Chapter 1

I was the extra kid in my family, the one who didn’t quite fit.

My sister, Victoria, was a beauty queen, and my brother, Daniel, was the valedictorian of his high school, the smartest kid in the whole state.

Me? I was just… ordinary. The only award I ever won was a participation ribbon in kindergarten.

On my eighteenth birthday, I wished to my parents that this New Year’s, I could see the ocean, down south where it’s warm.

When winter break came, Mom and Dad proudly showed off the plane tickets they’d already booked.

Upon arrival, Daniel and Victoria cheered at the sight of the snow in the North.

We stayed at a guesthouse for several days.

On New Year’s Day, I woke up early and knocked on my parents' door, only to find it empty.

I checked my phone and saw a picture of them having their New Year’s Eve dinner, a happy family feast. That's when I realized they had gone home last night.

I stood in front of the empty room, a little lost.

My first thought was, *What did I do wrong?*

Before I could find an answer, footsteps echoed on the stairs behind me. It was Mr. Peterson, the guesthouse owner, coming up.

I instinctively apologized, "I'm so sorry, I overslept. I didn't realize my parents left last night."

Mr. Peterson's face instantly hardened.

I immediately lowered my head, bracing myself for a harsh dressing-down.

But the scolding I expected never came.

Instead, a large hand gently patted my head, stroking twice, not too hard, not too soft.

"How could parents be so careless? Leaving their child behind when they go on vacation? Come on, tell me your parents' number. I'll call them and tell them to come back and pick you up!"

Feeling the warmth on my head, for some reason, a lie just slipped out:

"Don't call them! This is a challenge my parents left me, to see if I can survive on my own now that I'm an adult."

But I rarely lied, and I nervously looked up, meeting his concerned gaze. "Can you let me stay? I can cook, and I'll help with chores!"

Mr. Peterson frowned, still insistent. "No, we have to contact your parents."

I pulled my ID card from behind my phone case and knelt directly in front of him.

"If my parents were worried about me, they'd send me money to get back home. I'm an adult, I can take responsibility for my actions. Please, just don't send me away!"

This wasn't the first time my parents had left me behind.

And I knew that if I contacted them, they would either come back for me or book me a return ticket.

But every time I reappeared, safe and sound, their brief flicker of guilt would vanish.

Even once, when I told them I almost got lost and taken by strangers, they just told me to stick closer next time I went out.

Many times, I wondered if they hated me.

Later, I learned it wasn't hate, just a lack of love. It was barely a fraction of what Victoria and Daniel received.

After all, I was just an extra kid, with no special qualities, no reason to keep around. What right did I have to be compared to them?

Maria, the guesthouse owner's wife, was a young woman from the South. When she heard my story, and then that I was the third child in my family, she looked at me with a complex expression and sighed softly.

"Working here doesn't pay much. It's just sixty bucks a day, but it includes room and board. Are you okay with that?"

I stared at her, astonished, then nodded with all my strength.

Just being taken in was a luxury, and to get paid? I never expected that.

I already had it all planned out. Once I saved up enough money, maybe next holiday, I could go see the ocean down south for real!