Disaster struck during my sophomore year. 

Not only did my family fall into poverty, I ended up getting diagnosed with cancer as well. I was so broke that I only had a hundred dollars left to my name.

Desperate for cash, I tried to pawn off the family amulet I had been wearing since I was a child.

Unexpectedly, the storekeeper of the pawn shop took a glance before refusing it with a curt shake of his head.

“This amulet is cursed. Whoever wears it is doomed to lead a short life. I can’t possibly take it.”

Disaster struck during my sophomore year.

Not only did my family fall into poverty, I ended up getting diagnosed with cancer as well. I was so broke that I only had a hundred dollars left to my name.

Desperate for cash, I tried to pawn off the family amulet I had been wearing since I was a child.

Unexpectedly, the storekeeper of the pawn shop took a glance before refusing it with a curt shake of his head.

“This amulet is cursed. Whoever wears it is doomed to lead a short life. I can’t possibly take it.”

I was speechless upon hearing this, becoming agitated once what he said had registered.

Suddenly, I had a violent coughing fit until I nearly coughed up blood.

“I might not have long to live, but my father had this amulet crafted by a blacksmith using pure gold in the year I was born. Why can’t I pawn this off?

“Please, sir, let me pawn it. I would much rather die of my sickness than of hunger!”

The storekeeper frowned and looked at me, then said with a gesture, “Just by taking one look at you, I can tell you were born in poverty. How could your family possibly have the money to have someone forge a golden amulet for you?”

I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes before retorting, “What do you mean by that? My family was based in the capital. We were once the wealthy Kleins!”

“The Kleins? Are you Geneva Klein, the daughter of Robert Klein?”

His expression changed dramatically.

Realizing that he knew my father, I felt the urge to cry and choked up.

“Everything changed so suddenly when my parents died and my relatives ended up kicking me out of the house. Why else would I end up here of all places, trying to pawn off my amulet?”

The storekeeper suddenly opened the door next to the counter and gestured me inside so we could talk.

The interior was warm and cozy. He even handed me a hot cup of tea.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed that his left leg had been amputated.

It had been ages since I found myself in a place with proper heating. I was so touched.

“My name is Job Chalmers. I would have still been herding cattle in the countryside if it wasn’t for your father graciously financing my education in the past.”

He paused, and I noticed his brows twisting into a tighter frown. “I know my way around fortune telling and have read your father’s fortune, too. According to my reading, he was supposed to live a prosperous life filled with blessings well into his old age. I have been trying to figure out why he passed away so suddenly.

“Geneva, if you would trust me, please let me read your fortune as well.”

I was a little hesitant at first, but after debating it, I gave him my birth date and time.

Then, he started reading my fortune. At one point, his expression became rather queer.

“Did your father's career start to blossom as soon as you were born? Your parents must have had a good relationship with each other, too. I’m sure you got along very well with them.”

My father had mentioned that our family operated a relatively modest business.

After I was born, business boomed, and we became very wealthy. My father succeeded at every business venture he took and ended up growing the modest business into an empire.

He had always remarked that I was his lucky charm.

I nodded profusely at Job’s suggestion.

Job took a deep breath before continuing, “You were born under a lucky star, destined for countless blessings that would extend to your family members. You were supposed to continue expanding your fortune and live a good life. How did this happen?”

He suddenly stopped talking and directed his attention at the amulet in my palms.

He reached forward and plucked a strand of hair caught between the seams. Then he took the amulet from me and flicked the face of it open.

I was about to say something when I noticed a clump of black hair stuffed in the center of the amulet.

The engraving in the center of the amulet that read “Prosperity” was now replaced with this horrifying mass of black hair!

Job’s expression had grown sinister. Feeling his gaze, I felt goosebumps running through my skin.

At last, he spoke, “The fortune that was promised has been claimed, leaving an empty shell of misfortune and despair in its place.

“Geneva, somebody has stolen the blessings meant for you!”

