When He offered the exchange, I couldn't accept quickly enough. It wasn't an offer, exactly, but that hardly mattered. I would have given up my voice, sight, and hearing to get Him out of me. Going blind was nothing.

I said yes, and then realized this was my last chance to see. Luckily, I knew exactly what I wanted to be my last sight. I opened my eyes and looked up at my ceiling.

The constellations were lovingly painted there. Tim had done it as a "Welcome our home, we want it to be yours too" gesture. Silvery animals and gods posed over their namesake star patterns. A warrior ran from some scorpion creature and a dragon stretched, up there. Orion stood like Batman in the first TV show: arms akimbo, proudly bringing attention to his belt like it held the answer to the meaning of life. It was beautiful. I smiled as I felt His oppression lift away. My eyes fixed on the stylized North Star as my sight started to go red. When I was blind, the Guiding Star would still be there and in the real sky. It would still light my way, even when I couldn't see it anymore.

I didn't notice it at first, with my vision a bright crimson. The paint of the star darkened, began to bubble and smoke. The ceiling warped like some great heat was being applied. I sat up to get a closer look, and it was true. The only warning was a warm feeling before heat shot out of my eyes. The power slammed me down, and then blew a hole through my foster parents' roof. I hit the floor hard, but the falling debris was what knocked me out.

Sirens woke me. My head felt like a mountain had fallen on it. The light shining through my eyelids was so painful, I cringed at the thought of opening my eyes. I groaned, tried to rub my head, and found I couldn't. It wasn't that my arms were strapped down to something, but that I couldn't lift one without feeling like someone was hacking at me with a meat cleaver. I considered dealing with the head-splitting pain to lift my eyelids and see what was going on. The memory kicked in and I abandoned the plan.

'Damn Him! 'Give me your eyes'.the bastard didn't take them away, He made them his!'

I thought I heard His laugh, but it was far off, like He was chuckling at me through a foot of observation glass. It faded away and I was left to my silent curses. At least I never had to deal with Him again, just His going away present.

"Some consolation."

"Oh, thank God. Scott, honey, we're in an ambulance. The hospital is close. It will be okay."

'I hope you're right about that, Kara. I want to be wrong. From what I can tell, it will never be okay.'