Borrowed Blood
Three years earlier, my adoptive parents were arrested for human trafficking, and the police finally tracked down my biological family.
However, tragedy struck before they could bring me home. They were involved in a car accident on their way to pick me up. My parents and younger sister were killed instantly.
Only my older brother, Derrick, survived because he had been working overtime that night. Not long after the accident, he was diagnosed with ALS.
When we finally met, hatred filled his eyes.
“If it were not for you, our family would still be together.”
From that moment, I carried the weight of three deaths on my shoulders. I also took responsibility for the debt left behind by the accident, along with the rest of Derrick’s life.
I dropped out of school and worked four jobs at the same time.
When I felt hungry, I survived on cheap bread. When I became sick, I endured it and kept going.
Every dollar I earned went toward Derrick’s medication.
For three years, that was my life.
Until one day, while delivering food to a private club, I saw the person who was supposed to be bedridden at home, waiting for me to turn him over in bed.
Derrick.
He stood beside a billiards table with a cue in his hand. His movements were smooth, precise, and completely free.
No trace of illness could be seen.
He struck the cue ball cleanly.
One of his friends laughed and said, “Derrick, you have been faking ALS for three years. Even if this was a test, do you not think it has gone on long enough?”
Derrick lined up another shot without looking up.
“Harriet was raised by traffickers for ten years. No one knows what she learned from them. How could we bring her back into the Lawson family without testing her first?
“Besides, Sheila was terrified that we would abandon her once we found our real family. She cried about it more than once. We needed to give her time to adjust.”
A flicker of discomfort crossed his friend’s face.
“However, Harriet has worked herself to the bone to pay for your treatment.”
Another ball dropped into a pocket.
Derrick smiled, pleased with himself.
“Sheila and my parents are flying back tomorrow. Once they arrive, I will arrange for Harriet to return to the Lawson family. After that, I will make it up to her.”
I lowered my head as a burning sensation rose inside my nose.
A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
[Congratulations, Host. The Obsession Commission has been completed. Would you like to claim your reward?]
I wiped away the blood that trickled from my nose.
“Yes,” I replied quietly. “Claim it.”
In three days, I would finally be going home.
The Lawson family had never been the home I wanted.