Chapter 2

I accepted Lily's "joke."

I climbed out of the hospital bed, pressed my hand against my bleeding forehead, and rushed out of the room.

The hallway was packed with people.

My left eye could barely see anything, and my right eye's peripheral vision could only make out blurry shapes.

I felt my way along the wall, step by step, toward the Organ Donation Coordination office.

I had to find those donor family members.

The cornea hadn't been transported yet — maybe there was still time.

"Stella, slow down! With your eyes, you'll fall!" Lily called out loudly.

I ignored her and quickened my pace.

The donor family was a couple in their fifties.

Their son had died from traumatic brain injury in a car accident. He'd signed an organ donation agreement before his death.

I'd been waiting for this cornea for three years.

The day the match came through, I cried all night under my covers.

They were sitting on the bench outside the coordination office.

I dropped to my knees with a thud.

"Sir, ma'am, please — I'm really going blind."

"I'm not a con artist. My medical records are all here. You can verify everything with the doctors."

I gripped the bench armrest.

"Please don't cancel the donation. This is my last chance."

The man pulled his wife back half a step. "Your sister already told us — you're not really blind at all."

"My son's corneas aren't meant for scammers."

He clenched his fists.

"Do you have any idea how hard this decision was for us?"

"And you're using my son's organs as a tool to scam money?"

I shook my head desperately, tears mixing with blood streaming down my face.

"No, I'm not lying, I really am —"

Lily caught up and crouched down, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Sir, ma'am, I'm so sorry about this."

"Stella's always been like this. At home, she pretends she can't see to get out of chores."

She suddenly covered her mouth. "Oh... I shouldn't have said that."

"Stella's actually pretty pitiful. She's just gotten used to using her bad eyes to take advantage of people."

Her gaze shifted away. "Like that welfare fraud thing before... never mind, I shouldn't say more."

"Welfare fraud? You committed welfare fraud too!" The man pointed at my nose.

"My son is dead. We're donating his organs to save people who truly need them!"

"Not to be wasted on scammers like you!"

The woman grabbed her husband's arm.

"Let's go. We need to find the coordinator. We'd rather not donate this cornea at all than give it to her."

I knelt on the floor, mouth open, unable to utter a single word.

Footsteps approached from behind. Mary had arrived.

I turned my head. "Mary, please tell them I really can't see!"

"Just say something for me!"

Mary pulled me up and brushed off the dust. "Enough, enough. Stop making a scene."

She turned to the couple with an apologetic smile.

"Sir, ma'am, I apologize on behalf of my older daughter."

"This child has loved making up stories since she was little. Sorry for startling you."

"My younger daughter just speaks her mind too honestly. She told the truth."

The couple walked into the coordination office and slammed the door shut.

A nurse approached with files.

"Family of Stella Smith? The coordination office just sent notice."

"The donor party has signed the final refusal form."

She opened the file to check the records.

"According to the sequence, the cornea will be transported to the next matched patient within thirty minutes."

"I'm very sorry. There's nothing more we can do."

Lily sighed behind me.

"Stella, see? It's all because your credibility is so bad."

I said nothing.

Blood dripped from my brow onto the hospital corridor tiles. One drop, two drops.

I stood there for a long time.

Long enough for the cornea that should have been mine to be placed in a transport container and wheeled past me.

I couldn't see anything clearly, but I heard the wheels rolling across the floor.

That was the last time I would ever come close to light.