The Only One Left Behind

On my birthday, my father posted a roulette to the family group chat. He said the prizes would be given on the spot. I was nervous as I'd been very much looking forward to the Syldan trip. My brother smiled. "You first, birthday girl." I spun the wheel, and it stopped at "Stay at home". Everyone else got "Flight ticket to Syldan". Claire Zimmer, my adopted sister, murmured quietly, "Can I give Theodora my ticket, Dad?" My brother interrupted, "No. Rules are rules. Besides, you've been looking forward to this! You can't miss it!" My mother smiled. "You're a good girl, Theodora. Stay home. We'll bring some gifts for you." I said it was okay. After all, it was just my luck. Then, my father took out four tickets from his pocket and gave them to everyone with a smile. The tickets already had their names on them. I froze. It was then that I remembered that the same thing had happened during the room split three years ago. Claire got the main bedroom, while I got the dark and humid storage room. As a result, I'd been in frail health since then. I knew right then that I didn't have rotten luck. The roulette was rigged so I would never ever get the good prizes. There was no point spinning any more wheels. I quietly went back to my room and texted my mentor, "I'm up for the four-year secret project in the Gaulian Sands, professor." Chapter 1 Fake Family "Don't just hide in your room, Theodora! Come out here and help Claire pack!" Clement Gray, my brother, banged on my door. The second I came out, he shoved a pink suitcase over to me. "She's weak, and Syldan's sun will hurt her skin. Give her your sunscreen. It's not like you'd ever use it. Heck, it's still sealed." I looked at my sunscreen. I bought those with my part-time wages because I was anticipating a surprise trip. "The sunscreen's mine." "You're going to stay at home anyway. It's not like you'll need them. They'll just expire." Claire put two bottles of new makeup stuff into the suitcase. "She has sensitive skin. Cheap stuff makes her itchy. Don't be so stingy." Back in the living room, Claire was leaning on my mother's shoulder, eating cherries. My father had his spectacles on, verifying the IDs on the tickets. I went and checked the tickets. The tickets were printed three days ago. On that very day, I'd brought up the wish of going to Syldan to see the sea and celebrate my 22nd birthday. My father promised he would make the wish come true. He had bought the tickets, but he never planned on having me go. "The tickets came out three days ago, Dad," I said. My father's hand stopped. "It's cheaper if you buy early." "Why'd you even set up that roulette if you already bought the tickets three days ago?" A moment of silence entered the living room, and Claire came up to me. "I had a coughing fit a few days ago, and the doctor told me to get some sunshine. That's when Dad came up with the idea. Dad wanted you to feel that you had a chance, so he made that roulette." "A chance?" Clement came over. "You spun the wheel yourself. You should blame yourself for your rotten luck, not everyone else. Dad and Mom only wanted to protect your dignity, so don't push it." That was really some way to protect my dignity, coming up with a roulette that was destined to give me the prize of… making me their pet guard dog. "Clear the utility bill and water the plants, Theodora." My mother placed 500 dollars on the coffee table. "You can buy groceries with the rest of the money." I got 500, while these people would stay in five-star hotels and enjoy seafood feasts. I got 500 and a week of keeping an eye on this house as my birthday present. "I won't do it." My mother's hand froze. "What?" "Hey, rotten luck, remember? The meter might go bust if I'm the one paying." I slid the money back. "You should do it yourself." "Theodora!" Clement frowned. "What's the matter with you? You're just missing out on a trip to Syldan!" Chapter 2 Demands "Enough, Clement." My father waved him down and slid the tickets into an envelope. "You're a college graduate, Theodora. Be the bigger person. Claire's only been with us for five years and hasn't had a lot of worldly experience. "You're the older sister. Be more gracious." Oh, yes. She'd just joined our household in five years. Yet, this girl managed to take my room, my recommendation letter, and now, my birthday trip at that time. To add insult to injury, my father would always say, "You're the older sister. Just let her have it" whenever she did. I said nothing more and went back to my damp, 80-square-feet store room. I dragged my canvas bag out from under the bed and stuffed my ID and my degree in it. I could hear Claire's muffled laughter coming from outside my room. "Does this sun hat look good, Clement?" "Yes. You look gorgeous no matter what you wear, Claire. I'll buy a bag for you in Syldan tomorrow." The living room was already in a slight state of chaos the next morning. I opened the door and saw my mother helping Claire button her shirt up. "You woke up just in time." My father tossed the car key onto the table. "Move that crate of strawberries in the basement to the trunk. Clement needs it to quench his thirst on the way." I didn't move. "Are you deaf?" Clement wore his sunglasses and yelled at me, "Hop to it! If we miss our flight because of you, there'll be hell to pay!" "The basement's covered in water. My joint's