Chatterbox: Inkwell

Story!

I do not have a title for it yet, but here is Chapter 1. 

Everyone thinks their life is weird, right? Everyone believes that the craziest things happen to them, but in reality, they’re just normal people with ordinary lives. That’s why I would hesitate to say that my life is anything but everyday. Except, what happened to me a few days ago doesn’t exactly seem ordinary.

I’m an orphan. I know, I know, tragic and all, but I don’t even remember my biological parents. Instead, I have two awesome adoptive parents who have loved me from the start, and that’s all that matters to me. My life was pretty close to perfect, not to mention normal, until we got the letter.

It was a lazy Sunday morning. Mom was cooking pancakes, and Dad and I were playing cards. I’d just about had him beat when our dog Koda brought in a mysterious letter. Dad opened it and read aloud, 

“To the parents of Olivia Miller,

Our daughter has been missing for nearly 11 years. We were told that she died shortly after birth, but we have evidence that she was taken from us, brought into the foster system, and adopted by the Vaughns. We are begging you to mail us at the return address or email us at cherrymiller@email.com or andrewmiller@email.com. 

Thank you,

The Millers”

Mom knitted her eyebrows together. “That’s strange,” she said, “Ollie, your last name was Miller before we adopted you.”
I nodded, already knowing. My parents had made it a point to tell me everything I wanted to know about being adopted. “Guys, please don’t worry about it. It’s probably a scam,” I tried to reassure them.

“I’m not so sure,” said Dad, “Why would anyone want a kid, other than for a ransom?”

“Well, there is that ransom possibility,” agreed Mom, “But maybe we should look into it. Obviously, we aren’t just going to give you away, but if you’d like to meet your biological family, now’s your chance.”

“Um, sure,” I said, “I’ll have to think about it.”

Mom and Dad replied to the emails, telling the Millers that they had “the lost child”. 

One thing led to another, and now Mom turns the key. We are driving out of the city. I watch as the skyscrapers give way to smaller buildings. The Millers have nine other children. I wonder if they’ll like me. Now we leave the city, and enter the suburbs. There are houses, two stories all to one family. I see them as I glance down the side streets along the highway. The Millers live in a rural place, so different from my cozy apartment. Mom mentioned something about a farm. Maybe there is one nearby. 

Soon, we are off of the highway, driving along a country road, with sprawling properties. I could have sworn I saw a horse. Sky and trees and ground all blend together, and when I wake up, we’re there. My first thought as I get out of the car is that there is more uninterrupted nature and land than I’ve seen in my life.
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Author's Note: I hope you like it! I am open to constructive criticism. I'm working on Chapter 2.