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Chapter 7
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By the Time They Missed Me, I Was Gone Chapter 10
One year later, I joined a summer research project in the University of Edinburgh's cellular repair laboratory.It wasn't the kind of achievement that brought reporters to the door. It wouldn't make anyone suddenly admit I was better than Lily. It was simply work I cared about and an opportunity I earned by submitting a serious application and making it through two rounds of interviews.That was more than enough for me.On the day the placements were announced, Amara and a few people from the lab made dinner in our shared kitchen. They remembered my tree-nut allergy and that I liked lemon-herb roast chicken. I didn't have to remind them, and they never treated remembering as some extraordinary favor I should be grateful for.After dinner, I found an email from Mom.She had sent dozens over the past year. Sometimes she accused me of being cruel. Sometimes she claimed to be sick. Sometimes she attached pictures of Lily, hinting that everything could go back to normal if I would only come
By the Time They Missed Me, I Was Gone Chapter 9
During the last week of January, Ryan came to Edinburgh.He emailed beforehand to say he would wait in the student center until four. I didn't want to see him, but the longer certain things went unsaid, the easier it became for people to mistake silence for an open door.I gave him fifteen minutes.He looked thinner than he had in the summer. He sat by the window with a cup of hot chocolate that had long since gone cold. When I approached, he stood at once but didn't reach for me the way he once would have."Thank you for coming.""What do you want to say?"Ryan took an old brass souvenir token from his coat pocket. We had pressed it at the Montreal Science Centre when we were fifteen. We carved our names into the back and promised that one day we would return to the city for college."I didn't forget this," he said."You just didn't choose it when choosing mattered."His fingers tightened around the token. "Lily told me you were staying in Boston. She said McGill hadn't accepted you a
By the Time They Missed Me, I Was Gone Chapter 8
Just before Christmas, Ethan reached me from a coworker's phone.He didn't ask whether I wanted to talk. He went straight to the point. "Lily missed the application deadline for a study-abroad program. You were always good at this stuff. Send her your templates and help her write an email to the program director."For a moment, I had no idea how to respond.I had been gone for four months, and the first thing they truly missed still wasn't me. It was my ability to clean up Lily's messes."She can contact the university herself.""She's under a lot of pressure," Ethan said, already losing patience. "You're off living your best life overseas. Helping your sister would take half an hour.""It's her application, not mine.""You used to help her.""That's why all of you think I should keep doing it forever."He was quiet for a beat, then gave a cold laugh. "You really have become selfish. Mom barely sleeps since you left, and Dad spends every weekend dealing with the fights you caused. You
By the Time They Missed Me, I Was Gone Chapter 7
Near the end of October, Dad emailed asking for a video call.He no longer ordered me to come home. He said Mom had returned the money and they wanted to know how I was doing. I waited a day before agreeing to give them twenty minutes.When the call connected, my parents were sitting in the Bennett kitchen. The refrigerator behind Mom was covered with Lily's Santorini pictures. My only graduation photo was still the one with my eyes half closed.Dad spoke first. "You look okay.""I'm doing well."Mom's eyes were red. "Then why couldn't you leave one message? We looked everywhere. We almost called the police.""You didn't notice I was gone until you needed me to pick up Lily's cake.""That was a coincidence," she said quickly. "It's not that we don't care. You've just never needed much from us. You applied to Edinburgh, got a visa, and won a scholarship. Why didn't you tell us any of it?"The question was so absurd I almost laughed."I was sitting in front of you on college decision nig
By the Time They Missed Me, I Was Gone Chapter 6
The university placed me in a single dorm room.It wasn't large, but the window looked out toward Old Town, and the sill was wide enough for two plants. There were no clothes in the closet that Lily had grown tired of, and I didn't have to choose sheets in someone else's favorite color.Erin, the international student adviser helping me register, spotted "severe tree-nut allergy" on my medical form. She immediately updated the residence hall and dining records, then wrote down the nearest hospital, the campus clinic, and every emergency number I might need.For a second, I didn't know what to say. Apparently, being taken seriously didn't require me to prove that I was exceptional first.During my first week, the Bennetts flooded my inbox.[Mom: You've proved you can leave. Now come home so we can talk.][Dad: At least give us your address. We're your parents. We have a right to know where you live.][Ethan: You tore this family apart over six thousand dollars. Happy now?][Lily: I can'
By the Time They Missed Me, I Was Gone Chapter 5
At 5:40 that afternoon, Lily's travel cake still hadn't arrived at the restaurant.Mom called me three times and got the same unavailable message. She set down her phone and told the table, "Nora is still sulking over the money. She's always been so independent that sometimes she gets stuck in her own head."Lily looked down and managed a brave little smile. "It's okay. We can have the restaurant's dessert. Today shouldn't be all about me anyway. She probably feels overlooked."With one sentence, she turned Mom's theft into a jealous sister's bid for attention.For the first time, Ryan didn't rush to comfort her.He remembered the pecan-covered shake. He remembered me saying the money was for college and how not one person had asked which college."When was the last time any of you saw her?" he asked.Ethan shrugged. "She was home this morning. She has no money. Where would she go?"After brunch, they returned to the house. There was no cake in the kitchen, only the untouched bakery sl
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