aching, so I can't move." My mother turned around. "Your joint's aching? At your age? Please! You're just trying to slack off. Claire packed her things until late at night, and her wrist is still sore. Yet, you can't even help out with such minor chores?" I looked at Claire. She wasn't the one who packed until late at night. It was Clement. He packed every single dress he had into a bag to keep the dust from sticking. He even wiped the soles of her shoes with wet wipes. I had been living in that damp storeroom for three years and was in a constant state of sickness because of the terrible environment. Yet, my mother thought I was just a slacker. "Do it yourself if it's so minor." Clement strode over and grabbed my wrist, and his grip was strong. He was grabbing my right joint, the one that had been inflamed since forever. Perhaps I was hallucinating, but it felt as though that pain had stabbed through my heart just then. "Must you annoy us today out of all days? Dad and Mom are taking us on a trip, and you're giving us attitude?" "Not us. You." I swatted his hand away. "I'm not part of the equation." "Enough!" my father interrupted. "Clement, you move the water. Theodora, there's 200 on the table. It's your birthday today. Get a little cake for yourself." My mother came and placed a list on the table. "Theodora, Claire wants these seafood and fruits. Memorize them, and order them online while we're gone. That way, we can have them fresh right after we come home." I scanned the list. Expensive lobsters, king crabs, and imported fruits. It would cost at least three grand for everything. "I don't have the money," I stated bluntly. "You just got paid for your part-time job." Clement came in holding a crate of water and slammed it down on the ground, breathing heavily. "You definitely have 3,000. Claire's your sister, and you can't even treat her to a meal?" "That tutoring job pays me 2,800, and that money pays for my dorm next semester. I have no money." "Use your secondary card, then!" Clement urged impatiently. "It's not like Mom and Dad won't pay your bills." My father coughed. "Just pay it for us. I'll pay you back after I get my bonus next month." They had been saying the same thing for three straight years, but they would always use the "we're family" excuse when I wanted them to actually pay the bills. When Claire's air con went bust, I had to pay for a new one with my scholarship money. When Clement messed up and smashed his classmate's phone, I had to pay for the damages with my wages. They took my money for granted and thought of me as their portable family's bank, but they couldn't even get me an economy class flight ticket to a trip I desperately wanted to go to. "The card was stopped two days ago." I tossed the card onto the table. "Here's four dollars and 50 cents. You can get the seafood yourself." Chapter 3 To the Sands Clement's face was thunderous as he parted his lips to retort, but my father stopped him after checking the time. "Enough. We'll be late for the safety check." My father left the house. "Make sure you clean the floor, Theodora. I don't want to come home to mold." My mother took Claire's hand and went past me. Claire looked at me and said, "Happy birthday, Theodora." The security door swung shut with a final click. I was alone. Just then, my phone buzzed. Professor Zlensky texted, "Our ride's already here at the campus' north gate. Our personal profile will be under lockdown in half an hour. We'll be setting off right after that, Theodora." … A bus stood outside the campus' north gate. Professor Zlensky was standing by the entrance, holding an NDA. "This is my last time asking you for confirmation." He looked at me solemnly. "This project is national top-secret stuff. Once you enter the base, all your social media accounts will be deleted, and all your communication devices will be taken. "You will not be able to contact your family for four years, not even once. You can't even tell them you're alive." "I understand." "And your family is fine with this?" "They're going to Syldan for a vacation." I took the pen from Professor Zlensky. "They don't have time for me." Professor Zlensky paused for a moment and said nothing else. I signed my name and stamped my fingerprint on it. The print was red, just like the strawberry red velvet cake my mother would get from that old-timey shop when it was Claire's birthday. Before I handed my phone over, I opened up WhatsApp. The family group chat already had dozens of new messages. Clement sent a photo of the VIP hall. The table was filled with sandwiches and other kinds of food. Clement texted, "VIP hall rocks. Everything's free!" He tagged me. "Also, are you cleaning the floor? Don't you dare slack off!" My mother texted, "Good training for your body, honestly. Staying in that dingy room all day has shrunk you." My father texted, "Let's get to that duty-free shop after we land. I'd like to see if the watch Claire wants is in stock." No one asked me whether I'd gotten my birthday cake or if I was doing well. My finger hovered over the group chat for a while before resolutely closing the app. Then, I pulled my SIM card out and cut it up with a pair of scissors. "Let's go, sir." I tossed the pieces into the bin and grabbed my canvas bag as I stepped onto the bus. The bus was filled with a dozen people my age, and everyone had a look of stoic