Twenty-one Gifts.

Prolouge.

I graduated today.

You would think that graduating would be a cause for celebration, not morbid thoughts about death or the shock of finding out that you are now a very wealthy person. But, both of those things just happened to me simultaneously.

As I was going through my graduation gifts, I came across an envelope with no return address which made me a bit curious. Upon opening the envelope I read a letter telling me that my maternal grandmother had passed away, which was a shock. This information would not have been such a shock to me under normal circumstances, however, I thought that my maternal grandmother had died 6 years ago.

Turns out, I am adopted.

"Sweetie, are you okay? What does the letter say?" My mothe- Karen asks me with slight panic in her voice. Maybe my face shows more emotion than I thought it did. Or maybe she's been worried about this moment for a long time. Either way, I don't answer her right away, mostly because I don't know what to say.

There is a whirlwind of emotion spinning around inside of me, and I don't know which one to focus on so I reread the letter.

Dear Sparrow,

My name is Angel Sawyer. You may not know who I am, but by the end of this letter, you will. You see, I have a daughter that I have not spoken with in 18 years, and it is entirely my fault. Unfortunately, I will never be able to remedy this problem on my own because I do not have much longer to live. I was so hoping that you would help me and tell my daughter that I was wrong. I know what you are thinking, 'why should I involve myself in such matters?'. Well you see dear, the reason I have not spoken to my daughter in 18 years is you. 18 years ago this past October, my daughter gave birth to a baby girl named Sparrow Jeane Sawyer, and that baby girl was you. I was so angry when my only daughter became pregnant at only 17 that I forced her to put you up for adoption, and that is a decision that I struggle with everyday now. My daughter has hated me ever since, and I missed any opportunity to meet my grandchild. I hope you can forgive me for my callous decision, but I will understand if you cannot. My greatest regret in life is knowing that I missed out on the love of my daughter and granddaughter because I was too proud. I really hope you can help me though. Do not try to contact me because if you are reading this letter, it means that I have already passed on. Please contact my lawyer Franklin Moore for any questions, his phone number is enclosed in the envelope as well. I also have a gift for you darling. You will never, ever struggle because I have willed you my fortune, all you have to do is contact Franklin to receive it. Please find your mother for me. I need her to know how sorry I am and that it was wrong of me to force her into giving you away. Thank you.

With love,
Angel Sawyer.

When I finally speak, I choose anger. "Why did I not know that I was adopted?"

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Thank you for reading. The concept for this story is something that I came up with when I was feeling sappy and emotional, so hopefully you all will like it. This was only the prologue though and I am trying to give you a tunnel into who Sparrow is and will become throughout this story. Chapter one should be posted sometime before Thursday. Thanks again for reading.
-Natt.