Chapter One

AUTHOR'S POV

"Mia? Mia? Mia!!!" Her Mother touched her shoulders and she jolted back to the present.

"Yes mummy"

"Mummy will be back okay, I need to grab some milk from the store. You already know what to do?"

"Yes Mummy, I will lock all the doors of the car until you are back" She replied and her Mother nodded

"good, I will be back in five minutes "

"Okay Mummy" She said.

As soon as her Mother exited the car, she locked the doors manually, just as her mother taught her. She stared out the window and saw a puppy wagging it's tail after an old lady.

"What if my Mum buys me a puppy? I want a white one. What will I name it? Mr waggy tails (giggles). I am going to grow old with my puppy. Soon my puppy will give birth to more puppies and we will move to a bigger house. What kind of house do I want? Will mummy want a bigger house? I will work hard so that I can get her a big house." She thought

Honk! Honk!! Honk!!!

She could faintly hear the sound of a car but she wasn't paying attention.

"Mia! Mia!! "

She could hear her name but the voice was lost in the background of her thoughts.

She heard the heavy knocks on the window and she jolted out of her thoughts. She stared out of the window and her mum was right there, with fear and tears in her eyes.

"Mia!!! Get out!!!!" Her mother screamed but before she could make any move, it was too late.

The crash happened.

She watched how her mother was slammed to the curb by another car.

"Mum!!!!" She screamed as the car she was in tumbled in the air and crashed to the ground.

"Mum" she whimpered before blacking out.

MIA'S POV

I suddenly woke up from my sleep while breathing heavily. Sweat poured down my face as I tried to calm my racing heart.

That dream …again.

I have not had it for a while now and so I thought I was over it but I guess not. I stared at the Adhd (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) drug that my mum had readily placed on the table by my bed because as expected , I don't always remember to take it. I took the drugs and washed it down my throat with the glass of water. I stood up, walked towards my huge mirror and stared at my disheveled self. I look like crap in the mornings.

"Come on Mia, it's the first day of college and you are going to kill it" I cheered myself on.

"Let's do this!!"

I turned on my speaker and The Weeknd 'sacrifice' came on….one of my favorites. I first brushed my teeth and had my bath. After I was done, I went into my closet and paused for a second.

Gosh, it's a mess in here.

"Oh well…" I shrugged my shoulders and went on to pick a clothe to wear. Normally I would just take the first cloth i see but I want to be deliberate today, it's the first day of college and I am a freshman.

"I don't wanna sacrifice

For your love, I try" I sang while wearing my clothes

"Mia!!" I faintly heard my name

"I don't wanna sacrifice

But I love my time " I continued singing but suddenly the music was turned off.

"Mia!!!" I heard my name and I was frightened

"Oh my gosh, Mum!! You scared me" I said

"You are late" She said but not in a judging tone.

She already knows I can't help it.

"Your brothers are ready."

"I am also ready Mum" I said

" and why are you even still here? I thought your flight is this morning" I complained.

My parents bought a house close to school and made it compulsory that I and my brothers live together after they made it compulsory that we all attend Stanford. I really wanted to dorm with my best friend Jessie but My Appa (Dad) says that the Lee family should always stick together.

Apparently both my parents went to school there even though they never knew each other in college . It is like a family thing.

Mum decided to help me get settled in a week ago and she refuses to leave.

"You would have to eat breakfast on your way to school, be down in a minute. I will order an Uber and go to the airport after dropping you off" She said and left

I sighed.

I feel like I have not introduced myself well enough.

My name is Mia Lee , the only daughter and black person of my family. My mum is a white woman named Erica Lee and my Appa is a Korean man named Fred Lee.

My Mum met my Appa when she went on vacation to Korea one summer. She wouldn't stop telling us how they met and how magical it was. My Appa is the son of a conglomerate who was suppose to take over his father's empire. But when he met my Mum , he knew he wanted to make her his wife so he decided to relocate to the United States because of her.