calmness. The scenery outside quickly faded into the distance behind us. The city quickly became a memory as we were transported into the old outskirts. Finally, all we could see was barren plains that seemed to stretch on forever. Sunlight shone through the window and rained on my face. There were no damp walls, no sounds of Clement kicking the door in frustration, and no Claire speaking pitifully with that fake innocence. The coldness that'd been seeping into my bones for years now seemed to have disappeared. The bus ride lasted for 12 hours. It was already late at night by the time we hopped onto a military train and kept moving further into the northwest. I could hear the train holler as I closed my eyes. I remembered how I got first place in school when I was 12. My father held me high over his head. "You'll be a scientist one day! We're counting on you, Theodora!" I remembered how Claire was adopted when I was 15. She pointed at my room. "That window's beautiful. I want it, Dad." My father pulled me away from my desk. "You promised us when you spun that wheel that you'd accept your losses. Don't push your sister around. You could still score well even if you study in the storeroom." I buried my face in my coat and fell asleep. It was the best sleep on my birthday I ever had in three years. … Far away in Syldan, the sea breeze blew across the hotel's al fresco balcony. Clement was holding a two-pound lobster, peeling it for Claire. "Nice, bouncy meat. Have some more, Claire. You need the protein." Claire bit into the lobster and frowned. Chapter 4 No One Home "Do you think Theodora is eating well? She's alone, so maybe we should get her delivery?" "Forget about her." Clement tossed the lobster's shell onto the table. "Dad left her money. She will eat if she wants to. Besides, she was so nasty to us before we left. It's all because we spoiled her too much." My mother opened up WhatsApp. "I'll need to ask her if she's dealt with the basement's water. Don't want the stuff to be soaked. She opened up the group chat, and her finger froze. "Wait, she left the group." Dad raised his head from his beer. "Left the group? What's she up to this time?" Clement snickered and took his phone out. "She's probably upset we posted the VIP room photo. Ignore her. Give her the cold shoulder for a bit, and she'll fall in line. She still cooks and waits for us every time she's mad anyway." "True." My mother put her phone down and kept filling Claire's plate with food. "She's getting pettier. It's just a trip to Syldan. I can't believe she'd leave the group chat because of this. I'll need to have a long talk with her when we get home." The fireworks rose into the sky above the beach. Claire cheered and ran toward the balcony, happily taking photos. My father happily took a sip of his cold beer. He had no idea that, far away at the northwestern base, my personal profile was locked in a steel case protected by a passcode. My file had a red stamp on it that read "Top Secret". "Serial number: Project X904 Core Research Member." "Status: Total Enclosure." "Duration: Four Years." Syldan was met with a downpour on the fourth night. Claire was bored in the hotel, so she dragged Clement to the duty-free shop for her bag. When it was time to pay, he opened up WhatsApp and was about to ask me for 2,000. After he texted me, he froze. "Theodora blocked me, Mom!" My mother was in the middle of her skincare routine, but she sat up. "Really? Call her." Clement did, but all he got was a disembodied voice that answered, "The number you have dialed isn't in service." "Isn't in service?" Clement looked at the screen. "Impossible! She's been using this number for five years, and it's linked to our utility bill!" My father called me as well, but he got the same answer. Claire was holding the bag she'd chosen and looked at Clement with unease swirling in her eyes. "Did something happen to Theodora?" "As if. She's an adult in her own home!" The frustrated Clement tossed his phone on the couch. "She just changed her number, and she's trying to make us go home early so she can get our attention! Well, dream on!" "Ignore her." My father handed his card to the cashier. "She can throw her tantrum all she wants. We'll change the lock and have her stay out overnight once we go home next week. That'll set her straight." They filled their suitcases with things they bought and spent three extra days in Syldan. It was the seventh day's afternoon that they took the morning flight back. After they landed, Clement started barking orders in the group chat like usual. It took him a few minutes before he remembered that I had left the group chat. "Dammit, I have to get our ride myself." Clement dragged the heaviest boxes, cursing, "When we get home, I'll kick her black and blue if she doesn't have a feast waiting for us!" The cab stopped under the apartment complex, and the family of four walked into the elevator carrying all their stuff. They came to their house and unlocked the security door, but what answered them was silence. There was no aroma of food. Instead, there was the scent of dust that proved it'd been empty for a while. Clement kicked the shoe cabinet. "Get out here and help us with our stuff, Theodora!" He got no answer. My mother changed into her slippers and came to the dining table, but it was empty, save for the keys and the money they'd left me.