Chapter 1

After dark, I made my way home in tears, stumbling along the road. A truck came hurtling toward me. Then, just like that, my body felt weightless.

I drifted back home, only to hear Dad ask hesitantly, "Sophie's grades have dropped drastically. Could she really be nearsighted?"

Mom snorted. "She's just making excuses for doing badly on her exams. As long as she comes home and admits her mistake to my face, I'll take her to the hospital for a proper examination tomorrow."

I floated nearby and smiled bitterly. There was no tomorrow for me anymore, Mom.

…

When Mom hung the sign around my neck, I froze for a moment. I looked down, but everything was a blur. I couldn't make out a thing.

I had been severely nearsighted for years. I assumed it was just a number tag for the glasses fitting, and I thought Mom had finally given in and let me get a pair of glasses.

My heart leaped with joy. "Mom, is this my number tag? How long do I have to wear it?"

She didn't answer. She simply shoved me to the store entrance. When people passed by, they pointed and whispered about me. A few even covered their mouths and burst out laughing.

Belatedly, I realized something was wrong and hurriedly pulled the sign off my neck. I had to hold it almost against the tip of my nose before I could make out the words.

"I Waste My Parents' Money."

The stares around me felt like needles piercing my skin. I hurriedly grabbed the hem of Mom's clothes. "Mom, I'm not wasting money. I swear I can't see clearly."

She shook me off and sneered. "You're still lying. That just proves you haven't learned your lesson! You're not allowed home until the store closes. Get on your knees and stay there!"

I begged, tears running down my face. "But there are so many people here. Can't I go home and kneel instead? I promise I'll kneel for as long as you want. I can even do it all night."

As if struck by a thought, Mom reached into my pocket and pulled out my transit card. "You think you're going home? How are you going home now?"

As she said that, she snapped my transit card in half and threw it at my feet. "This is your punishment. You're not allowed to waste another penny today!"

With that, she took my little sister, Bridget Sink, by the hand and walked to the curb, opening the car door for her. The car quickly disappeared into traffic.

I picked up the two broken halves of my transit card and slipped them back into my pocket.

Left with no choice, I wiped away my tears and slowly knelt.

One of the store employees hurried outside and tried to pull me up. "Young lady, your mom's gone. Come on, get up."

Frightened, I quickly pulled away from her. "I can't! Mom will check my knees when I get home!"

On my ninth birthday, I cut myself a slice of cake and took a bite. Bridget immediately burst into tears. Without hesitation, Mom slapped me across the face.

"You can't even let your sister have the first bite without fighting her for it. You're so selfish!"

Furious, she threw my birthday cake into the trash. "Forget having a birthday this year. Get out on the balcony and kneel!"

She shoved me onto the balcony, then turned around and ordered an even bigger cake for Bridget.

That night, I spent hours kneeling on the balcony. The sweet smell of the cake wafted from the trash can beside me. In the end, I couldn't resist. I dug it out and ate it.

The following morning, Mom found traces of cake under my fingernails. "How dare you sneak food even while you were being punished? Do you even respect me as your mother?"

I never celebrated my birthday again after that. From then on, whenever Mom punished me, she always checked to make sure I had served my time.

That was why I refused to get up. Now, with passersby shooting me contemptuous looks, all I could do was lower my head even further.

Darkness blanketed the city. The optical store finally closed for the night.

I could barely see the road. I couldn't even stop to retrieve the shoe I had lost. All I could do was follow the route home from memory.

Suddenly, a huge truck barreled toward me. It struck me and sent me flying into a filthy ditch by the roadside. That was when my body became weightless.