Chapter 2 · My Family Despised Me Until They Found My Ashes

Chapter 2

Anna: [It's December 18th. I'm going to a new city for treatment. Mom said that when my piggy bank is full, I can leave the hospital.]

[This is my first diary entry. Luckily, I learned a lot about writing from Owen, the best big brother in the world. I'm glad it's me who's sick, not Owen.]

The entry was short and childish.

Below the entry was a printed photo.

It showed six-year-old Anna sitting on a train, striking a superhero pose with both fists raised high.

Her face looked a little pale, but her eyes crinkled with a big, cheerful smile.

On the back of the paper was a message I scribbled while hiding out in the fire escape.

*****

Anna had a nosebleed and ended up in the hospital.

Owen held her close and even started to cry.

He loved his little sister more than anything, and he was so worried that he even threw up.

So he went with Anna to get his blood drawn for tests, too.

When the test results came back, Anna was fine.

But to our shock, Owen was diagnosed with leukemia. Our only hope was a bone marrow transplant.

Even if we managed to find a matching donor, the transplant would cost at least 200 thousand, if not more.

There was no way we could afford that.

Owen said, "I'm done with treatment. I don't want to go through this anymore."

Anna, desperate, clung to his arm, sobbing uncontrollably.

Landon was shattered.

He went out without telling me, trying to borrow money from anyone he could think of, but faced countless rejections everywhere he went.

Halfway through, dazed and distracted, Landon got into a devastating car crash in the pouring rain.

After hours of emergency surgery through the night, Landon was left with multiple severe injuries, both internal and external.

He was confined to bed, unable to even stand.

I was crying my heart out, barely able to breathe, when the doctor suddenly broke the news to me. There had been a mix-up with Owen's test results.

It felt like I'd been pulled back from the edge, a miracle out of nowhere, but in the very next second, I was thrown right back into hell.

"The blood sample that showed leukemia was actually your daughter Anna's," the doctor said.

I stood frozen in the doctor's office, and without thinking, my body just turned around, unease flooding through me.

Anna was standing outside the door, her eyes red and swollen, nervously fidgeting with the edge of her shirt.

That night, Anna was suddenly nowhere to be found.

She left me a little note. [Mom, I'm gone. Mom, Dad, and Owen, you all have to be happy every day, okay?]

I was frantic.

It was almost midnight when I finally tracked down Anna in the train station's crew room.

Anna wanted to ride the train all by herself, just like the grown-ups, and run off to somewhere far away.

I crouched down and hugged Anna tight, my heart aching so bad that it felt like it was being torn apart.

Anna wiped away my tears, her face full of guilt. "Owen said he doesn't want treatment anymore, that it'd be better to save the money for my school. So, I want to save the money for his school instead.

"Owen's a genius. He's taking the SATs next year. Everyone at school wishes they had a brother like mine."

Owen really was the best big brother anyone could ever hope for.

When Landon and I were buried in work and barely had time for the kids, Owen always looked after Anna with so much care and patience. He taught her to be the sweetest, most thoughtful little sister.

I held Anna close. I couldn't stop trembling; my heart was crushed with hopelessness.

Anna, imitating the grown-ups, softly patted my back.

It was early winter, and the cold on the street seeped right into my bones.

I looked out at the endless street, swallowed up by thick mist. There wasn't a single ray of hope anywhere.

Anna's soft, childish voice lingered in my ears. "Mom, I know even if we use all our money, it still won't be enough to make me better. So, can you let Owen stay in school, and help Dad get well instead?"

I stayed quiet for a long time, then looked at her. "How about I go with you, Anna? Let's save the money for Dad and Owen."

"We'll play hide-and-seek with Dad and Owen. Once you're healthy again, we'll come back home," I added.

Anna was quiet for a long time. Then, after a long pause, she nodded firmly. "Yeah."

*****

After Landon finished reading the first letter, Owen, standing off to the side, let out a cold, mocking laugh. "So, what? You're trying to say Anna had leukemia now?"

