’t cross my mind.
“Then I’ll go from there. But I’m not expecting anything out of this,” I said with a shrug. “How has your birthday trip been so far?” Sheena was vacationing with her family at her aunt’s pig farm in Texas.
“Fine. I wish you were here with me. I miss the city, but fresh bacon is delicious!” Sheena gushed.
“Did your aunt make you help with killing the pig?” I wondered, my stomach turning at the thought.
“Not this time, thank goodness. She— Hold on... I’m coming,” Sheena shouted, which made me wince. Sometimes she forgot to pull the phone away from her ear when she shouted to her mother. “I’ve got to go. But I’m excited for you!”
“At least one of us is excited about the whole thing,” I grumbled.
“Oh, stop being a Debbie downer and start counting down the days,” she encouraged.
“Yeah, I’ll see if I can do that,” I said, not believing that I could force enthusiasm into me.
“Anyways, bye, Jade, love you,” Sheena said.
“Love you too, Sheena,” I replied before the line went dead.
***
On New Year’s Eve, I was in the kitchen, baking the thank-you cookies for Mrs. Bane. Jane sat at the table, sipping her third cup of coffee. She apparently needed the extra boost so that she could stay up to watch the ball drop. I didn’t express any interest in joining them. I’d give the Banes a night to spend alone. The smell of the frozen lasagna that Jane had baked for the occasion still permeated the air.
“Can you make a batch for us to have?” Jane inquired as I placed the cookie sheet into the oven. I faced my foster mom and nodded.
“This batter makes forty-eight. I say I send Tim with twenty-four of the cookies and the note and keep the rest for us,” I suggested.
“Twelve,” Jane insisted. “You won’t want Mary thinking that you’re that grateful.” What I was actually trying to do was make peace, since I wasn’t going to be around forever. Jane and Tim were nice enough and valued their family. I didn’t want this minor disagreement over a foster kid to cause a permanent rift between them. So I baked the cookies, put twelve of them in a freezer bag, and taped a note to it. Then I yawned.
“I think I’m going to bed,” I announced. Jane got to her feet and headed toward the coffee pot.
“Tired already? Want a cup of coffee?” she wanted to know. I never tried the stuff, since the Stephens had forbidden me from drinking such mind-altering drinks.
“No, that’s okay,” I said, Dorothy Stephen’s voice playing in my mind. “As long as you stay out of the way and don’t cause any trouble, we’ll keep you.” I needed to make the Banes feel like I wasn’t an intruder.
“Really? Oh, if you’re tired,” Jane relented, though she did appear to be disappointed. She marched over to me and pulled me into a hug. “It’s okay, Jade. I get it, you’re not comfortable around us yet. One day, I hope that you can see that this is your home.” Jane’s whispered words made my heart, which usually felt empty, fill with hope for the first time. Could I trust her? I wasn’t sure, since I only spent six weeks with the banes. But maybe I could try. I shot Jane a grateful glance before rushing to my room.
A blast of cold air hit me as soon as I opened the door. After flicking on the light, I quickly closed the window. How strange, I thought to myself. Maybe Jane had opened my window for one reason or another. I changed into one of my worn nightgowns and was about to crawl into bed when I spotted something. In the middle of the bed, a piece of metal the shape and size of a playing card rested there. Figuring that Tim must have dismantled something, I picked up the piece of metal and discarded it on my bedside table. Instead of investigating those two oddities, I decided to binge-watch top-ten countdowns on YouTube until I fell asleep.
