Maya's POV
"The results are in."
Max's words put a halt to all my thoughts and whatever I was just doing on Mason and my phone. I feel my heart racing, my hands trembling slightly with anticipation. Mason freezes too, his eyes wide with a mix of excitement and anxiety.
"Max, open the email!" Mason urges, his voice trembling slightly.
Max takes a deep breath, nodding. "The email says I have to log in to the 23andMe website. Apparently, there's an app I can download. Let me download it and set it up."
We wait in silence as Max installs the app. The seconds feel like hours, the suspense building with each passing moment. I can't help but wonder what we'll find out. Who are we really? Linda and John never told us anything about our heritage or relatives. If I were a relative of Linda's or John's, I wouldn't want anything to do with them, based on the torture they put us through. I wonder if they're like that to other people?
Just as I'm about to ask if it's done, Max asks us to come sit on either side of him so we all can see what happens first. What he sees after pressing the log-in button.
Max takes another deep breath and presses the button. His phone screen shows a message saying, "Max, welcome to you! Your results are ready." He closes out of that image, and we all lean in closer, our eyes glued to the screen.
On a menu page, we see various options such as Ancestry Report, DNA Relatives, Physical Features, Wellness, and Messages.
"L-l-let's c-click on A-an-ancestry R-rep-reports f-first," I speak up, my voice shaky with anticipation.
Mason nods in agreement. "Yeah, let's start there."
Max presses the button, and we all hold our breath as the results load. The screen displays that Max is 100% Italian and that both of his parents are 100% Italian.
"I didn't know Linda and John were Italian. They don't look Italian!" Max exclaims, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Yeah, they don't. We kind of do though. I wonder why," Mason responds, his voice thoughtful.
"L-let's s-see DNA R-rel-relatives," I suggest, my curiosity growing.
"I agree with Maya. Let's see who may be out there. I wonder if John or Linda have done this," Mason adds.
"If they did, we'll see them in our DNA Relatives. Alright, here goes nothing!" Max speaks, his voice a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Max clicks DNA Relatives, and we all lean in closer. There's no sign of Linda or John. Thank goodness! However, there are a couple of prominent matches, two boys named Angelo and Valentino. They share the same last name and 23andMe claims Max shares about 12.5% of his DNA with them. Whattt?!
"We have two cousins it seems. What do we do from here?!" Mason raises his question, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Looks like we can send them separate messages through this app. We can do that," Max answers, his fingers hovering over the screen.
"I a-agree w-with M-maxy," I respond, my voice trembling with a mix of excitement and nerves.
Max clicks on Angelo' profile and sends him a "connect request." Not sure what that means. He also clicks on a button that says "Message."
Max starts typing a message out to this Angelo boy.
"Hi Angelo,
My name is Max. We've never met but this DNA result says we're first cousins. I do not know a lot about my mother or father's side of the family. Heck, I didn't know I was even Italian!
YOU ARE READING
Rebuilding Reality
Fiction généraleMason and Maya, the inseparable twins, had a childhood filled with laughter and shared dreams. They were not just close; they were each other's confidants, partners in crime, and best friends. But their once-unshakable bond faced a grave challenge t...
