Chapter 1

The scent of lavender oil was thick in the air, a smell I'd come to associate with my new life, my only life now. Years had passed since the darkness fell, since the world dissolved into shapes and sounds. I, Michael, once a respected SAT proctor, now kneaded knots out of tired backs in a small clinic in a mid-sized American city. My hands were my eyes, sensitive, skilled, but they couldn't see the diplomas on the wall, the ones I earned before my sight vanished during that SAT exam. Doctors found nothing, no reason, just a black curtain that never lifted.

My career as a proctor was over, just like that. Massage therapy, a trade learned in shadows, was how I survived.

Today, the clinic was quiet, just the hum of the HVAC and the rhythmic press of my thumbs into a client' s shoulder. Then, the door chime announced new arrivals. Two young men, their voices too loud for the calm space. I didn't need sight to recognize the arrogance in one, a familiar swagger in his tone.

"Man, that test was a breeze," one voice said, booming with unearned confidence. "Especially that last math section. Total gimme."

My hands stilled on my current client.

The other voice was quieter, sharper. "You only say that because you got lucky with that proctor."

"Lucky? Nah, Vic Stone makes his own luck," the arrogant one boasted. "Proctor went blind at the perfect moment for me to snag that answer. Couldn't have planned it better."

My breath caught. Vic Stone. I remembered that name. A rich kid, always looking for an angle.

The second voice, David Miller, I recalled him too, quiet, always observing. He spoke again, his words a chill down my spine. "Lucky isn't the word, Vic. I know exactly why that proctor went blind. The culprit was right there in the exam room."

My heart hammered. The culprit. Not an accident. Not a medical anomaly. Someone did this to me.

My client shifted, asking if I was okay. I mumbled an apology, my mind reeling. Vic Stone. David Miller. They were here. After all these years.

I finished the massage on autopilot, my thoughts racing. The culprit was in the room. David knew.

As Vic and David were leaving, Vic laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Whatever, Miller. Point is, I aced it. See ya."

I heard their footsteps fade. I had to know more. I had to confront David.

Moments later, I stepped out, calling David' s name. He turned, a flicker of surprise on his face.

Before I could speak, a sharp pain exploded in my side. I gasped, stumbling back.

Another stab. Then darkness, a different kind of darkness than the one I' d lived with for years. This one was final.