Chapter 1

When I collapsed, the back of my head hit the corner of the table. Blood poured from the wound as my vision went black and a chill spread through my body.

I tried with everything I had to call out, "Mom, help me. Please…"

But I'd never fully recovered from nearly dying when I was eight, and my body was too weak.

I couldn't hold on. I lay helpless on the floor, my whole body convulsing as I retched. My throat seized up until I couldn't make a sound.

Meanwhile, Mom had Rachel Gaffney in her arms, proudly kissing her forehead.

"That's my Rachel! I knew you could do it. Kelly's always sick and has been a burden on this family for years. Forget about her. Today's supposed to be a happy day."

Pain throbbed in my chest as tears slid down the sides of my face. What Mom didn't know was that every other backup battery I had was already dead.

I knew how hard Dad worked overseas to support us, so I'd never told either of them. I didn't want to put any more pressure on him, and I'd thought one working backup would be enough.

I never imagined something like this would happen.

Desperate to make enough noise for Mom to hear me, I reached for the bookshelf beside me. A second later, the whole thing toppled over with a crash.

Relief washed over me. There was no way she could miss something that loud. She had to come check on me now.

But the noise only startled Mom. She immediately assumed I was throwing a tantrum.

"Kelly Gaffney! What is wrong with you? I took your battery for a few minutes, and you're making this big a deal out of it?"

The longer she went on, the angrier she became, until her eyes were red.

"What have I ever done to deserve this from you? This family has spent years doing everything we could to keep you healthy. We pushed Rachel aside for ten years and gave you all our time and attention. Was that still not enough?"

Mom grabbed the key and hurried to my bedroom door.

"If you're mad at me, say it to my face! Why are you giving me the silent treatment?"

But the fallen bookshelf was wedged against the door. No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't get it open.

"I brought your battery back, Kelly! Open the door!"

By then, I could barely breathe. My face had turned purple, my lips were blue, and there was vomit around my mouth.

I tapped my fingertips against the floor, trying to get Mom's attention, but the sound was too faint for her to hear.

When I still didn't answer, she began shaking with anger and hurled the battery for my artificial heart against the bedroom door.

"Fine! Keep ignoring me! Are you trying to make me so mad I drop dead? I've sacrificed so much for you, and you still turned out this selfish! You're just jealous because Rachel gets better grades than you. Kelly, I'm so disappointed in you!"

My heart was barely beating, but every weak beat sent pain through my chest and made my whole body tremble.

In my head, I screamed that I wasn't jealous of Rachel. I'd gotten the highest score in the entire city on the college entrance exam, and I'd been planning to surprise Mom and Dad with the news.

But the surprise I'd planned for them had turned into a nightmare.

Rachel took Mom by the arm and tried to calm her down. "Mom, don't be mad. I'm here. Kelly's just upset right now. I'll talk to her later."

Mom's anger vanished almost instantly. She pulled Rachel into her arms. "You're always so thoughtful, Rachel. If Kelly were even half as considerate as you, I'd be happy."

The cold crept deeper as the last of my strength drained away. My eyelids grew heavier. Blood had spread across the floor and was almost at the gap beneath the door.

Just when I thought I was going to die, the front door flew open.

"Kelly! I'm home!"