My Name In Flames

Synopsis

Seven years after the Sterling family found me, I still hadn't set foot in their home. According to an old family tradition, when a lost member returned, the head of the family must personally activate their name in the Family Registry System. My brother Mike tried ninety-nine times to register me. Each time, the screen just flashed red with one word: "Rejected." On the hundredth try, I watched through the glass as the notification finally turned green: "Accepted." Mike set his phone down on the table and stayed silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Let's pretend you aren't accepted. Charlie has been spoiled her entire life. She has never struggled a day. If you come home and she has to leave, she would not survive it." Rain dripped from the roof, splashing against my suitcase. I held my umbrella so tightly my knuckles went white. Seven years ago, when Mike came to get me from the orphanage, he told me, "Welcome to the family." Funny how something like family could be undone with the press of a hand.