Chapter 3

I hugged those old clothes to my chest and lay back down, finally feeling a little bit safe for once.

My head felt all muddled and heavy.

I felt burning hot, then freezing cold. I must have caught a severe fever.

I seemed to get sick a lot.

Once, I overheard a clinic doctor say that because Mom had me so late in life, my immune system was permanently shot.

I curled into a tight ball, trying as hard as I could to hold myself together, but I kept shivering.

Just as my teeth began to chatter violently, a sharp knock hit the door.

The little girl's voice slipped through the crack. "Come out. James is looking for you."

My mind was a total blur. I climbed out of bed, my bare feet feeling like they were sinking into quicksand.

I opened the door, my forehead still burning, and stumbled after her upstairs, not really sure what was going on.

She opened the door to a dark room. I followed her inside, but James was nowhere to be seen.

It looked like a study, with a bookshelf in the corner.

On the floor beside the bookshelf, a photo frame lay there, its glass shattered.

I spotted a familiar face in the debris. It was the same beautiful teenage girl from the photo in James's car.

Only this time, the photo was a larger, black-and-white portrait.

Before I could get a good look, the little girl suddenly screamed out loud.

James came rushing in, looking furious.

I finally snapped out of my daze.

I heard the girl crying hysterically, pointing a shaking finger right at me. "I heard a noise and ran in, and her picture was just smashed on the floor!"

An image flashed brightly in my mind. James sitting in his car, wiping that small photo with deep, careful reverence.

Fighting off an agonizing wave of dizziness, I struggled to defend myself. "She told me to come in here.

"The frame was already broken when I walked through the door."

I honestly thought she was putting on a terrible performance.

t was my first time in this massive house. How on earth would I even know where to find a framed portrait upstairs?

Even Aunt Mary's grandson, who used to smash dishes and pin it on me, put on a better show than she ever could.

But James still believed her and didn't care what I had to say.

With bloodshot eyes, he advanced on me. A layer of heartbroken, wet mist formed in his gaze over the shattered frame.

In a blind rage, he reached out and clamped his massive hands brutally onto my frail shoulders.

I caught the smell of alcohol on him, and his voice was dripping with hate.

"You recognize the person in this photo, don't you? The Longs told you all about her, didn't they?" he roared. "She is dead.

"She was killed by all of you! And you still will not leave her memory alone!"

I could feel my shoulder almost popping out of its socket from his grip.

James completely lost it, his eyes bloodshot with rage as he glared at me. "Get out! Get the hell out of here!

"I am telling you right now, I am not taking care of you.

"Anything related to the Long family makes me physically sick. Get lost! Let the Longs sue me for all I care!"

It was already the middle of the night, and I'd been thrown out of the house.

I had nowhere to go.

After getting out of the elevator on the first floor, I just sat there on a bench in the apartment complex's garden area, staring blankly.

My head was burning up.

It felt like a bunch of angry bees were loose in my head.

My ears were ringing nonstop.

I looked up and the night sky was crowded with stars.

And just like that, they disappeared.

At night in the city, you couldn't see any stars at all.

It wasn't like when I lived in that little town.

Back then, when Aunt Mary forced me to stand outside in the snow as punishment, all I had to do was look up, and the starry sky would keep me company.

I lowered my gaze, feeling a crushing pang of sadness. I didn't even have the stars anymore.

My head felt heavier and heavier, and I couldn't keep it up anymore.

I felt my consciousness slipping away, like I was about to fall asleep again.

Then, a very soft, angelic voice brushed against my ear, calling my name. "Grace."

It was so gentle, just like the way James comforted that little girl.

I looked up, my heart racing with joy, and saw my beautiful mom in a white dress.

She walked over like an angel and gently pulled me into her arms.

"My sweet girl, are you cold?" she whispered.

Mom passed away the second I was born.

Everyone in the Long family treated me like garbage, but I had never seen my mother treat me poorly.

So, I could imagine her as the absolute best person in the universe. The one who loved me most.

I huddled tightly in her arms. For the first time in my miserable life, I acted like a spoiled child, right in the only place on earth where I was allowed to.

My mother smelled sweet and felt incredibly soft, wrapping me in an eternal, perfect warmth.

"Mommy, I am freezing," I whispered. "And I think I am really sick."

Mom stood up.

She stood up gracefully. Taking my small hand in hers, she smiled brightly. "Then Mommy will take Grace to the hospital."

Thrilled, I stood up right along with her.

I heard getting shots at the hospital hurt a lot.

But if my mom was taking me, I wouldn't be scared of the pain. It wouldn't matter how many needles they gave me.

Happily, I reached out to grab her arm.

But my fingers grasped empty air.

I looked down and saw my hand just hanging there in midair.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

There were no stars in the sky, and Mom was gone.

Everything in front of me was blurry. I couldn't see a thing.

I heard a loud crack as my head smashed brutally against the concrete pavement.

A sharp, metallic bitterness flooded my mouth.

It tasted exactly like when I was five, when the neighborhood bullies had laughed and shoved handfuls of dirty mud into my mouth.

I couldn't feel anything anymore. I didn't know if I would ever wake up again.

*****

I felt like I had slept for an absolute eternity.

Then, I heard hurried footsteps coming closer.

I felt someone touch my forehead, and then I heard a few strangers talking, their voices full of shock.

"Oh my god, whose kid is this?" someone yelled.

"Her fever has got to be a hundred and four! Where are her parents?"

Dawn was just breaking over the city skyline. The people around me seemed to be early risers heading out for their morning commutes.

I heard more footsteps approaching.

Someone exclaimed, "Wait, isn't this Dr. Long's little sister? She just got placed with him by family court yesterday.

"Quick, call him right now. Whatever his deal is, the kid is innocent!"