Chapter 3

I closed my hand around the pills and walked into the largest pharmacy nearby.

The bell above the door rang as I stepped inside. I went straight to the counter and set the pills down.

The owner picked them up and held them under the light. He turned them slowly, reading the markings pressed into the surface.

"This is a strong anti-UV allergy medication," he said. "Imported from Valerion. It is used for severe reactions, skin swelling, airway spasms, things like that."

He glanced up at me. "It is expensive, and you need a prescription. Most places do not even carry it."

The words hit me all at once. My head rang.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the pills Eleanor gave me every day. I set them beside the others.

He picked one up, sniffed it, then broke it open with his fingers. His expression shifted.

"This is just vitamin B," he said. "You can buy a whole bottle for a few dollars."

I stared at him. "That cannot be right," I said.

I grabbed both sets of pills and left. I went to another pharmacy. Then another.

Each time, I heard the same answer.

By the time I stepped back outside, the sun stood high overhead. It was noon. The light fell straight down, hot and clear. I stood there in it, and a chill ran through me as if I had fallen into ice.

Sixteen years.

Sixteen full years.

I had lived in a sealed room without light. I had not gone to school. I had not stepped outside.

Relatives looked at me like I was something strange. Sophie shouted at me and struck me when she pleased.

And I believed it. I believed I was the burden. I believed I stole the light from their lives.

I used to think even looking at the sun was a kind of sin.

But the truth stood in front of me now. I was never allergic. Not once.

Sophie was.

Eleanor had hidden it. She wanted to protect Sophie, to keep her from being labeled weak, to preserve that perfect image everyone adored.

So she chose me. She locked me away and let me carry it all. For sixteen years.

I walked home without thinking, my steps unsteady.

When I reached the house, the door was still closed. Eleanor had not come looking for me. She had not even noticed that I had been standing out in the sun for nearly an hour.

I stood at the front door and drew in a slow breath. I forced everything down. The anger, the questions, the urge to shout.

Then I lifted my hand and knocked hard.

"Mom, open the door," I called out. "Sophie pushed me into the sun. I feel awful."

The door opened at once.

Eleanor grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, quick and careless. She did not even look at my face.

"Go," she said. "Get back to your room and use a cold towel."

She let go of me and rushed off before I could answer. Her steps led straight to Sophie's room. I followed with my eyes and stood still in the dim hallway.

Eleanor pushed the door open and checked every corner, scanning for any trace of light. Then she hurried to Sophie's side and pressed an ice pack to her cheek. She moved with care, adjusting the angle, watching for any sign of irritation.

She did not mention medicine. No pills. No warning.

After a moment, she turned and called out to me.

"When she pushed you outside, did Sophie go out too?" she asked. "Her skin cannot handle the sun."

Her voice carried something I knew well. Worry.

But it was not for me.

I lowered my gaze and shaped my face into a small, obedient smile.

"No," I said. "She stayed inside. You do not need to worry."

Eleanor nodded and turned back to Sophie without hesitation. I stood there a moment longer, then stepped away. Inside me, something settled into place. The truth no longer wavered.

Sixteen years of lies. Sixteen years of being used, blamed, and shut away. I would take it back, piece by piece.