Found and Forgotten

Chapter 1

Zeta Pov

I wake up to blinding lights and loud beeping. The hospital. My head is throbbing.

Why am I here?

Then it hits me. A truck hit into our car on our way home from sightseeing our new city.

My adopted parents decided to move me away from New York and all my past about a month ago. Now we live in South Carolina. My best friend Akira came to visit so we decided to go explore our new town.

I begin to panic seeing that no one is here with me. Are the others okay? Am I okay?

Right then I realized I had a cast on my arm. My phone is no where around me. The beeping is getting faster and faster as I panic and I can't think straight.

Finally, a doctor enters the room.

"Hello Zeta, I'm Dr. Joy. Do you remember why you are here?" she asks.

"We were in a crash. Are my parents okay? What about Akira?" I respond.

"You have a concussion and a fractured wrist. I am very sorry miss, you are the only survivor. Mrs. Eloise Knight and Ms. Akira Lee passed away on impact. Mr. Beau Knight was rushed to the hospital a long with you, but passed away from a brain bleed we could not remedy in time."

I instantly feel numb. Mental and physical shock takes over. Suddenly, I realize I have no idea what will happen to me. My actual family abandoned me when I was three. 

Maybe I can be emancipated? I finished high school early and I could get a job. All of this is becoming overwhelming and my head pain is increasing by the second.

"Miss Knight," Dr. Joy says, snapping me out of my train of thought. "I understand the Knight family recently adopted you. A social worker is going to meet with you soon. We contacted Ms. Lee's family, but they are abroad and will not be here for some time. I know it is hard, but please try to get some rest."

Akira's family is very rich, but they are also very neglectful. I have no doubt they will view her death as an inconvenience having to stop the trip. My adoptive parents were both only children, so now I'm just here alone.

Suddenly, an older woman with white hair approaches me. "Hello Ms. Knight. I am Vera Wright, a social worker. I am so very sorry for your loss. I see in your file that you have been recently adopted, but we haven't been able to track down anything before that. We are going to do a DNA test done to see if we can contact anyone to take you in. If not, we will discuss other options then. In the mean time, I will stay here with you. If you need anything, please let me or one of the nurses know. Again, I'm terribly sorry this happened to you."

I know they will find my family with the DNA, but they gave me away years ago. I don't expect them to jump at having me back. Not one of them has tried to contact me over the years. Truthfully, I don't want to go back to them. I suppose it would be better than foster care again. I'd rather anything than reneter the world that haunts my nightmares every night. I couldn't tell you when I last slept a full night.

Right now I'm still in shock. I think they must be giving me pain meds right now, because I'm starting to fall asleep. I drift off thinking about how much my life has changed and how much I'm going to miss my current family, Akira included.

Five hours later I wake up to a voice in the room. I am so distracted by the fact that I woke up without a nightmare that I miss that the voice is now talking to me. It's the social worker. What's her name again? Ugh. I think this concussion is affecting my memory. I unfortunately tend to remember everything. I tune back in when I hear her calling my name again.

"Zeta. Did you hear me?" She asks.

"Sorry, can you repeat that?" I reply.

"No problem dear. I was just saying that we have contacted your biological family. Your father's whereabouts are unknown, then to your brothers. However, your oldest brother, Massimo Conti, has agreed to take you in. He will be here soon. You will be returning to New York with them once you are discharged, which should be within the next 48 hours unless there are any significant changes in your symptoms. The doctor will be in shortly to check on you shortly. I know it is hard but please try to rest" she explains.

So my brother's decided they want me now. Strange. I didn't know what to think. I didn't trust them. Still, I am grateful that they decided to take me in. I may not like them but they never hurt me physically at least. Separating from my brothers was the first of my life traumas. My father told me we were going to the store, but he was really dropping me off at the orphanage. He told me that everyone agreed that I was too much to handle and that they no longer wanted me. Oh well, I can do this for two years until I am free to be on my own.

My own. I am reminded how I have no one anymore. I lost my parents. The frost family who treated me right. And my sister, my best friend Akira. She knew me more than I knew me. Tears are steadily flowing down my cheeks as I think of all the memories I made in this short time with them.

I see Dr. Joy approaching and quickly wipe my face. I don't want to talk about everything right now.

"How is your head feeling?" She asks.

"It's throbbing. Everything feels s not foggy at the moment" I reply.

"That's all normal with a concussion. What about your wrist, any pain there?" She continues.

"Some. Nothing compared to my head." I describe.

"Would you like me to give you some pain medicine so that you can sleep? It will help with healing too" she offers.

"Yes please" I reply knowing that I won't be getting much sleep when I leave here. I drift off to sleep with the only thoughts running in my mind pertaining to how much I'm going to miss my adopted parents and best friend.

I wake up fully rested for the first time in I can't remember how long. I still feel numb besides the full ache from the concussion. I still can't believe they're gone. And that Im moving in with my brothers again. This is too much to handle. One of the nurses helps me to shower and get changed into comfortable clothes that the social worker kindly brought me. I'm sitting in the bed when I see two men in suits approaching from the hallway. The resemblance to me let's me know that's my brother's, obviously grown and much different then I remember them.

I break it off my thoughts and notice they are entering the room.

"Hello Zeta. I'm --"

"Massimo" I cut him off.

"You remember. I'm sorry for your loss." He states with no emotion evident, though I think there may have been some happiness shining through. Maybe he does want me?

Next to him is another emotionless man. Another brother. He speaks, "I'm Enzo, your second oldest brother."

No one speaks being that. We are siblings, but we are also strangers. So much has changed in a day. The air in the room is tense as no one knows how to proceed.

Is this what returning home will be like?