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They return a few minutes later, fully dressed, and neither of them says anything to me. Eli carries a suitcase before he walks over to a painting on the hallway wall, pulling it off and revealing a safe hidden behind it. I grab the keys from Cyrus’s hand and continue out the door while they’re doing god knows what. Unlocking the car, I hop in the back, put my seatbelt on, and place my bag between my feet. Cyrus and Eli put some things in the boot before getting in, and I hand Eli his keys.

The drive there is silent except for the radio playing softly. Pulling into the driveway, my mother’s car is still there, next to my sister’s. Relief hits me that I can see them before leaving. Hopping out of the car, I walk to the front door only to realize I had given my sister my car keys. I go to knock when Eli suddenly unlocks the door, making me look at him. He holds up a key, and I huff, annoyed that he has a key to my house.

Stepping inside, I can hear everyone getting ready for the day. Taylor has to leave soon to get Maya to school. She only works 9 to 5, so Maya will no longer have to go to before-school care; she will just have to remember to use her lunch break to grab Maya from school like I used to do.

My mother looks up when I walk in. She has a smile on her face, and I suddenly remembered the argument we had the other day. Looking at her, I can tell it has been long forgotten to her; she is just happy to see me. Eli goes to the kitchen to make coffee.

“What’s wrong?” my mother asks, looking at me.

Taylor also stops making Maya’s cereal to look over at me. It is so strange seeing her parenting her own child, yet by the look on Maya’s face, she loves having her mom to wake up to.

“I’m leaving today, moving to Soya. I just wanted to say goodbye,” I tell them.

“Already?” my mother asks, and I nod.

Her eyes turn glassy as she walks over to me and hugs me. She is dressed in her scrubs, and I know she will have to leave for work soon, but I need to say goodbye properly, even if only briefly.

Cyrus walks upstairs, and I notice Eli watching me. I look away, pissed off that he is making me do this.

“Well, this is shocking but exciting,” my mother says as she cups my face. “We will be fine without you. Besides, you can visit.”

I nod, looking at Eli, who then suddenly turns away, making me suspicious. He grabs his coffee before walking up the stairs, probably looking for Cyrus.

Taylor comes over to hug me. She still feels like skin and bone, and I feel like I am hugging a skeleton, but she seems different and almost happy.

“We will miss you,” she says, and I hug her back.

Growing up, we were inseparable until she became lost to us. I got her back only to have to say goodbye again. It doesn’t seem fair.

“I need to get to work. Are you alright to pack?” my mother asks, making me look over at her as she grabs her keys and handbag.

I let Taylor go, following my mother out. She places her bag on the passenger seat of her car before standing up and quickly giving me another hug.

“Ring me when you get there, so I know you are okay, and ring me every day. Oh, and I forgot Sam said to give you this,” she says, bending down and retrieving something from the glovebox—a phone.

“When did you see him?” I ask.

“He came to the practice yesterday,” she replies, and I quickly regain my composure and nod.

She pats my shoulder, and I quickly pocket the small phone before Cyrus and Eli see it, knowing this is Sam’s way of staying in contact with me.

“I love you, but your sister is doing great. She will be fine. It’s like she never had an addiction, weird, huh? I think calling the police really did a number on her,” my mother says.

“Yeah, maybe,” I tell my mother, giving her one last hug and kiss before watching her drive away.

Walking back inside, I find Cyrus talking to Taylor. Maya finishes her cereal, and I walk over to place her bowl in the sink. Maya holds her arms up, and I pick her up, hugging her.

“You’re really going, Aunty?”

I nod, pressing my face into her curls, tears running down my cheeks. I will miss her the most. She has been mine for so long, and now I am trusting her to her mother. The thought scares me but also makes me happy for Maya.

“Don’t cry. Mommy will look after me,” she says, and I nod, unable to form words.

Eli walks down with a suitcase, and I realize he and Cyrus must have been packing my stuff. He walks outside with my suitcase. I place Maya on the ground, grab the brush, and start doing her hair for school. I put it in pigtails. Taylor quickly makes her lunch, and I walk into the kitchen to help her. She is looking around frantically.

“Sandwich bags are in the bottom drawer,” I tell her, and she nods.

“Right, I knew that,” she says, her eyebrows furrowing.