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Done Being Forgotten
Done Being Forgotten
Autor: June Wilder

Chapter 1

Autor: June Wilder
Corinne's POV

Brie Lewis's eyes crinkled with delight as she applauded our brother, Samuel Lewis, at the piano.

The living room had been warm and cheerful.

Then I walked through the door, and for a split second, everything went still. A familiar ache tightened my throat.

I'd been separated from my family and abducted when I was three. I didn't come home until I was eight, after the trafficking ring that had taken me was finally caught.

When the police first brought me back, my parents, Gregory and Diana Lewis, had been overjoyed.

Then one of our neighbors pointed at Brie and joked, "Now that your real daughter's back, I guess you'll have to send the adopted one away."

Brie burst into tears on the spot.

That night, Mom locked me outside and made me stay there until morning. "Brie's been part of this family longer than you have. You need to learn right now that you're not going to push her out."

For five years, I'd dreamed of coming home. From that moment on, home became nothing more than a dream I'd never truly be part of.

Fourteen years had passed since then. And in their eyes, I was still an outsider who might take Brie's happiness away at any moment.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. My advisor, Dr. Vance Herring, had replied.

[Corinne, once you commit to the classified research project, your records will immediately be sealed and transferred. You won't be able to come home for ten years. Are you sure about this?]

I headed to my room to gather the documents I needed to start the process.

But when I opened the door, my desk was empty. The envelope containing my paperwork was gone.

I searched every drawer, then even checked the storage bins under my bed.

Nothing.

My heart skipped a beat. I hurried back to the living room.

"Samuel, did you see the manila envelope on my desk?"

Samuel was peeling an orange for Brie. He didn't even look up. "Oh, that envelope. Brie said she needed something to put her old sketches in. I saw the envelope sitting on your desk and figured it would work, so I gave it to her."

His casual tone made my chest tighten.

"I specifically told you yesterday that those were important documents and not to touch them."

Samuel frowned and pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands. "Sorry. You know how bad my memory is. It was sitting in the corner of your desk, so I thought it was just some old paperwork you didn't need anymore."

There it was again. His bad memory.

The familiar pain twisted in my stomach.

On my eighteenth birthday, Mom and Dad had completely forgotten about me and taken Brie on the beach trip she'd always dreamed of. They didn't remember until they were already on the road.

Then they called Samuel and told him to pick up something nice for me to eat. He came home with a container of steaming seafood chowder.

And just as casually, he'd said, "You know how bad my memory is. I forgot you're allergic to seafood."

Seafood chowder was Brie's favorite.

Samuel didn't have a bad memory. He'd simply never cared enough to remember anything about me. Not even for a second.

Brie's eyes immediately turned red. "Corinne, I'm sorry. I didn't know those documents were important. I already threw the envelope away with my old sketches... in the dumpster downstairs.

"I'll go get it back for you, okay? Please don't be mad at Samuel."

She started toward the door.

"It's over ninety degrees outside, and that dumpster is filthy. What are you going down there for?" Dad grabbed Brie and stopped her, then turned on me.

"Corinne, it's just some paperwork. Print another copy tomorrow. Brie didn't do it on purpose. Do you really need to act like you're putting everyone on trial over this?"

Mom patted Brie's back soothingly. "Exactly. Corinne, if those papers were so important, you should've kept them somewhere safe. Don't turn around and blame everyone else now."

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  • Done Being Forgotten   Chapter 10

    By the time I walked out of the underground visitor area, evening had begun to settle over the base.Dr. Hartman was standing on the steps outside, holding the data analysis report I'd asked for earlier. "All done?"He didn't pry into my personal life. He simply handed me a heavy windbreaker. "The wind's picking up. Put this on.""All done." I slipped on the jacket and drew a deep breath of the cold, clean desert air.In the distance, the floodlights around the testing grounds were coming on one by one. They were sparks of light that researchers of my generation had kindled across this barren land.In a few months, the new aerospace thermal-protection material developed by our team would undergo another full round of rocket-mounted testing.I took out my key and unlocked my private quarters. It was only about three hundred square feet. It was not much, but my desk had a combination-lock drawer where I could secure important documents whenever I wanted.On the balcony sat a small