His family neither allowed him to relocate nor supported his decision of marrying my mum. After my Appa convinced them that his major reason for relocating was to expand the business to the USA, they agreed. Fortunately, it was a success and the USA branch became the head office. My Appa was able to marry my Mum with his family unable to question him.

Years later, my parents had my three older brothers.

Well, you might be wondering how a black girl is sister to three white and Asian mixed boys and daughter to a white lady and a Korean man. The truth is even I don't really know. I don't really remember my childhood but I remember being a normal kid at first then everything changed when some kids bullied me and called me adopted. After telling my mum about the incident, she finally told me everything I needed to know about being black and adopted. That day, I finally realized how different I was from the rest of my family. Why didn't I see it before? She said there was more but it was too complicated for a six years old to understand.

Later on, I started having the same dream constantly and when I told my mum and Dad about it, they decided to tell me the real truth. Turns out that the dream was real and I don't remember it because I was a four years old child who lost her memory after the accident. My biological mother and my mum were best friends since high school. After the accident, the only option I had was to be put in a foster home because my mother and Dad were also from foster homes . My Dad died in the military a week before my biological mum found out that she was pregnant. My mum didn't want me to go there so she adopted me without thinking twice and here I am. The only daughter and black person of the Lee family.

After checking myself in the mirror for the last time, I proceeded to my door when it busted open on it's own. My brother Jeremy walked in and was frantically searching for something

"What are you doing ?"

"Can I borrow your laptop? It's urgent" He asked

"What is wrong with yours?" I asked

"I mistakenly dropped it in my bathtub while it was filled with water?" He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine you can borrow my laptop if you drop me at school instead of Mum. Deal?"

"Um… I would but I have a science match with some nerd in my department who challenged me over the summer. I cannot be late and you are known for being late so….. I will just borrow mum's" He said and walked out of my room.

That's my brother Jeremy, the nerd of the Lee family. He refuses to accept that he is a nerd but he is a nerd. He is a sophomore in college , a year older than me and the third born of the family.

I walked out of my room dejected. I really do not want my mum to drop me off on my first day of college.

I walked downstairs and my brother Mike was munching on a sandwich at the dining table.

"Good morning my dear brother " I greeted him sweetly and he looked at me suspiciously before putting his attention back on his food. He stood up to take the ketchup bottle that was lying at the extreme end of the table but I stopped him.

"No dear brother, let me help you" I said as I feigned kindness.

I reached out to the bottle and handed it to him. He looked at me suspiciously again before putting his attention back on his food.

He stood up again to go to the fridge.

"No brother, let me help" I said to him and he lost it

"Ok Mia, what do you want ?" He asked

"Nothing. I am just being a nice sister…and hoping her nice brother will drop her at school?"

"I knew it" He said

"So will you? Please ??" I begged

"Uh… no " he said

"Why not? You do not even have football practice today?"

"Yeah I know"

"So why won't you drop me off?" I asked

"No reason " he shrugged and stood up to leave.

Ughh that is my brother Mike. The playboy of the family. He likes just two things, Football and girls. He hates school and only got into Stanford because of football. He is a junior in college and the second born of the family.

"But….it's not fair!!" I whined

"Mia, stop disturbing your brothers, I will drop you off and that is final"

"Yes Mia, listen to Mum " Jeremy said from the living room

"Shut up Jeremy!!" I replied annoyed and faced my mum

" How am I the only one without a car. Appa said I could have one, I am almost eighteen for crying out loud"

"Because you can't drive duh" Mike teased and i scoffed at him

"Mia, I will let you have a car after you have proven to be able to drive well. Plus, your Appa was not there when you crashed into another car because you won't stop checking your phone" My Mum reminded me for the hundredth time

"That was like a ages ago, I am better now" I groaned

"Does anyone remember when Mia crashed into our garage door after she begged mum to allow her park the car?" Mike teased

"Wasn't that like a week ago?" Jeremy added and they both bursted out laughing.

I was mad and was about to scream at them when the main door opened.

"I am home" I heard his voice and as I turned around and looked at him, my heart skipped a bit.

I could not control the smile that graced my face as the feelings I have tried to bury deep down resurfaced.