Chapter 6

"GET OUT!" I screamed with every ounce of strength left, my voice cracking with rage and revulsion. The heart monitor screamed again, its line jagged, mirroring the turmoil inside me. I despised Liza, but I never wanted her kidney. My adoptive mother jumped back, startled by my reaction, then quickly plastered on that fake concern again. "Delia, I'm thinking of you! Liza is young, losing a kidney won't affect her much! But for you, it's life or death!" I trembled with fury. The IV needle tore loose as I thrashed, a bruise instantly blooming on my hand. "Why don't you donate? She's your own flesh and blood! You'd trade her organ for status? You're not human!" "I have no choice!" she shrieked, stung to the core. "The mess she made, why should the whole family suffer? Trading a kidney is better than jail! Besides, you need it! Helping each other out, what's wrong with that?" Looking at her twisted face, I felt a profound sadness. This was my nominal mother. A woman who could dress