Class 19864

Chapter 6: Harper

Song: Family Tree by Matthew West

----------

Chapter 6: Harper

I don't really know how to introduce myself. Let's just go with I'm Harper. If you need to know anything else, I'm sure someone will tell you. I'm going to tell you about a strange encounter I had with Beth. She started asking me about my family. That's when I knew something wasn't quite right.  

"Hey Harper."  

I look up and see Beth. "Hey Beth."  

"What are you doing?" She asks, looking over my shoulder.  

I shrug. "I was thinking of getting a new tattoo. I was brainstorming ideas."  

"I don't see why you like those things so much."  

"They're supposed to mean something." I say with irritation.  

"The one on your wrist is there to remind you every day that you're not normal. That's not meaningful. It's torturous."  

"You don't understand Beth. What do you want anyways?" I ask, irritated.  

"I wanted to ask you about your family."  

"No thanks." I say firmly.  

"Harper this isn't a conversation I want to have. But it's going to help me figure something out that might be very good for you."  

"Beth no."  

"Harper. What can you tell me about your family?"  

"My dad was a deadbeat. He left my mother when she found out she was pregnant with me. He took my brother with him and I never saw them. His surname was Santiago."  

"Do you know how much older than you your brother is?"  

I shrug. "Quite a bit. Twelve? Thirteen years?"  

"You want to meet your dad one day though right."  

I nod.  

"Ok thanks Harper."  

I nod and go back to designing. 

The next day, Beth asks me to meet her in the garden at two o'clock. When I get there, there's a man with her.  

"Harper. This is your brother Christian."  

He smiles at me.  

"No. How?"  

Beth hands me a photograph. My mother. She's with a teenager that looks like Christian and a man who looks like I do.  

"Oh my God. Beth how?"  

Christian Santiago. He's the history teacher at Rockwell. He asked me during the week about anyone in our class with the surname Stanley. You're the only one. He said you weren't his brother because you were too young but I saw your birth certificate and I found Christian's birth certificate. The information I had didn't match but the certificates did. Christian was born Jared Stanley. When your parents split up, your father changed Jared to Christian and they took your grandmother's maiden name."  

Christian and I look at each other for a while before he pulls me into a hug. 

"Thanks for doing this Beth."  

She nods and I turn to Christian.  

"What happened to dad?"  

"He died a few months ago. Pneumonia."  

I nod.  

"What about mom?" Christian asks.  

"Chris no." Beth warns.  

"No Beth it's ok. He deserves to know the truth."  

"Harper you can't. He doesn't know about the class yet."  

I nod. "I'll tell you once Beth tells you."