Chapter 5

The rain was coming down hard now, blurring the streetlights into hazy circles of light. I couldn't see where I was going, my vision clouded by the water on my face and in my eyes. The slap from my birthday still throbbed on my cheek, a dull, constant reminder. But it was nothing compared to the numbness that had taken over my entire body.

I was a ghost, dragging a suitcase through a storm, with no destination in sight. Where could I go? What was left for me? The future was a vast, terrifying blank.

"Anna!"

I turned to see Lily running towards me, her small frame soaked, her face a mask of concern. For a split second, a foolish, desperate part of me thought she was a peace offering, a sign that my brothers had sent her, that they wanted me back.

Then Ethan and Liam came running after her, their faces etched with panic.

"Lily, get back here!" Ethan yelled, his voice laced with fear. "You'll catch a cold!"

He scooped her up, wrapping his own coat around her shivering body, his eyes filled with a protective fury.

My heart, which had foolishly leaped with hope, crashed back to earth. They weren't worried about me. They were worried about her. I was just the background scenery for their family drama.

The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow. A wave of blackness washed over me, and my legs gave out. I stumbled, my suitcase clattering to the wet pavement.

Just as I was about to fall, a car pulled up to the curb, and a strong arm wrapped around me, holding me steady.

"Anna? Are you alright?"

It was Dr. Jensen, my mentor. His kind, worried face was a beacon in the storm.

"Dr. Jensen," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

He took in my soaked clothes, my pale face, my suitcase, and the scene with my brothers a few feet away. His expression hardened with understanding.

"Get in the car," he said, his voice firm. He effortlessly lifted my suitcase and put it in the back seat.

"What do you think you're doing with our sister?" Ethan demanded, striding towards us.

"It's a good thing I found her," Dr. Jensen said, his voice cold and level. "She could have collapsed out here. I'm taking her to join the national research team. She's leaving tonight."

I tried to stop him, to tell him not to say anything, but the words wouldn't come. It was too late.

"The research team?" Liam looked confused.

Dr. Jensen gave them a look of pure disgust. "The one you two were supposed to be a part of. The one you gave up. Anna took your place. She's going to be gone for ten years."

Ethan and Liam froze, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Let's go, Anna," Dr. Jensen said gently, guiding me into the warm car.

"Wait!" Ethan took a step forward, his hand outstretched. "Anna, wait!"

But I didn't look back. I couldn't. Dr. Jensen got into the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb, leaving my brothers standing in the pouring rain, their faces lost to the darkness.

As the car sped away, a memory surfaced. Ethan, after a bad day at school, sitting with me on the porch swing, his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, Annie," he had said. "I'll always be here for you."

"Why are you crying?" Dr. Jensen asked softly from the driver's seat. "You should be happy to be away from them."

"I am," I whispered, wiping my eyes. "It's just... they used to be so good to me."