Chapter 2

The next morning, I went downstairs to buy breakfast.

When I got back, the fingerprint lock beeped three times. Every attempt failed.

I was about to ring the doorbell when the woman from the unit next door stepped out of the elevator. She paused when she saw me. "Who are you looking for?"

I pointed at the door in front of me. "This is my parents' place."

She looked even more surprised. "Aren't the Grants a family of four? When building management did the resident registration a couple of days ago, I filled out the forms right alongside your mom."

Just then, the door opened from the inside. Lily poked her head out and pulled me in with a smile. "Why didn't you use your fingerprint?"

I looked at Mom. She was peeling an egg at the dining table and didn't even look up. "You were at work when they installed it. I figured you'd only be here a few times a month, so I didn't bother."

I glanced at the lock. Seven fingerprints were registered: Mom's, Dad's, Fred's, and Lily's. Even the part-time housekeeper, Marie Sandler, had one.

I suddenly laughed. "You're right. There's no need."

Only then did Mom notice something off in my tone.

She looked up at me. "What's wrong with you now? We'll just register yours in a minute. What's the big deal?"

She told me to hold out my hand, but the lock asked for administrator verification.

Dad was out for a walk downstairs and hadn't taken his phone.

Mom tried twice, then waved it off. "Forget it, we'll do it next time. Just ring the doorbell when you need to get in. It's not like we won't open the door for you."

I pulled my hand back. "Okay."

After breakfast, the property manager came by to confirm the household's permanent residents.

Mom gave him four names. When she got to me, she paused. "She doesn't live here. Just put her down as a visitor."

He looked down and issued me a temporary visitor pass, valid for three days.

I stared at the word "Visitor" on my phone for a few seconds.

Just last night, Mom had posted in the family group chat that this was the new home for all five of us. But when it came time to actually register, I didn't even count as a resident.

Fred finished putting on his shoes and reminded me offhandedly, "Your car's not in the system, right? Remember to scan the visitor code on your way out, or the parking fee's going to be pretty steep."

"Mm."

Lily was picking out what to wear that day. She asked Mom casually, "Is Allie really never moving back?"

Mom laughed. "She's a grown woman, and she's busy with work. Why would she come back and squeeze in with us? Besides, she'll have a home of her own someday."

There was nothing wrong with that. It just suddenly reminded me of all the times Mom had called me before they bought the house.

She'd said that as she got older, all she hoped for was to have her three kids close by.

That was exactly why I'd turned down a chance in Selth City that came with a forty percent raise.

I'd thought that when she said "close by," she meant me too.

As it turned out, living nearby was enough. Whether there was a place for me in the house didn't really matter.

That afternoon, Mom had me help her go through the moving boxes that still hadn't been unpacked.

At the very back of the storage room, I found an old box with my name on it.

Inside were things I'd kept from elementary school through college: competition certificates, yearbooks, the employee badge from my first job, and the birthday brooch I'd saved up for ages as a kid to buy Mom.

A yellow sticky note on the box read: To be dealt with.

I held up the note and asked Mom, "You don't want these either?"

Mom glanced at it and said casually, "It's all old stuff taking up space. Go through it and take whatever's useful. I'll have the junk haulers take away the rest this weekend."

With that, she turned and opened the display cabinet beside it, which took up an entire wall. It was filled with the clay figures Lily had made as a kid and her lopsided drawings of teddy bears, along with the plastic medals Fred had won at school field days.

Mom carefully wiped every piece down with a cloth. "These we can't throw out. They're memories."

I stood there, suddenly at a loss for words.

After a long while, I closed my box back up. "Mom, I'll take this box with me."

She didn't even turn around. "Fine. Saves me the trouble of dealing with it."

On the way back to my apartment, I opened my phone. The HR in Selth City had asked one last time.

HR: [Can you confirm that you're accepting the transfer?]

This time, I didn't hesitate.

I replied: [Confirmed.]