Left Behind Countless Times, This Time, I’m Leaving Them Chapter 09

Left Behind Countless Times, This Time, I’m Leaving Them Chapter 09

Three years ago, when I left Seattle, I had only a small suitcase.

This time, professors from the University of Washington, science foundation reps, young researchers, and students from the old state program were waiting outside the airport.

Wyatt personally pinned a silver star-shaped badge to my jacket.

A cross-school sky-mapping project was about to launch in Seattle, and the organizers were getting ready to choose a new project lead from among the young researchers.

In the past, lead roles on projects like this usually went to established scholars with stable teams and years

of experience.

This time, I was the only recent graduate to make the final shortlist.

Even some of the most cautious reviewers said publicly, “This project needs someone who can detect faint

signals without overlooking a single member of the team.”

I didn’t stop to accept congrats. I read through every review and the whole project plan.

Then the Taylor family name came up again.

After I won my research award, Paige went to the media as the “mother of a young astrophysicist,” publicly

claiming my success was thanks to the Taylor family.

The foundation that had funded my research during high school reopened its review of our family records.

They found that my parents had received four education payments a year from my maternal grandfather’s

education trust, but almost all of that money had gone to my three sisters.

Airport, hotel, and vacation-home security records also confirmed that they had repeatedly left a minor

daughter without supervision.

Logan was removed from his position on the community education board.

Paige lost her honorary seat on the charity foundation’s board.

They had to pay back the misused education funds, plus the audit and legal costs.

To cover the losses, the Taylor family’s home was mortgaged.

My three sisters didn’t get the easy lives they’d imagined either.

Dawn had used my name to apply for an internship at a financial firm in Chicago, claiming she’d worked on

one of my data projects.

After her application was checked, she lost the offer and was disciplined by her school for academic

dishonesty.

Solara had gotten into a comparative literature program with exaggerated recommendation letters. She was

later suspended for plagiarism.

Once her family could no longer pay to clean up her messes, she had to leave the program.

Luna had been the best at keeping up her image as a “brilliant researcher,” but she’d repeatedly tampered

with data in the lab.

She lost her research privileges and eventually moved into regular classes

No one had gotten revenge on them.

They just had to face the consequences of their own choices once their parents could no longer use money

and connections to cover for them.

Paige and Logan had asked to see me many times.

Dawn and the others had also written apology letters.

I never replied.

It wasn’t because I was still consumed by hate.

I just no longer needed their late acknowledgment.

On the final day of the youth forum, the review committee announced the results in the domed hall of the

Adler Planetarium.

Professor William asked me in front of everyone, “Vesper, will you be the young project lead for the new

sky-mapping project?”

A slow-moving field of stars was projected across the dome.

I looked at the people who had supported me and slowly nodded.

“I will.”

“If I lead this project, I’ll make sure every researcher’s contribution is properly credited and every weak but real signal gets checked.”

“And no one gets left behind just because they’re quiet.”

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then the applause started in the student section and soon spread through the whole dome.

I stood beneath the projected starlight.

I was no longer the forgotten fourth child.

I was Vesper.

And I was the one who knew best how to record the faintest points of light.