Chapter 4

The day before I left fell on a weekend.

Sandy called out to me as she headed for the door. "We're going to the mall. You should come with us."

I was instinctively about to decline, but she added, "Your clothes are worn out. We'll buy you something new."

Buy something for me? I froze in surprise.

The last time Sandy had bought me a piece of clothing was back in high school, and even then, it was just a gym uniform.

Spurred by a faint flicker of hope, I stepped forward and followed them out to the car.

Once we arrived at the shopping center, I drifted toward the clearance racks, sifting through the discounted autumn and winter jackets.

The team leader for our university expedition had already sent out a notice, warning us that the frontier region was plagued by harsh winds and freezing temperatures, advising us to pack plenty of warm layers.

After searching for a while, I finally picked out a sturdy, waterproof jacket, but the price tag read $563.

Sandy looked away. "It's still summer. Why don't you pick out some shirts instead?"

Without waiting for an answer, she stuffed a plain white T-shirt into my hands. "Look at this one. Simple and clean. It's on sale, and if we pair it with Shelly's items, we'll just hit the store-wide discount threshold."

The T-shirt was $45. Combined with Shelly's expensive haul, it brought their total bill to just over $1,000.

The mall's air conditioning was freezing. I crossed my arms, rubbing my sleeves to generate some warmth, but it didn't help. The chill seemed to settle deep inside me.

Mauro grew bored with shopping and began whining for ice cream. Seeing that my hands were full of shopping bags, he didn't wait for me to answer. He reached out, unzipped the side pocket of my backpack, and pulled out my wallet.

"Don't worry, Jane. I'm just going to grab a few cones. I'll be right back," he shouted, already running off into the crowd.

When he finally returned, his hands were loaded with four ice cream cones. Not a single one was for me.

He scratched his cheek, offering a careless grin. "Sorry. My hands were full, and I couldn't carry any more. Want me to run back and get another?"

Before I could open my mouth, Michael turned around, his brow furrowed in disapproval. "Jane, how old are you now? Why are you still making your brother run errands for you?"

I shook my head. "It's fine. I don't want any ice cream anyway."

Mauro tilted his head. "Jane, why are your eyes so red?"

Looking into his clear eyes, I found myself unable to voice even a simple, clumsy lie. But he didn't really care; he turned on his heels and chased after Michael.

That evening, we went out to a restaurant.

While ordering, Sandy reminded Michael, "Shelly loves steamed fish, and Mauro likes steaks. Make sure you don't forget their favorites."

Michael nodded. "I won't."

I sat at the edge of the table, clutching a glass of water and sipping it in silence.

After dinner, I decided to purchase some local specialties for my university advisor. But the moment I unzipped my wallet, my heart stopped.

All the cash I had hidden away was gone. The $850 was what I had earned through standing for ten straight hours a day at a shop for ten days.

I instinctively whipped my head around toward Mauro. His eyes darted around erratically, and he took a step back, hiding behind Sandy.

"Did you steal my money?" I demanded.

Sandy instantly flared up, shielding Mauro with her body.

"What are you shouting for?" she snapped. "What do you mean by steal? Mau is your brother! So what if he used a little bit of your money? Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I refused to drop my arm, stubbornly keeping my palm extended toward the boy. "Give it back to me."

Mauro burst into loud, dramatic tears. "I just wanted to buy a new game cartridge! Mom said no, but I wanted it so badly!"

Michael's expression darkened. "As an older sister, can you not show a shred of tolerance for your brother? Scaring him to tears over a handful of pocket change—what is wrong with you? Do you really want to cause a scene in public and let everyone laugh at us?"

My extended hand froze in mid-air.

Michael swept Mauro up into a comforting embrace. Sandy hurried to wipe away his tears, and Shelly pulled a piece of candy from her purse to soothe his crying.

They were a family. And me? I was just a stranger standing on the pavement.

"Go home and reflect on your attitude! Learn to be a proper sister!" Michael barked over his shoulder, leading Mauro to leave.

Sandy and Shelly quickly followed. Once again, I was left behind.

With no cash and only a dead phone, I had no choice but to walk home. It was a journey of nearly 15 miles, spanning the distance from the southern district of the city back to the north.

Along the way, I took a wrong turn down an unfamiliar road and ended up walking in a useless circle. I walked and paused, feeling the painful blisters on the soles of my feet pop and grind against my shoes.

The trek took me nearly eight agonizing hours. By the time I finally stumbled into the courtyard of the apartment building, it was the wee hours.

The security guard was shocked. "What happened to you? Your face is so pale."

I forced a smile. "I'm fine."

I would get used to it eventually. The long road stretching out across the rest of my life was one I would have to walk alone.

At five o'clock the next morning, I picked up my phone, which had only managed to charge halfway, and quietly wheeled my suitcase through the living room.

The entire household was still fast asleep. The dog was awakened by the faint rustle of my movement, padding over to follow me toward the entrance with soft whimpers.

I bent down and stroked his head. "Thank you for seeing me off."

The dog didn't understand the finality of my words; he simply wagged his tail in the dark. I slipped through the front door and pulled it shut behind me with a quiet click.

...

When the plane finally touched down at Eldorainbay Airport, it was ten o'clock in the morning. I quickly located the university coordinator and gathered with the rest of our research team.

The lead advisor clapped his hands to gather our attention. "Alright everyone, take a final minute to say your goodbyes to your families. We'll be collecting phones in a few minutes."

I unlocked my screen one last time. In the family group chat, a notification showed that Sandy had tagged me an hour ago.

[Your guest access token for the smart lock expires later today. If you want us to extend your digital key, you need to call your brother and give him a proper apology.]

[We're family, but you always make things difficult for everyone.]

I pressed the power button and turned off my phone. I didn't want the pathetic guest access anymore.