Landon gave a dismissive scoff. "Guess that's what happens when she has been a screenwriter. She really makes it sound believable."

Landon said this with a frosty, irritated expression, flipping to the next page without much patience.

Chapter 2

Anna: [It's December 18th. I'm going to a new city for treatment. Mom said that when my piggy bank is full, I can leave the hospital.]

[This is my first diary entry. Luckily, I learned a lot about writing from Owen, the best big brother in the world. I'm glad it's me who's sick, not Owen.]

The entry was short and childish.

Below the entry was a printed photo.

It showed six-year-old Anna sitting on a train, striking a superhero pose with both fists raised high.

Her face looked a little pale, but her eyes crinkled with a big, cheerful smile.

On the back of the paper was a message I scribbled while hiding out in the fire escape.

*****

Anna had a nosebleed and ended up in the hospital.

Owen held her close and even started to cry.

He loved his little sister more than anything, and he was so worried that he even threw up.

So he went with Anna to get his blood drawn for tests, too.

When the test results came back, Anna was fine.

But to our shock, Owen was diagnosed with leukemia. Our only hope was a bone marrow transplant.

Even if we managed to find a matching donor, the transplant would cost at least 200 thousand, if not more.

There was no way we could afford that.

Owen said, "I'm done with treatment. I don't want to go through this anymore."

Anna, desperate, clung to his arm, sobbing uncontrollably.

Landon was shattered.

He went out without telling me, trying to borrow money from anyone he could think of, but faced countless rejections everywhere he went.

Halfway through, dazed and distracted, Landon got into a devastating car crash in the pouring rain.

After hours of emergency surgery through the night, Landon was left with multiple severe injuries, both internal and external.

He was confined to bed, unable to even stand.

I was crying my heart out, barely able to breathe, when the doctor suddenly broke the news to me. There had been a mix-up with Owen's test results.

It felt like I'd been pulled back from the edge, a miracle out of nowhere, but in the very next second, I was thrown right back into hell.

"The blood sample that showed leukemia was actually your daughter Anna's," the doctor said.

I stood frozen in the doctor's office, and without thinking, my body just turned around, unease flooding through me.

Anna was standing outside the door, her eyes red and swollen, nervously fidgeting with the edge of her shirt.

That night, Anna was suddenly nowhere to be found.

She left me a little note. [Mom, I'm gone. Mom, Dad, and Owen, you all have to be happy every day, okay?]

I was frantic.

It was almost midnight when I finally tracked down Anna in the train station's crew room.

Anna wanted to ride the train all by herself, just like the grown-ups, and run off to somewhere far away.

I crouched down and hugged Anna tight, my heart aching so bad that it felt like it was being torn apart.

"Owen's a genius. He's taking the SATs next year. Everyone at school wishes they had a brother like mine."

Owen really was the best big brother anyone could ever hope for.

When Landon and I were buried in work and barely had time for the kids, Owen always looked after Anna with so much care and patience. He taught her to be the sweetest, most thoughtful little sister.

I held Anna close. I couldn't stop trembling; my heart was crushed with hopelessness.

Anna, imitating the grown-ups, softly patted my back.

It was early winter, and the cold on the street seeped right into my bones.

I looked out at the endless street, swallowed up by thick mist. There wasn't a single ray of hope anywhere.

I stayed quiet for a long time, then looked at her. "How about I go with you, Anna? Let's save the money for Dad and Owen."

"We'll play hide-and-seek with Dad and Owen. Once you're healthy again, we'll come back home," I added.

Anna was quiet for a long time. Then, after a long pause, she nodded firmly. "Yeah."

*****

After Landon finished reading the first letter, Owen, standing off to the side, let out a cold, mocking laugh. "So, what? You're trying to say Anna had leukemia now?"

Landon gave a dismissive scoff. "Guess that's what happens when she has been a screenwriter. She really makes it sound believable."

Landon said this with a frosty, irritated expression, flipping to the next page without much patience.