Chapter 1
I was the child who never should have been born.
My sister, Luna Lane, had congenital kidney disease.
And my only worth was to be her donor.
The day the test results came back, the house was filled with rare joy.
For the first time ever, Mom's eyes softened when she looked at me.
My dad, who was always sighing, even gave me a rare smile.
I thought I was finally getting their love.
But late at night, the sharp smell of smoke drifted upstairs.
Flames began seeping through the gap under my door.
Choking and coughing, I stumbled out to knock on my parents' and Luna's doors, only to find every room empty.
They had already taken Luna and escaped.
Not one of them called out for me.
*****
When I woke up, I was in the hospital.
The sting of disinfectant hit my nose, and my chest felt heavy and sore.
I managed to sit up; there was no one else in the room.
I said, "Mom, Dad, and Luna, they should be okay, right?
"It's all my fault. I slept too deeply. Now I've just caused them more trouble."
Luna's surgery was coming up soon, and I couldn't let anything happen to my body.
With that in mind, I lifted the covers and tried to get out of bed.
But my legs went weak, and I crashed straight to the floor.
The door was pushed open, and a nurse walked in.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to look like a patient," she said.
I was so scared I started shaking, frantically scrambling back into bed.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I can't stay here, I don't have any money," I stammered.
She didn't say anything, just walked over and placed her hand on my forehead.
"You're still running a fever. Lie back down," she said.
I lay back down obediently, clutching the corner of the blanket.
After a moment's hesitation, I finally worked up the nerve to ask, my voice shaky.
"Is my body okay?" I asked, barely above a whisper.
"I mean, will this mess up anything?" I asked, my heart pounding.
The nurse comforted me.
"You just breathed in some smoke and have a bit of a fever. Just rest up for a few days, and you'll be fine," she said.
"Where's your family? How come you're here alone?" she asked.
My chest tightened, and I lied.
"They're working far away. They're super busy, so they can't make it," I said.
I didn't dare call my parents; if I did, they'd just say I was making trouble again and wasting their money.
The nurse shot me a sharp look.
"Then I'll have to call the police. A fire's serious business, and they'll contact your parents," she said.
"No," I shouted.
I scrambled to my knees on the bed, accidentally yanking out the IV. Blood started dripping down my hand.
I said, "Please, don't call. I'll pay for the hospital bills, I promise.
"I can work to pay you back. I can clean, I can do anything; please, I'm begging you; just don't call."
The nurse just stared at me, speechless.
"What are you doing? Get up," she said.
I was terrified I'd hear my parents snapping at me on the phone.
I knew the truth.
They'd never come, no matter how many times I called.
Back when I was in elementary school, I passed out from low blood sugar on the street, and some kind stranger took me to the hospital.
The doctors spent the whole day trying to reach my parents, and only managed to get through after hours of calling.
Mom sounded annoyed on the phone.
"Luna's really timid and hates the smell of hospitals. We can't come, so just let her stay there by herself," she said.
Then she hung up.
From that day on, I realized Luna was like the moon; everyone adored her. She was the center of their world.
And me? I was just her shadow, her backup, the spare part she might need to survive.
That healthy kidney was the only reason I mattered at all in this family.
The nurse was quiet for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"Come on, quit crying," she said.
She grabbed a tissue and wiped away my tears and the blood from my hand.
She said, "We're short on help around here. It's thirty a day, two meals included. You in?
"You can crash in the storage room next door for now. Once you're better, you can start working."
I just stared at her, tears streaming down my face.
"Miss, can I really stay here?" I whispered, barely daring to hope.
She glared at me.
"If you don't want the job, then get lost," she said.