My roommate gave me a locket. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. I wore it and weirdly enough, I started eating more, sleeping better and slowly gaining weight.

I figured I was finally getting my life together. Then, the day after I got accepted into graduate school, I suddenly doubled over in class with this sharp, unbearable pain in my stomach and out of nowhere, I gave birth. Right there. In front of everyone.

Word spread fast. I tried to explain, I begged them to believe me, but nobody did. My professors, my classmates... everyone just thought I had been lying all along. That I was some kind of freak. I lost my spot in grad school just like that.

Even my parents didn’t believe me. They said I had humiliated them. Told me not to come home. That they were done with me.

I hit rock bottom. I went up to the school’s rooftop and... jumped. I thought that was the end. But it wasn’t.

After I died, I finally saw the truth. Everything that happened; the weight gain, the weird appetite, the pregnancy, it all started after Yolanda gave me that so-called locket.

Then suddenly, I was back. Back to the day she came home from her trip.

——

"Trixie, I brought you something from abroad," Yolanda Jay said with a smile, pulling out a red-stringed locket from a little box.

Before I could say a word, she was already fastening it around my neck.

I instinctively reached up to take it off, but she grabbed my wrist. "No, don’t. This one’s special. It keeps you safe. I went through a lot to get it, you have to wear it."

I glanced down at the locket and for a moment, I just stared.

The gemstone looked normal at first, but when the light hit it a certain way... I could’ve sworn something like blood was flowing inside.

"Yolanda, is there blood in this?" I asked, half-joking, half-creeped out.

She just smiled and said, "It’s sacred. Blessed by a real shaman. You’re lucky to have it. Don’t ever take it off."

Back then, I didn’t question her. I actually felt touched. Like she really cared. But not long after I started wearing that thing, my period just... disappeared.

I wasn’t sleeping around. I was still a virgin, so pregnancy didn’t even cross my mind. When it didn’t come for three months, I told Yolanda I should probably go to a doctor.

She stopped me. Said, "You’re fine. You’re young, not in pain. Probably just your body being weak. Eat more, rest and it’ll sort itself out."

I believed her. Every. Damn. Word. And I kept believing until the day I gave birth in front of my classmates and my whole life fell apart.

After I gave birth in class, everything spiraled.

The school stripped me of my spot in grad school like it was nothing. And just like that, Yolanda took my place like she had been waiting for it.

She didn’t stop there. She took my baby, too. Said I wasn’t in the right state of mind to raise a child. I could barely think straight, let alone fight back. I didn’t even get to hold him for more than a second.

Then after I died, I found out she got everything she ever wanted. She got into grad school. She marched into the Larkin’s house with my child and he agreed to marry her.

She even had the nerve to visit my grave, all dressed up and glowing, holding my son.

"This kid is actually the result of a one-night stand between Mr. Larkin and me," she said, like it was some kind of joke.

"I brought him the baby and he said yes immediately. I'm gonna be Mrs. Larkin next month."

She smiled like she had won a prize. Like my life had just been a stepping stone. "I just wanted to say thank you, Trixie. If you hadn’t helped me become a mother without going through the pain, or handed me your grad school spot, I never would've made it into the Larkin family."

She paused, then added, almost mockingly, "You’re probably wondering how Mr. Larkin and I had a kid growing in your belly, right?"

She tilted her head, grinning. "That locket you wore—that’s how. It transferred my blood and essence into your body. Pretty clever, huh?"

She laughed, then said, "Lesson learned, I hope. Don’t just accept gifts from people."

I swear I almost rose from the dead just to slap her. But then, just like that, I opened my eyes. I was back.

"Yolanda, you’re seriously the sweetest," Xyla said, admiring the locket on my neck. "You got Trixie that blessed locket and brought us snacks? This is too much."

Sylvia giggled. "I want one too!"

My roommates had no idea. None of them knew the locket hanging around my neck was pure evil. A cursed little trap wrapped in a red string.

That afternoon, I made up some excuse about having something urgent at home and left. First stop: a jeweler. I had them make a perfect copy of the locket, same look, same size, everything.

Then I went to the hospital, praying I wasn’t too late. Thank God. I wasn’t pregnant. Yet.

The next morning, I walked back into our dorm like nothing happened. Yolanda barely looked up from her phone, but the moment she did, her eyes went straight to my neck.

And just like I expected, she reached for the locket. She didn’t say hi. She didn’t ask how I was. She just said, "Let me take a look at that real quick."

"What?" I asked, when I noticed Yolanda looking at me a little too closely.

