ELARA (24 years old)
It's been six years since my eighteenth birthday. Six years since something inside me changed. After that birthday, my moods shifted completely. I still crashed out sometimes—but not like before.
On my nineteenth birthday, the necklace wouldn't decide what it wanted to be. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold. All day long.
I went to my mom and grandma to tell them.
But just as I opened my mouth, words appeared in my head.
"Don't tell them."
I tried to ignore it.
Then again—
"Don't."
So I stopped. And started wondering what the hell was going on inside me.
From twenty to twenty-four, every birthday was the same. The necklace is going from warm to cold over and over again.
At twenty, the words became clearer. More frequent. It was like another side of me had fully awakened – guiding me in certain moments, warning me in others.
But one sentence never stopped repeating:
"Take the necklace off."
It felt engraved in my brain. So one day, I tried. I was in my room, standing in front of the mirror, fingers digging under the chain. The moment I pulled, it burned my hand. I flinched back, shocked.
That only made me want it off even more. I tried everything. Pulling. Twisting. Using objects.
Nothing worked.
Then my grandma walked in with a plate of fruit. She froze.
"What do you think you are doing?" she asked sharply.
"Taking it off."
"Don't!" She slapped my hands away.
"What?" I snapped. "It burnt me!"
"You cannot take it off. It is for your own good."
"For my own good? Every year on my birthday it makes me feel like crap. Don't tell me that's a coincidence."
She just looked at me for a long moment. "Later, you will understand," she said quietly. "It was for your own good."
At twenty-one, I started seeing supernatural beings clearly. Not just shadows. Clearly.
Every time I passed them, they stopped talking and stared.
Some whispered, "Is it her?"
Others murmured, "She is beautiful. Of course it's her."
Her who?
Inside me, there was silence.
Then one calm sentence:
"They won't do anything to you."
I already knew that.
At twenty-two, I wanted to move out. Dad agreed. Mom and Grandma refused. Completely. Even when I threatened to cut contact. That's when I knew. They were hiding something.
At twenty-three, they sent me on a blind date. I went. Calculated. Controlled. I wanted their guard down so I could investigate what they were hiding. Ignoring the warnings in my head. That side of me loved giving orders but never explanations.
That's how I met William Wang. Same age. Confident. Funny — even when he wasn't. Somehow he made me smile anyway. We clicked instantly. And we started dating.
Present – 24 Years Old
Yesterday, October 9th, marked one year together. One year.
It's been… fun.
Arguing with him occasionally. Clashing when his mood met mine. Chaos. Then laughter.
My mood swings aren't as violent as they were as a teenager. Sometimes I hold them in and release them at a rage room, smashing glass and plates until I feel lighter. Sometimes I don't hold them in.
Sometimes they explode. And inside my head, that other part of me just laughs.
"HAHAHAHA."
I finished university. I now work at a museum.
I love it.
"Finally we can go home", Sabrina, my coworker, said as we locked the museum doors.
Home.
Funny word.
Whenever I think of my parents' house and try to call it home, it leaves a bitter taste.
"Baby."
I turned.
William stood beside his car, a cigar between his fingers.
"I don't know where you found your boyfriend," Sabrina said, "but he's handsome as hell."
"Through my parents", I replied, still watching him. "See you Monday."
"See you Monday."
I walked toward him.
"Hi."
Inside my head: "Oh God… please, kill me."
"Shut up," I muttered under my breath.
"You hungry?" William asked.
"Yes."
He took me to a fancy restaurant. Steak. Red wine.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked.
"Stay in bed all day. You?"
Technically? Sneak into my grandma's room again and search for answers. For clues. For anything. Which I'll probably find zero of.
"Don't be lazy. Let's go somewhere."
"Where?"
"Movie."
The waiter interrupted with food.
The moment I took a bite—the necklace turned warm.
My head snapped up.
"Go."
Where?
This happens more often now. Before William? Once every few months.
After William? Much more.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, but my eyes were already scanning the room.
"Go."
"Go where?" I whispered internally.
"I'll be back," I told William and stood up.
I walked outside without knowing why. In the middle of the parking lot, I turned left. Right. People getting into cars. Engines starting. A few ghosts watching me. My heart pounded.
Then—
The necklace turned cold. A wave of dizziness hit me. Not overwhelming. Just enough to unbalance me. I've learned to handle it.
I walked back inside. When I sat down, William frowned.
"Where did you go?"
"I thought I saw someone familiar," I lied.
"Your phone was ringing. I answered. It was your mom. She said to call her back."
I pulled out my phone.
"Hi, Mom. William said you called."
"You should come home and pack your things. We're going back to China."
"Why?"
"Your uncle is in the hospital. He doesn't have long. We need to go back for a while."
"I'm coming now."
I hung up.
"What's wrong?" William asked.
"I need to go home and pack."
"Pack? Why?"
"My uncle is sick. We're going to China."