She shook her head.

“Did—did somebody die?”

“No, baby, it’s nothing like that.” She took a deep breath. “I got a call from an attorney who represents the estate of your birth mother’s sister.”

I heard what Mom said, but it didn’t make sense. My birth mother had passed away when I was little. I didn’t know she had a sister.

“I don’t understand.”

Mom gripped my hands tighter. “According to the attorney, she passed away, and she left you her estate.”

My mind went blank. “Her estate? What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure what’s involved,” said Mom. “The attorney got in touch with the adoption agency, who just passed the message to me. Your—your aunt didn’t want to disrupt things here for you, but it sounds like you’re her only living relative. She left you something sizable enough for an estate lawyer to be involved.”

Mo was quiet. I waited for her to speak because she always had good advice, but she only stood there with a worried look on her face.

“I don’t really know what to say,” I said. My adoption was open, but my birth mother never made contact. It wasn’t a huge deal. It was just the way things were—but now, someone related to her, to me, was leaving me an estate? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

“That’s okay, baby,” said Mom. “I don’t know what to say either.”

Mo hung by the door, watching us, then looked down at her clasped hands.

“We don’t have to do anything,” Mom said quietly. “We don’t have to respond or we can—if you want. I don’t want to jump in front of you to make a decision.” Worry bloomed in her eyes and in the faint lines around her mouth.

“So someone who shares my DNA left me something in her will. Cool.” I glanced toward my room. The door was cracked and I could see the tangle of ivy slinking its way up my bedpost. “Let’s see what it is.”

My parents were the two people I loved most in the world, and it made me sad that they were stressed over this. Bringing up my birth family was always a little stressful for them, mostly because they loved me and didn’t want me to be upset. I was curious when I was younger, and they answered all my questions as best they could. As I got older, the topic came up less, but it was never off-limits.

“Maybe it’s a pile of money and y’all won’t have to moonlight as exotic dancers to pay the bills,” I said. “I wouldn’t judge you if you did but I know nine thirty is y’all’s bedtime.” Mom laughed, and I leaned in to put my face in her neck like I used to do when I was little, breathing her in, feeling calmed by the beat of her heart. “Let’s get all the facts and then go from there. No more stressing, okay?”

Mo sat down and wrapped us both up in her arms. We sat quietly for a while before Mom and Mo went back downstairs. I stayed behind, listening to the vines rustling behind my bedroom door.

CHAPTER 4

A few days later, we waited anxiously in the living room for the estate attorney, Mrs. Redmond, to come by. As we sat on the couch, my bedroom door creaked open and a tangle of vines crept across the floor. I jumped up and shoved them back inside, closing the door.

“They’re not gonna come out while she’s here, are they?” Mom asked.

“I don’t think so,” I said, even though I wasn’t entirely sure. “Have you been in my room? It’s a jungle in there. All my plants are coming out of their pots.”

“You think it’s because you’re anxious?” Mom asked.

I shrugged. “Maybe?”

I hadn’t stopped thinking about what an inheritance might mean for us. I Googled what it meant when somebody left you an estate and had gotten all kinds of answers, from sprawling mansions and car collections to piles of useless junk. Some man in Florida made headlines when his long-lost uncle willed him an entire storage unit filled with creepy old dolls. I was not tryna have my life ruined by the real-life Annabelle, so I told myself that we’d walk away if there was any mention of dolls.

The doorbell rang.

We all stared at the front door for a few seconds before Mo got up.

“Okay,” she said. “Think positive.”

On the other side of the door stood a tall woman in an ill-fitting tan skirt suit. She had her dark hair slicked back into a bun, a streak of gray down the center of her head. She had a deep brown complexion, small dark eyes, and a wide full mouth.

“Hi there,” she said. She stuck out her hand and the briefcase she was holding popped open, sending a shower of papers onto the floor. “Ugh. Sorry.” She knelt and started stuffing them back inside, stealing a quick glance at me as Mo helped her gather the rest of her things.

“Please come in and have a seat,” Mom said.

The woman stumbled in and sat in the armchair across from me.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Mo asked.

“Oh no, I’m fine,” said the woman. “You must be Briseis.” She smiled warmly at me. “Briseis. That name sounds so familiar.” She strummed her fingers across the top of her briefcase. “It’s from the Greek mythology, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said.

“Mythology lovers, huh?” she asked.

“Not really,” I said, glancing at my mom.

“Sorry,” said the woman, looking flustered. “I’m already getting sidetracked.” She opened her briefcase, shuffling some papers around. “I’m Melissa Redmond. I represent the estate of Circe Colchis. I understand her younger sister, Selene, was your birth mother.”

“We weren’t aware that her birth mother had any living relatives,” Mom said quietly. She crossed her legs and started to shake her foot back and forth rhythmically, like she was keeping time. She did that when she was stressed or nervous. I scooted closer to her.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Mrs. Redmond asked, looking surprised. “Well then, this is probably very unexpected.” Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. “I’m sorry to spring this on you. Usually when people inherit an estate, they know it’s coming. This is a unique situation, isn’t it?”

“I’d have to agree,” Mo said.

Mrs. Redmond nodded. “I have limited background information, but if you didn’t know about Circe before now, am I right to assume you don’t know anything about this property at all?”