Upon returning to my dormitory, I sat at the table and looked in my mirror.

A pale and colorless face with sunken cheeks and bulging eyeballs reflected at me. There was a grim aura around me, and it looked like I was on the verge of death.

I may not be a divine beauty by any means, but I was blessed with vibrant eyes and defined features, often praised for my fair skin tone as well.

My skin was usually supple and glowed, nothing like my current dull and coarse skin tone.

Job remarked that something evil had been done to me, swapping my fate with the other person.

With that, I was left with nothing, which was how I ended up in such a miserable situation.

He made sure to give me an amulet for protection before I left.

I looked around the dormitory.

All privacy curtains in the other bunk beds were shut other than mine.

My best friend, Sybille Mather, was the only one who checked up on me when I came back. The rest remained cooped up in their bed, not speaking to me.

I had always worn my family’s amulet wherever I went. The only times I would ever remove it was when I had to take a shower where I would place it at my bed or my table. This meant the only ones who could ever get to it were my dorm mates.

Job told me that if I wanted to reverse what had been done to me, I had to find the person who did this to me.

Otherwise, my health and fortune were going to continue its gradual decline. Even if I were to outlast my illness, I was going to be haunted by evil spirits which would eventually bring death!

I glanced at Sybille watching a TV series on her bed. She had been my friend since we were children.

When I was in high school, my father’s business was at its peak.

Since my parents were rarely home, Sybille’s parents took care of me instead.

Eventually, they became my godparents and were the ones who helped me sort out the funeral arrangements when my parents passed away.

What was most notable was that no major changes had happened to Sybille’s family in the recent period.

I turned my attention to the other two beds when Anette Rolland crawled out of her bed, too.

She seemed concerned about me. “Geneva, have you eaten? I made some extra food. Do you want me to heat it for you?”

Although Anette came from a lowly background, I’ve always known her to be a kind and gentle girl.

During a recent sale, I made sure to give her some extra skincare products that I bought. She would always help me out in school by lending her notes and we would go to the cafeteria together sometimes.

The privacy curtain of the fourth bed was pried open violently after hearing our voices.

“What are you all yapping about? Cut it out. I need my beauty sleep!”

Helena Pearson was the one who occupied the fourth bed.

She came from a good family, though her family's wealth paled compared to mine. What was interesting was that our grades were largely similar. Even our appearances were nearly identical.

Despite that, we hardly got along.

Ever since my parents died, I noticed that her family’s circumstances had been improving gradually.

On the day I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer, she proudly announced that she was dating a rich boy who once tried to get with me.

Since then, even her daily outfits reflected the ascend of her social status.

While I remained silent, Helena ripped off her beauty mask and suddenly tackled Anette without warning.

Then, she darted a sharp look at me and snarled, “Piss off!”

Insulted, I jerked up from my seat and clutched her arm tightly before hissing through clenched teeth, “What did you do that for?”

Helena seemed appalled.

“Is there something wrong with your head?”

Before I could even retort, she jabbed a finger at me and started ruthlessly insulting me. “You were the one who kept him hanging and refused his advances. All I did was chat with him! We’re a perfect match for each other.

“Know your place and leave us alone! Were you hoping to latch onto him and his money now that your family has gone bankrupt?”

I was stunned by the accusations and soon realized she was talking about the boy who was into me previously.

She gauged my reaction. Thinking she had struck a nerve, she sneered condescendingly at me, “You deserve this. You were the one who didn’t cherish him when you still could. I have nothing to apologize for!”

With that, she shrugged my hand away and stomped into the bathroom to wash her face.

I had minored in psychology for a semester and was familiar with psychoanalysis.

Her reaction toward me was very drastic, but I could tell that the only thing she harbored resentment against me for was her boyfriend.

What if she was not the suspect?

Sybille rolled out of her bed and took me by my hand with a slight frown. “What’s wrong, Geneva?”

I looked at the pair of girls who seemed very concerned about me. When I thought about Helena’s expression just now, I grew hesitant once more.

