Chapter 1
“I’m tired!”
My attention is torn away from the textbook as I notice a blonde figure sprawled on the bed beside mine. Smirking, I throw my pen at her. She turns to me and glares.
“You were free to drop out years ago. It wouldn’t be proper to give up the night before our final exams.”
“Easy for you to say, Isabel. This stuff comes easy to you.”
I open my mouth to argue, but she cuts me off with a glare, and I snap my mouth shut. Maya is many things, but not a liar. Since I learned to talk, learning has always come easily to me. And nothing has fascinated me more than the human body, which is why I decided to become a doctor.
“When I’m done with this degree, I’d like to operate on all my cheating ex-boyfriends. Maybe I’ll get away with harvesting their organs.”
This time, I throw my pillow at her. “You became a doctor to help people, not to become an illegal organ harvester.”
She snorts. “I mean, I’d be doing the world a favour. Organs will be available for transplants, plus there’d be fewer shitheads in the world.”
“And how do you plan to get away with this?”
Just as Maya is about to reply, a knock on the door interrupts her. Simultaneously, we point our index fingers at our noses, but she beats me to it.
“Go get it, champ.” She laughs and points at the door. “When you’re done, you’ll teach me the castration procedure.”
I roll my eyes at her antics and head for the door. The air gets knocked out of my lungs as I see a familiar face.
“Tio?”
“Mi tesoro,” he smiles at me.
Time slows down as I observe him. The smile lines I traced as a child are more prominent than ever; blue eyes hidden behind glasses, and a beanie covers his jet black hair.
“Aren’t you going to let me in?” he asks, and I hold up a finger, indicating that he should give me a minute.
I dash into my room to throw on a hoodie and joggers. My actions catch Maya’s attention, and she cocks a brow. “Weren’t you just preaching academic seriousness a minute ago?”
“Supposedly.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to handle an emergency. I’ll teach you the procedure when I get back.”
“I hope it’s not the fella from down the hall that you’re going with.”
I shoot her a half smile. She falls back on her bed and kicks her legs in the air in excitement.
“Are you guys going to finally do it tonight?”
“Of course not!”
“Why not? He’s pretty, and I’m sure he knows how to navigate a woman’s body.”
“Maya!”
“If you need tips, I’d be happy to share.”
“Gosh, how have I put up with you all these years?” I say and hurry to the door.
“Don’t forget to buy the pill!” were her last words as I step into the corridor.
My uncle cocks a brow as I tell him, “Don’t ask.”
Chuckling, he nudges me to lead the way. We walk silently to the exit of the dorm, across the lonely road in front of it, and into the cafe across the street. I exchange pleasantries with the staff as we walk in and take the booth farthest away from everyone.
“You look good,” he says, breaking the ice.
“And you look nervous; I’m surprised you decided to visit.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He looks genuinely insulted by my words. “Can’t an uncle visit his soon-to-be medical doctor of a niece?”
I snort, “And midnight seems like the most convenient time.”
He stuffs his hand in his pocket and fiddles with it. “It’s not as if I didn’t want to see you; I’ve been caught up with a lot of work.”
I nod in understanding. My uncle’s life is a constant blur of activity. He’s only a few steps behind my father, who’s the king of busy schedules.
He pulls out an envelope and passes it to me. I eye it skeptically before picking it up. The wax stamp that holds it in place has my family’s sigil on it. I break the stamp and tear open the envelope, pulling out the letter inside. On reading it, I feel my heart shatter into pieces.
He’s quiet as I read it again and again, the ink refusing to drip off the page and the words never changing. My eyes zero in on the signatures at the bottom.
After what feels like forever, he says, “We have to leave now.”
“Tell me you’re joking...” I say quietly as the words echo in my head in his voice.
“I’m not one to joke around with things like this, Isabel.”
“But you can’t expect me to just follow you, drop my whole life and go abroad. I’ve made a life here, and I’d like to keep it.”
He sighs and reaches for my hand. On impulse, I want to pull away, but I let him, needing the comfort he offers.
“If I could have prevented it, trust me, I would have. The life you are fighting to keep will crumble before your very eyes if we don’t leave now.”
“And what of my degree?”
“You can always get your degree, but you can’t get your life back. I’m sorry.”
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