Xiao Lin

Xiao Lin stared out the plane window, her eyes tracing the endless sea of clouds. The hum of the engines was almost soothing, a constant rhythm that matched her restless thoughts. She was alone in her mind, just as she had always been. At 19, she had already spent most of her life alone, separated from her twin sister at birth. She had no memories of that day. All she had were fragmented pieces of a past that had been stolen from her. After they were born in China, Xiao and her sister were torn apart by adoption, placed in different families. Xiao grew up in China, raised in a world she knew—her language, her culture. But her sister, who was taken to America, grew up in a completely different world. Xiao spoke no English, and her sister was Chinese-American, possibly without even speaking any Chinese. That thought weighed on Xiao’s chest. How would she even talk to her sister if they met? Would they be strangers, even though they shared the same blood? The uncertainty was a constant, aching presence in her mind, and now, sitting on this plane bound for America, she felt more lost than ever. Her fingers gripped her phone, her eyes scanning through search results for what felt like the hundredth time. Nothing new. No updates. The articles she found were stale, their information outdated or irrelevant. She had a name—her sister’s name—but beyond that, she had nothing. No contact, no address, no clues. The fear that she might never find her was always there, lurking in the back of her mind. Xiao closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself. She had been waiting for this moment her whole life, and now that it was finally here, she wasn’t sure she was ready. The reality of the situation felt overwhelming. She didn’t know where to start. She didn’t know anyone in America. She didn’t even know if her sister would want to meet her. What if she’d already forgotten about the past? What if she’d never been told the truth?