Hi! It’s me! Lily!
I don’t know what to say. And if you know me, I always have something to say. Too much to say. But so much happened today that I ran out of words.
So today was going on like any other. Jack had stuff to do with his family today, which is fine! I mean I can’t be the absolute center of his world, can I? One of the centers, sure, but he’s got a family and I can’t be in everything. So Jack was off doing Jack stuff and I was working on this site and doing other stuff, and Sabby comes up to my room.
“Umm, Lily, you’ve got some mail.”
“Mail? Who’d write me mail?”
“I don’t know. No return address. It’s from Washington.”
“The state?”
“No, the city. The one with all the politicians.”
“Oh. I wonder what it is?”
“I don’t know. Here it is. Let me know if you need anything.” Of course, that was code for “I’m dying with curiosity so tell me already.” But she handed it to me and closed the door.
I looked at the envelope. It was a typical envelope, with typical writing. It came from Washington, DC, like she said, but other than the address there were no other markings. I shrugged, sat town, and opened it.
I read it. I read it twice. Tears started to form in my eyes. I burst through the door. “SABBY! SABBY!”, I yelled, pounding through the house like a tall and slender bull. “SABBY YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!!”
“What? What? What is it?”, she said, running into the living room.
“Here. I need to sit down.” And I sat, putting my head in my hands.
Her eyes scanned the paper, and her mouth started to drop open. “Lily… what…?”
“Someone knows,” I said, starting to sob. “Someone knows.”
She sat down next to me and put her arms around me.
“I’ll send a copy of this to our lawyer. I want to know if it’s real.”
“But if it is, Sabby, someone knows. Someone out there knows.” I sniffed and wiped my eyes.
“The other stuff -“
“Isn’t important!,” I said. “Yeah, I’ll get some money when I’m 18, yay me, wonderful, but sabby, someone knows!. Why won’t they tell me?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. I wish I knew.”
“I… I want to be alone for a while,” I said. “It’s a lot.”
“I’m here if you need me.”
I went upstairs and got under the covers, my mind racing a million miles a minute.
Later Jack came over, and I showed him the letter too. He whistled through his teeth. “That’s… big. What are you going to do?”
“What can I do?,” I asked sadly. “I don’t know who sent it, all I know is, someone out there knows what happened to me. Why won’t they tell me?”
He hugged me. “Maybe someday they will. Until then, has anything really changed? I mean, other than the money, has anything changed?”
I frowned. “I guess not.”
“Then don’t worry too much about it. Christmas is coming soon. Just consider it an early present.”
“I guess.”
“Want to go for a walk?”
“Not really.”
“Let’s go for a walk.”
“Okay.” It’s funny. I’m pretty independent, but I like it when he takes charge, especially when it’s for my own good.
So we went for a walk. I held his hand the entire way. And once we got back, I felt a lot better. Jack was right. What really changed? If there’s something to be learned, the lawyer will learn it. Otherwise, I guess, everything’s just like it was. Jack and I then spent quite a bit of time exploring each others’ tonsils before he had to go back to Liz’s to meet with his parents.
Oh. Here’s what the letter says.
Lily, or should I say, Yuriko,
I shouldn’t be contacting you. If someone were to find out that I did, I would be in a lot of trouble. You don’t know who I am, and it will stay that way. But I am the one who made it possible for you to be adopted as quickly as you were. I’ve been paying attention, Lily. It made things so much easier when you started your diary. Thank you for that.
I can’t tell you what happened to you. Whether I can’t, or am not allowed, I will let you decide for yourself which you want to believe. But a sizable sum of money has been kept from you, and I cannot allow that to continue. Enclosed are the details of an account in your name, which will be held in trust until your eighteenth birthday, September 3, 2023. The sum is slightly over seven hundred thousand dollars. It’s not going to make you rich, but with any luck and assuming good investments, you should not have to worry about college expenses, and it should give you enough to get a good start in life. If you find yourself in need, contact the trust administrator listed on the papers, you are entitled to small disbursements if needed before the account vests. It will be invested for you until you take control of the account. I would have liked to have just given it to you, but for reasons I will not disclose, this was the best I could do.
I hope someday you find the answers you seek, but unfortunately, I am unable to provide them. I will continue to be watching, and if the need arises, you will hear from me again. Let us hope the need does not arise.
Yours Truly, Lycoris Radiata.
He, or she, called themselves a Red Spider Lily. Like in my dream.
What is with my life?