Zero to Nine

Chapter 13

Two more weeks had gone by since Kieva and I had our sleepover. I went home - to the "little" house - for dinner most days and to the "big" house on the weekends. I blended into the family more and more every day. The younger kids trusted me. My parents all loved me like their own -- I was, either way you think about it. Everything was going great.

One morning, we were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast our mom, Bethany, had made us.
"Scarlett?" Bethany asked.
"Yeah?"
"What do you say we set up a dinner? For you, your parents, and us? I mean, your parents, the ones..."
"Right. I know. I think that's a good idea. They've been wanting to actually talk to you guys, get to know you in a more, I don't know, formal setting."
"Sometime this week?" she asked.
"Sounds good. I'll set it up," I offered.
"Great, thanks," she said, giving me a smile. She turned to the calendar and began to look at the days.
"Kee?" she said in a more serious tone. "There's a military call written down here? Did they call?" Bethany asked, concerned about Kieran and Maeve. They were still overseas, and usually scheduled calls with us.
"I didn't get a call. Which day is it written for?"
"Two days ago."
"Hm. I didn't get one." They looked at each other, both concerned and puzzled.
"I mean, any number of things could have happened, no cell reception, they could have moved somewhere, they could be busy in the middle of something." Kieva tried to reassure her mom, who was clearly worried.
"Yeah. They usually call..." our mom trailed off.
"I'm not going to say don't worry about it, because clearly you already are, but I'm sure they'll call. Just give it a day or two."
"Okay," she said with a sigh.

A day passed. Then another. I left on Sunday afternoon so I could go home, do homework, and get ready for the week. On Tuesday, Kieva texted me.

Kieva: I'm getting really worried. They still haven't called.

Me: Still? Is there any way you can reach out to them?

Kieva: Nope. They call from a different phone every time.

Me: Call their sergeant? Someone?

Kieva: Mom tried. No answer.

Me: When's the next call date?

Kieva: Not for another month. Can you call me?

Me: Give me a few minutes, I need to get out of class.

I was sitting in math class with my phone under my desk. My math teacher was pretty chill, but I don't think he could see me anyway. I stood up to go to the bathroom and put my phone in my back pocket. I made eye contact with my teacher on my way out and he gave me a thumbs up, meaning I was good to go to the bathroom, even though it wasn't where I was going. I closed the door behind me and walked to my locker, which was just down the hall. I opened it to make it look like I was getting something and clicked Kieva's number. It started to ring.

"Hello?"
"Hey. So, still nothing, huh?"
"Nothing. I'm not sure what to do. Mom's worried. I'm sure Dad is too," she said.
"Yeah. Believe me, I don't know what to do either."
"I know. I'm sorry to have to drag you into this. It's only been a few months."
"Don't apologize. I'm in this now. With you."
I heard Kieva sniffle. It was a few moments until she said, "I just don't know what to do." Her voice cracked. She sounded like she had started crying. I wasn't quite sure what to say, but I had to come up with something. 
"We'll figure it out, okay? I have study hall last, so I can come home early." Now, I had tears in my eyes too. This was getting really scary.
"Me too. I can get home by 2," she said.
"I'll be there. See you then."
"Yeah," she said with a sigh.
"Bye."
"Bye."
I hung up and stood at my locker for a minute. The tears in my eyes fell to my cheeks as I thought about what might be happening. I heard someone walking to my left, so I quickly gathered some papers and shuffled them around to make it look like I was doing something.
"Hey, Scarlett," I heard someone say. I recognized the voice of my advisor, Mrs. Reed. Each student had an advisor, for academic and personal stuff. Mrs. Reed had been my advisor since ninth grade, so we had grown close. She was also my English teacher.
"Hi," I replied, my voice cracking a little. I heard her slow down and step toward me.
"Scarlett?" I quickly wiped the tears from my face and stuffed the papers back in my locker. I turned to leave.
"Hey." She placed her hand on my shoulder. I turned to face her, keeping my eyes on my feet. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing," I said. "It's no big deal."
"Well, standing in the hallway crying seems like a big deal to me."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Come to my room," she said.
"I have class."
"I don't care about class, I care about you."
She placed her hand on my shoulder and led me to her classroom, which was just down the hall. Mrs. Reed walked over to her desk, pulled up an extra chair, and motioned for me to sit. I did as I was told.
"Now will you tell me what's going on?"
"It's a long story."
"I have time," she told me. "And I'm not going to judge you, no matter what you tell me."
I paused for a moment, looking at her as if to say, are you sure? She looked back at me and I started talking. I told her everything, starting on the day I was born. The switch, the parents, the DNA tests, the siblings, the family, the army. It felt unbelievably good to be able to get it off my chest.
"No wonder you look like you have a lot on your mind," said Mrs. Reed. I chuckled. "So your brother and sister were scheduled to call home, and they didn't?"
"Right. Usually they call my parents or my sister, and none of them got a call."
"Well, let's see if you can get in touch with someone in the army that can find out where they are. I'll work on it tonight if I can."
"You don't have to do that..." I told her.
"But I want to." She handed me a piece of paper and a pen. "Write down their full names and ranks here, and I'll see what I can do. My brother's a Staff Sergeant, I'll call him and ask."
"Thank you," I said. I quickly texted Kieva to make sure I got their ranks right. I took the paper, picked up the pen, and wrote their names down.
Private First Class Kieran P. McLaughlin
Private First Class Maeve E. McLaughlin

"We'll talk tomorrow. I'll let you know."
"Thank you so much. You really don't have to do this."
"Don't worry about it. Go home and spend time with your family."
I gave her a smile, turned, and went back to class. 

Later that day, I came home to find no one around. I looked at the calendar. Winnie had dance after school, Hayden had OT and Gracie was staying for math league. Eddie and Quinn's school didn't let out until 3. It looked like it was just me, and Kieva said she would be home at 2. I'd didn't see her, so I went upstairs. She was in our bedroom, sitting on her bed looking at a picture in a frame. It was one of the pictures we took when all 10 siblings were together, after I came and before K and M left. Kieva was sitting there, staring at the picture, curled up in a ball. She looked like she had been crying. I sat on the bed next to her and told her what Mrs. Reed had said. She seemed to like the idea.

We sat on the bed for a few more minutes staring at the picture before she said, "What if we never see them again?"