THE PRICE OF inHERitance

The midnight Call

It was the middle of the night when Ellie was startled awake by a sudden knock on his bedroom door. Before he could even register what was happening, the door swung open, and Vivian, his stepmother, burst in, her face tight with urgency.

"Get up. We need to go. Now," she said, her tone brooking no argument.

Ellie groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it? What's going on?"

"No time for questions," Vivian snapped, throwing a hoodie and leggings onto the bed. "Get dressed. We're going to the hospital. It's urgent."

Ellie's stomach twisted with anxiety, but he obeyed, hurriedly pulling on the clothes as his mind raced. Lizzie, his sister, was already waiting by the front door, her face a mask of confusion and concern.

"What the hell is going on?" Lizzie muttered as they were rushed into the car.

"I don't know," Ellie replied, his voice trembling. "Vivian just said it's something urgent."

The car ride was a blur of speeding through empty streets, Vivian's face unreadable in the rearview mirror. Neither Ellie nor Lizzie dared ask more questions. The tension in the car was suffocating.

---

**At the Hospital**

When they arrived at the hospital, things moved too quickly. Before Ellie or Lizzie could process it, a team of nurses and doctors met them at the entrance, rushing Ellie inside without a word.

"Wait!" Lizzie called after them, panic starting to rise in her chest. "What's going on? What's happening?"

But no one answered her. Ellie was being wheeled through the hallway, the fluorescent lights overhead casting eerie shadows on the sterile walls. Lizzie's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to follow, but a nurse stopped her just outside the double doors of the operating theater.

"No!" Lizzie screamed, pushing past the nurse. "Wait! What the fuck are you doing? He's a boy!"

The medical staff didn't slow down, nor did they seem to hear her. They continued rolling Ellie toward the operating room, and panic surged through Lizzie. She sprinted after them, grabbing onto the stretcher just as they were about to enter the theater.

"You can't do this!" Lizzie shouted, her voice echoing in the cold, sterile hallway. "He's not a girl! He's my brother!"

The doctors exchanged confused glances, but before they could respond, a woman came rushing down the hall. She was crying, her face pale and tear-streaked. Lizzie's attention snapped to her, momentarily distracted by the woman's distress.

"I'm so sorry!" the woman sobbed, approaching them quickly. "I... I just wanted to say goodbye."

Lizzie stared at her, confused. "Goodbye? What are you talking about?"

The woman wiped her tears, trying to steady herself. "My daughter... she was in a terrible accident. Her brain... it died. They just took her off life support." She broke down, her sobs wracking her body. "But... we're donating her organs. And I'm so relieved your sister will get a part of her. She's getting my daughter's uterus and ovaries."

Lizzie felt like the floor had dropped out from under her. "Wait, what?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper, shock freezing her in place. "What did you just say?"

The woman sniffled, her tear-filled eyes meeting Lizzie's. "Your sister... she's receiving my daughter's organs. I'm glad her uterus and ovaries will go to someone who needs them."

For a moment, Lizzie couldn't breathe. Her mind spun as the weight of the woman's words sank in. "No," she said, shaking her head, her voice rising in disbelief. "No, you've got it wrong! Ellie isn't a girl! He's not my sister—he's my brother!"

The woman's expression faltered, confusion crossing her tear-streaked face. "But... the doctors... they said—"

"No!" Lizzie's anger surged as she turned to Vivian, her face burning with rage. "What the hell are you doing to him?! He's a boy! You're giving him... you're giving him a uterus and ovaries?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

Vivian's gaze was steely, unflinching in the face of Lizzie's fury. "It's for the inheritance," she said coldly. "Ellie needs to be a girl, inside and out. This is what has to happen."

Lizzie's hands shook with disbelief. "You're sacrificing him for money?!" Her voice cracked. "You're destroying your own child for some inheritance?!"

Vivian's expression remained unchanged, but before Lizzie could say another word, the doors to the operating theater swung open, and Ellie was pushed inside. Lizzie stood frozen, her heart racing with panic, watching as her brother disappeared behind those cold, sterile doors.

---

**Ellie's POV: In the Theater**

Ellie lay on the operating table, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and fear. His body felt heavy, like lead, and his head was spinning from the sedative they'd given him. He could hear the steady beep of the heart monitor next to him, the sound only heightening his anxiety.

He tried to move, to sit up, but his limbs wouldn't cooperate. His eyes fluttered open, and the bright lights of the operating room stung his vision. Shapes moved around him—doctors, nurses—preparing instruments, their voices muffled and distant.

"What's... happening?" Ellie tried to ask, his words slurred. His throat felt dry, his voice weak.

A surgeon leaned over him, adjusting the mask on his face. "Don't worry, Ellie. This will all be over soon. You won't feel a thing."

But Ellie *did* worry. His heart raced with a fear he couldn't articulate, and the realization of what was about to happen finally hit him. They were about to change him—forever. They were going to take something from him that he could never get back.

"I don't want this," Ellie thought, his mind screaming in desperation. "I don't want to be a girl. I'm not a girl!"

But as the anesthesia pulled him deeper into unconsciousness, his thoughts became fragmented, disjointed. The last thing he saw before the darkness took over was the glint of surgical instruments under the bright lights. And then, there was nothing.

---

**Outside: Lizzie's Rage**

Lizzie stood just outside the operating room, her chest heaving with fury and despair. "How could you?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she turned to Vivian. "He's your son. How could you do this to him?"

Vivian's gaze was icy and unyielding. "Ellie is becoming what he was meant to be. A woman. He'll thank me when it's all over."

"No," Lizzie spat, her voice filled with venom. "He'll hate you. You're destroying him, and for what? Money? You're a monster."

But it was too late. Ellie was already in the hands of the surgeons, and whatever happened behind those doors was out of Lizzie's control.