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My heart is thu too fast I breathe in and out, and count each tiht us; then square my shoulders and push the door open wider Over the threshold is a long roo one wall, two other Slateds sitting with a regulation bag like nise both of theer Like me, they are out of the pale blue cotton overalls ear, and into actual jeans Just another unifor hospital at last with their families

Never mind that they’ve never met them before

A nurse at a desk on the other wall looks up I stand in the doorway, reluctant to let it shut behind htly, and flicks her hand to beckon me in

‘Come Are you Kyla? You must check in with me before you can check out,’ she says, and smiles widely

I force my feet forward to her desk; rabs my hand and scans my Levo just as it vibrates harder: 39 She shakes her head and holds e intoaway and rubbingto keep you level until you are somebody else’s problem Sit down until your na I sit The other two look at in to ease through hts even as my Levo slowly rises to 5

What if my parents don’t like me? Even when I really try – which, to be fair, isn’t all the tiet annoyed like Dr Lysander when I don’t do or say what they expect

What if I don’t like theraph, fra onDavid, Sandra and Amy Davis: Dad, Mum and older sister They sh, but who knohat they are really like?

But at the end of it all, none of this matters, because no matter who they are, I have to make them like me

Failure is not an option

CHAPTER TWO

‘Processing’ doesn’t involve hed

It turns out ‘Release’ is the tricky bit The nurse explains on the way that I need to say hello to n so happy faether to live happily ever after Of course I spot the probleht ahat if they take one look at ht! And sh a door

I paste a wide smile on my face, convinced it won’t transforelic and happy; more like, demented

I stand in the doorway, and there they are I alraph, wearing the sas, like dolls But each of them is in different clothes, different positions, and the details fight for notice: tooto overwhelm and sendin ain with the sa at a time, Kyla

I focus on their eyes and leave the rest for later Dad’s are grey, unreadable, contained; Muht brown, impatient eyes that re And my sister is there, too: wide dark al skin like chocolate velvet When the photo was sent weeks ago, I’d asked why Amy was so different to my parents and er worthy of notice or colorious Central Coalition But how can you not see?

The three of them sit in chairs at a desk, opposite anotherMy s, like an anirimace

Then Dad jumps out of his chair ‘Kyla, we’re so pleased to welcome you to our family’ And he sh hiskers His smile is warm, and real

Then Mu inches taller than h mine, and strokes my hair ‘Such a beautiful colour, like corn silk So soft!’

And Mum smiles then too, but hers is more like mine

The man at the desk clears his throat, and shuffles son where he points, then Dad gives n here, Kyla,’ thedocument, ‘Kyla Davis’ typed underneath

‘What is it?’ I say, the words out before I can think before you speak like Dr Lysander is always telling me

The man at the desk raises his eyebrows, as surprise then irritation crosses his face ‘Standard release fron’

‘Can I read it, first?’ I say, soo on even as another part whispers bad idea

His eyes narrow, and he sighs ‘Yes You can Everyone, prepare to hile Miss Davis exercises her legal rights’

I flick through but it is a dozen pages of long, close typed print that swiain

Dad puts a hand on ht, Kyla Go on,’ he says, his face cal; his words and Muin to re this all to me last week: that is part of what is in this contract

I flush, and sign: Kyla Davis Not just Kyla, any more: the name picked by an administrator when I first opened o, after her aunt who she said had green eyes like s to me, as part of this family That is in this contract so Ah one last door

Just like that, we leave behind everything I have ever known

Mum and Dad study me in the car mirror as we spiral up out of the car park under the hospital towards the exit Fair enough as I study theot two suchto do with the skin colour I’m not supposed to notice

Amy sits next to me in the back seat: tall and busty and three years older at nineteen I aht ispy blond hair; hers is dark and thick and heavy She is va-va-voom, like one of the male nurses says about another nurse he fancies And I am…

My brain searches for a word the opposite of Amy and comes up ee An uninteresting one at that

A sleeves, but she pulls one up now so I can see her Levo My eyes widen in surprise: so she was Slated, too Her Levo is an older old chain with a s nobody

‘I’m so happy you are my sister,’ she says, and she et to the gate; there are guards One colass Dad hits a few buttons and all the car s and the boot open