For some reason, I chose not to tell Sybille what happened to me today. Usually, I would tell her anything I had on my mind.

Due to my condition, I did not want to stress about it any longer. After taking a shower, I went back to my bed and prepared to settle in for the night.

I ended up tossing and turning in bed. When I grabbed my phone to text Job, I noticed I received a bank transfer to my account.

Sybille had just transferred five hundred dollars to me, even though she only had a thousand and two hundred dollars for her monthly allowance.

I texted her about it and received an instant reply.

[My mom wanted me to remind you to make sure you eat. If you need any help, they have your back. They are your godparents, after all.]

It was then I remembered her mother had a chronic disease, which she needed long-term physical therapy to recover from.

Since she could not work, her father was the only breadwinner in the family, despite only being a common salaried worker.

Five hundred dollars was a significant sum for their family.

I suddenly felt a sharp sting run up my nose and had the urge to cry. I told her everything that happened today, paying careful attention to omit the part where I spoke to Job.

Sybille typed a reply for several minutes before she finally clicked sent.

[Listen, Geneva. I’m not trying to badmouth Helena intentionally, but I have heard some things.]

[Anette told me that a few times when you were away and she was doing revision in the dormitory, Helena would go through your things and mix something in your skincare products. Then, she would go and threaten Anette to keep her mouth shut. Anette told me about this privately and wanted me to relay this to you.]

So, Helena was the reason my skin was breaking out.

She had also hammered nails into my shoes.

I was skeptical. [I did suspect her, but her reaction back there made me second-guess myself.]

[Don't forget that she was part of the theater club. She could have been acting back there.]

[Do you think there’s a chance she deliberately used that as a convenient excuse to distract you so you wouldn’t suspect her?]

However, I found the entire thing difficult to believe. My head started to ache from all the thinking, and it felt like a cloud of fog had nested deep in my skull.

I decided there was no point thinking about it in this state. I would worry about it after I got some rest.

With that, I closed my eyes.

...

I’m not sure how long I slept, but the sound of a rooster crowing awakened me.

I woke up in a dazed state to realize I could not move my body.

The bed in the dormitory was small, with hardly any room to stretch. I would always have episodes of what was known as sleep paralysis.

However, what was happening now felt completely different.

It was as if someone was sitting on top of my chest, pinning me with their whole weight so I could not breathe.

I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by complete darkness. The whole world was void.

This was not my first time experiencing sleep paralysis. I forced myself to calm down and focused on regaining control. Then I started by trying to twitch my finger.

No matter what, my body would not obey my mind. I grew anxious and started to sweat profusely.

While I was still panicking, I seemed to hear the muffled voices of my dorm mates filtering through the curtain. I could not catch what they were saying, but I prayed desperately that one of them would come and wake me up.

After some time passed, I noticed a sliver of light spilling through the cracks of the curtains. It was certainly not nighttime anymore.

In that case, why couldn’t I see anything just now?

Completely thrown off by this, I looked around and glanced above me.

That was when I noticed a rotten face with its grotesque skin peeling off hovering right above me. Its coarse and mottled hair draped right over my eyelids like curtains.

I closed my eyes and screamed, horrified.

Suddenly, I snapped out of my state and shot straight out of bed.

I parted the privacy curtain and recognized Sybille sitting by herself on a chair opposite me. She had turned the reading light on and was in the middle of a book.

I immediately sprang out of bed and told her about the nightmare I just had all in one exhaustive breath.

She regarded me with a vacant expression before murmuring, “You mean this face?”

I blinked a few times before noticing that Helena and Anette had poked their heads out of their bed. Both of their faces were rotten and had skin peeling off like the chipped face of the bark of a tree.

I snapped awake again. This time, I was truly awake.

I found Helena standing below my bunk bed with an annoyed expression.

“Do you have cancer or some mental illness? Quit screaming in your sleep, it’s annoying!”

I took a moment to gather my breath before turning to her. “Why are you by my bed?”