***
My eyes flew open when I heard what sounded like a vibrating phone. Sunlight streamed into the room, announcing a new day. “Happy new year to me,” I muttered as I sat up, prepared to snatch the phone that rested on the nightstand beside the piece of metal that I had found in my bed. My eyes widened when the piece of metal glowed for a moment before returning to its metallic color. I jumped out of bed, intending on heading to the exit, fearful that something terrible was about to happen. The dread was urging me to find Jane or Tim. But then I witnessed something impossible. A muscular arm suddenly slid out of the wall by my window, an object shaped like a flashlight gripped in his hand. Before I could scream, a beam of light flew from the device and crashed into my chest, sending me sprawling to the floor. Then, as I watched, the muscular arm briefly vanished. Seconds later, a man walked through the wall and entered my room. He was tall, with long, black hair, his honey-brown skin, brown eyes, and the shape of his lips looking oddly familiar. His boots thudded against my bedroom floor as he approached me. I tried to move, but my muscles felt like they no longer existed. The feeling caused fear to nearly stop my heart. He knelt by me, carrying a handheld device of some kind. It was square shaped with a spout on one end. I tried to move, but my body didn’t comply. The stranger pressed the spout to my forehead and a buzzer sounded.
“Son of a... No, wait, Gwen has been trying to get me to work on my swearing. You don’t have a Hyndroyl crystal,” he softly said as footsteps sounded outside the door. I made eye contact with the guy, shooting him a pleading look. He couldn’t hurt Jane or Tim. They were good people. As if one of my foster parents could sense that trouble was brewing, there was a knock on the door. The stranger pressed a button, and feeling returned to my fingertips. I tried to move my legs, but they felt as heavy as boulders.
“Get rid of her,” he whispered.
“Jade, are you coming down to eat?” Jane asked. “We ordered you pancakes and sausage, your favorite.”
“In a minute,” I said through an exaggerated yawn. “I’m still trying to get dressed.”
“Okay,” Jane said, then I heard footsteps leading away.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
“Your brother, David. You know, you really shouldn’t have done that stupid DNA test. Gwen and I went through a lot of trouble to hide your results,” he complained. “You’re one unlucky person. Dad was so close to leaving without you.”
“So close to leaving without me?” I squeaked, fearing that David was going to kidnap mee. He used technology that I had no experience with. Escaping him would be nearly impossible.
“But I have you now. Are you going to cause trouble?” David wondered, as if he were asking me what my favorite color was. I needed to keep my foster parent safe. I should have listened to my gut and tossed that stupid DNA kit in the trash. But I hadn’t, and I knew that I was going to pay a price. But Jane and Tim didn’t deserve to get caught up in all of this.
“Jane and Tim will worry about me. I can’t just disappear without some sort of good-bye,” I reasoned. I had the feeling that David would harm my foster parents if they came into my room. But I couldn’t leave without telling them something. David shook his head.
“It’s too risky,” he said, his gaze suddenly going unfocused. “Hold on. Let me get Gwen.” Hope filled my chest, until David pressed something on his dreaded machine and I was no longer able to feel my fingertips. He rushed to my window and walked right through it. Moments later, he appeared hand in hand with a tall girl with similar features to me.
“What the hell is taking so long?” the girl hissed, though her mouth wasn’t moving. WTF? What the hell was going on?
“Our sister wants to say good-bye to her foster parents,” David said. I was relieved that at least his mouth was moving.
“You can write a note or send an email,” Gwen offered. But her mouth never moved. WTF? Was she a telepath?
“An email will work,” I decided. Gwen snatched the phone that was on my nightstand and tossed it at me.
“If you call the police, Gwen will know,” David warned, touching the weird device to my skin again. I nodded and shakily opened my email app.
Dear Jane and Tim,
I’m so sorry that I’m leaving like this. My brother found me. I have no idea where I’m going, but I’ve chosen to leave with him. I want to let you know that you’re the best foster parents I have ever had. I was lucky to have you. I’ll miss you dearly. I’m not sure if I’m returning, but if I do, I’ll see you. To confirm that this is me, remember what Tim first said to me? “Hi, I’m your new dad, Tim. I hope that you’re a Star Trek fan.”
Love always,
Jade
“It’s done,” I said as I clicked on the send button. “I’ll go willingly. Just don’t hurt them.” Gwen took the phone out of my hand and dumped it on my bed. Then the device in David’s hand beeped, and everything went black.