  • Done Being Forgotten   Chapter 9

    In late spring of my third year at the base, Dr. Hartman came to see me.Two people had been waiting at the security checkpoint outside the facility.This time, it was Gregory and Diana Lewis. They weren't authorized to enter the secure zone, so they'd spent two days and two nights waiting in the outer guard station, battered by the desert wind and sand.Eventually, out of humanitarian consideration, my superiors approved a ten-minute phone call through one-way ballistic glass.I sat down in the visitor area and picked up the receiver.On the other side of the glass, Mom looked far older than she had when I'd left. Her hair had gone gray, and two large hearing aids sat behind her ears. Her hands gripped the ledge beneath the window. The moment she saw me, her lips began to tremble, and tears streamed down her face.Gregory had lost the commanding arrogance he once carried so effortlessly. His shoulders were hunched, his eyes red as he nearly lunged toward the glass."Corinne, my

  • Done Being Forgotten   Chapter 8

    Fall in Denver was bright and beautiful, though the air was still dry.The symposium was being held at a government facility under extremely tight security.I'd spent forty minutes presenting our latest research findings, and the applause continued long after I stepped away from the podium.As soon as I came down, my security officer stopped me."Dr. Lewis, there's a man in the reception area outside. He's been sitting there for three hours. Apparently, he pulled some strings with state officials and came with a letter of introduction. He insists on seeing you."I paused.During my ten-year communications restriction, no outsider could obtain my exact location without authorization from higher-ups.If someone had managed to track me down here, they probably spent a great deal of money and called in more than a few favors."Who is it?""A man who claims he's your biological brother."I stood there silently for a moment. "Have him wait in the visitor room. I can give him ten mi

  • Done Being Forgotten   Chapter 7

    Corinne's POVThe wind in Redstone carried coarse sand across the desert, pelting the reinforced glass of the testing facility.It was my second year working at the research base.Outside, the temperature had dropped to five degrees below zero. Inside, the heating kept the building at a steady seventy-seven."Corinne, bundle up before you go outside. That desert wind cuts right through you. It'll get into your bones."Dr. Wallace Hartman pushed aside the heavy insulated curtain and walked in carrying a double-walled lunch container. He was the lead engineer overseeing the classified project. Nearly sixty, with gray at his temples, he was a gentle, soft-spoken man."The cafeteria made lamb casserole today. I specifically told the kitchen about your allergy. No shrimp, no seafood-based seasoning. You can eat these without worrying."I set down the data recorder and accepted the steaming container. "Thank you, Dr. Hartman.""You don't have to thank me." He sat down on the folding

  • Done Being Forgotten   Chapter 6

    A month later, the family's fragile illusion of normalcy finally shattered.The Lewises had pulled every string they could to get information from Corinne's university, only to receive the same answer every time—information regarding personnel assigned to classified projects could not be disclosed.Without Corinne around, Brie's constant demands suddenly became impossible to ignore.At eight one evening, a single floor lamp illuminated the living room.Brie came out of her bedroom and coughed softly. "Mom, my throat's starting to feel scratchy again. Will you make me some chamomile tea?"Diana sat on the couch, staring at the wilted bouquet on the coffee table. She didn't move."Brie, we're out of chamomile. You've had the AC running in your room for ten hours today. Can't you just turn the temperature up?"For the first time, there was exhaustion and impatience in her voice.Before, the slightest cough from Brie had been enough to send Diana rushing to her feet. And somehow, h

  • Done Being Forgotten   Chapter 5

    Third-Person POVThe next morning, Gregory sat at the dining table, going through the paperwork Brie needed to take with her to her internship."Where's Corinne? Still sulking in her room?"Without looking up, he said, "Tell her to come out and make two copies of Brie's graduate school paperwork. What happened last night is over. We're family. There's no reason to stay mad at each other."Diana paused while warming the milk. "She hasn't come back since she left with her suitcase last night."Samuel emerged from his room, his expression grim, phone clenched in his hand. "I was going to have her run downstairs and get Brie a sandwich, give her an excuse to come around. But she deleted me from her contacts. When I tried calling, her number was disconnected. She's cut off all contact."Gregory slammed his coffee cup onto the table. "This is ridiculous! She's making such a big scene over something so minor. What does she expect, for us to apologize to her?"Brie lowered her head and

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