Take 2 Times 2? Future Book 3?

12. Sister and Brother?

Samantha's POV

"Well...Max... I wanted to talk to you about my past, yours as well, but mainly mine. There are some things you need to know before you go back to the past. And I thought now would be the best time to tell you about some of them, but you need to stay calm and let me finish what I have to say. It might not be easy for you to hear what I have to say, but I need to say it. And you need to know about it. And well first things first, I love you no matter what, you're my little brother and that's not going to change. So... I guess...one of the things you really need to know is..."

"When I was a baby, I was given to a nice older family that took care of me until I was about 5 years old. They died and that's when I got put into foster care. Dad had no clue at the time what had happened to me, and the system wouldn't tell him anything because he wasn't on my birth certificate. And the only reason I was given to that family, is because my mother died in childbirth, so technically, you're my half-brother. We have different mothers but the same father. And that's the end of the easy stuff we need to talk about. It gets really hard from here on out."

I kept my eyes on Max as I was talking. I needed to make sure that he wasn't getting too upset by this news. And to my surprise, he didn't seem upset or surprised at all. "Max? You do understand I still love you like a brother right? That this doesn't mean that anything has changed right? I still consider you my brother and not just a half-brother. You do understand that?" I stared at him sitting there. He didn't seem to get it. What I just said should have fazed him someway, but it didn't.

He just nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I know. You're my sister no matter what. I get it and I feel the same way. No matter what has happened in the past, or what might happen in the future, we are family. I get that. And family sticks together. I don't care that you're technically my half-sister. You're my sister and I'm good with that. Different moms, or different dads don't matter to me. What matters to me is that you consider yourself my sister, and therefore, you are."

"Well, that's good, but now for the hard part. I was told my mother died in childbirth, but that was a lie. What really happened was, I was an experiment. I was made in a lab, and I technically don't have real parents. Well, they used an egg and sperm just like any normal person. And I did grow in a woman not a test tube, but everything about me was created in a lab. They made me the way I am. I am a genius because they made me this way. I found out that our father is our real father, well... we have his DNA at least, but that's as far as it goes. I don't know who my mother really is. And I don't know who the lady is that gave birth to me, but the one that gave birth to me, I consider her my mother anyway."

I was watching him closely this whole time. I knew this news would get a reaction, but it didn't. He just nodded like he already knew, so I kept going.

"I was put in foster home after foster home never staying in one place that long. I think the longest I stayed in one place was about 2 years. I ended up going all over the country, but ended up where you found me. Some of the foster people where nice, and others were not so nice. Some tried to get me in to good schools, whereas others didn't care. Very few found out how smart I was. I tried to keep that to myself after the first foster parents found out. They used me to try to help them. That was the first time I ran away. By then I was 10 and could tell that they were not good people. I stole some money from them and took a bus all the way to the west coast. I ended up in Oregon on the cost, but I was only 10 and got caught. By my 11th birthday I was in foster care again. And again, I ran away from that family. Not because they were bad people, but because I didn't fit in. I ended up in Washington and found some nice people that were only a little older than me. They saw that I needed help and they took me in, not foster care, but just regular people. They offered me food and a place to stay. At that time, I was about 12 and had nothing, only the clothes on my back along with the stuff in my backpack. I didn't know what to do, so I took them up on their offer. When you go back, this will be the perfect time to get me. They are good people, and I know they will help you find me. That is where I stayed for 2 years. And I have always kept in contact with 2 of them. They took really good care of me when I needed it the most. They even helped me move out here when I wanted to. While you're there, if you can, help them out. They didn't have much and they were still willing to share what they had with someone they knew nothing about."

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Max's POV

Sam kept talking for about an hour after that and I kept listening, taking it all in. She told me about most of the places she has been so I could find her. She didn't go into detail about what she was doing, just where she had been. Then she stopped to see if I was taking it all in. After I assured her I had, she said, "Now the really really hard stuff." This peaked my interest, so I told here to go on.

"You are like me, Max, same father, unknown mother. You were also created in a lab." She stopped talking and stared at me, waiting for my reaction. After she told me that she was made, I figured I was too. She had already given me time to understand and process how to feel about it, so it didn't surprise me when she said it.

I just nodded and said, "I know." and that was all there was to it. I was made. Dad wanted a person that could live after they went back in time or at least that's what I figured was the reason for me being created. I also figured that's why he kept me with him, so he wouldn't lose me like he did my sister. Yes, I may have been just a tool for him, but I am my own person as well. I was made to do what he wanted, but I also choose to do it or not. Regardless of what he wanted; I make my own choices. How or why I came to be, means nothing to me. I am here. And I make my own choices. And that's all there is to it. I don't see why so many people would have a hard time with how they came to be. I don't.

After a too long of a talk, finally convincing my sister that I was ok with being a "test tube baby" we finally got up and were getting ready to go back to my room. "Do I still get to keep the bear?" I asked as I picked him up. I was going to take him regardless of what she said. Even if I had to come back later and steal him. He was comfortable to sit on and I knew I could cuddle with him when nobody was around. Little brothers are allowed to steal stuff from their older sisters, right? Luckily for me I wouldn't have to. She just smiled at me and said he was a gift.

The bear was as big as me, so I looked funny hauling him along. I hugged him, and he hugged me back. He wasn't that heavy, but boy, was he hard to hold. My arms didn't go all the way around him, so he kept slipping as I walked. Thank goodness my room wasn't that far from my sister's. I couldn't see where I was going so Sam had to guide me. She opened my door and made sure that nothing was in my way. About 5 feet in I tripped on one of his paws and fell, but I kept a hold of him, and I landed right on top of him with a huff. I looked around the room to see that everyone was there staring at me. They all started to laugh, and I joined in. For a while I just lay there holding my newest teddy bear.

It wasn't long before the laughing was over, and a conversation began. Bear and my dad started by asking Sam how I was taking the news of her past. I knew they were probably wanting to know if I had slipped, because I showed no signs of being upset. I felt a little annoyed at first that they would ask her and not me, but the question she asked me brought a smile to my face and a strained, worried look to everyone else's face. She looked at me and smiled. Then she asked "So, test tube brother of mine, the old people want to know how you're taking the news of my past and of our birth I'm guessing. I guess they are just too shy to ask you about it."

Of course, I was smiling, but I was also grateful that she asked me instead of just answering them herself. She was trying to include me in the discussion, and at the same time put everyone's mind at ease, even though she had a warped sense of humor about the way she did it. What can I say, she's family. We all be a little crazy here.

As I started to chuckle, I hugged my bear tighter. "I got a new bear out of it. Sooo, I'm good." That made Sam start laughing again. She knew I was good with the new information, but the looks I got from everyone else... I don't think they were convinced, that is until Husky piped up and asked,

"So, all we have to do is bribe you with a new stuffy and you're good with everything?"

I got a big grin on my face and said, "Yep. Works for me." That comment finally broke the tension in the room as everyone started to laugh.