"Nothing, I just wanted to check." She seemed satisfied after checking the locket, then gently tucked it back inside my shirt. "You're such a good girl. Keep wearing it, okay?"

What she didn’t know was that the locket around my neck wasn’t the original. I had it replaced with a perfect copy, down to the creepy red blood inside.

The real one, I locked that thing in a steel box the second I took it off.

A few days later, Yolanda mentioned casually, "Oh, I’m going out with some friends this weekend. Probably won’t be back to the dorm."

Yeah, sure. Friends.

I knew exactly what she was up to. She was planning to spend the weekend with Miles Larkin—the heir to the Larkin Group. What confused me was how she even got close to him. A guy like Miles wouldn’t just sleep with anyone.

So I followed her. And yep, just as I suspected, she drugged his drink. Watched the whole thing go down from a distance. She really didn’t hesitate.

When she came back, she looked completely drained. Slept like a rock. Honestly, it seemed like whatever happened in that hotel had taken everything out of her.

A couple weeks later, out of nowhere, she asked, "Trixie, did your period come this month?"

I shook my head. "Nope. It’s been about a week late."

Yolanda gave me this weird little smile. "That’s normal. You don’t even have a boyfriend, so don’t overthink it. Maybe just your hormone or something."

"Yeah, probably. Kinda nice not having it, to be honest." I laughed a little, trying to sound casual.

But the truth, I was on my period. I just went full ninja mode to hide it. No pads, only tampons. And every time I changed one, I would wrap it up in toilet paper and sneak it outside to toss in a random bin. I couldn’t risk her seeing any evidence.

For months, she really believed I hadn’t had a period.

Then one day, Sylvia pulled me aside and said, "Trixie, this has been going on for five months now. You’ve put on weight and you still haven’t seen a doctor? You should really get checked out."

Before I could respond, Yolanda swooped in like always. "That’s not necessary. Trixie is fine. She doesn’t feel sick or anything, right? I haven’t had my period in five months either and I feel totally fine."

Xyla blinked at us. "Wait, both of you haven’t had your period for five months? That’s… oddly synchronized. You sure you're not secretly pregnant together or something?"

"I haven't even been near a guy. How could I be pregnant?" I said, trying to sound casual. "Guess my body is just weak. I've been eating better lately, trying to fix it."

Xyla turned to Yolanda. "Okay, then what about you?"

Yolanda snorted. "Me? Not a chance. I’ve been super careful. There’s no way I’d end up pregnant."

"But you've been gaining weight and throwing up a lot," Xyla said. "You should probably go to the hospital just to make sure. Better safe than sorry."

Yolanda waved her off. "It's just my stomach acting up. I’ve always had a sensitive gut. Trust me, I’m fine. Getting pregnant? That’s impossible."

She was that confident because of the locket she gave me. She really thought it was protecting her.

Which, honestly, made things easier for me. I didn’t have to do anything to stop her from seeing a doctor. She wouldn’t go anyway.

To keep her from catching on, I started eating a lot more too, enough that my weight gain looked convincing.

And Yolanda’s appetite was just as wild as mine had been back then. Her belly kept getting rounder and rounder until even she started to get suspicious.

"Why is my stomach so big?" she mumbled one day, lifting her shirt in front of the mirror. "It seriously looks like I'm pregnant..."

Sylvia, who was nearby, didn’t hold back. "Yolanda, your belly is really getting out of control. You should go to the hospital. No joke, it looks like you're expecting."

"I’ve told you a hundred times, I can't be pregnant!" Yolanda snapped.

"And how do you know that for sure?" I asked, watching her closely.

Yolanda glanced at me, then quickly said, "Because I just had my period a couple days ago."

She was lying, obviously. Sylvia tilted her head. "Then something is definitely not right. What if there’s something growing inside, like a cyst or... worse?"

That actually shook her a little. "Fine, whatever," she muttered. "I’ll get it checked out later."

"I’ll go with you," I said quickly. "I haven’t had my period in over six months and my stomach’s getting kinda big too. I should probably get checked out."

Yolanda froze for a second, then immediately changed her tune. "Actually... on second thought, finals are coming up. Neither of us is feeling sick or anything. Let’s not waste time going now. We can go together after the exams."

"Yeah, alright. After finals it is," I replied. After that, she barely let me out of her sight. She stuck to me like glue, always hovering nearby.

It just so happened that I got my period that day and stupidly, I forgot to bring a tampon. I panicked a little. To keep anyone from noticing, I rushed straight back to the dorm as soon as class ended.

"Trixie, what’s the rush?" Yolanda called out.

"I’ve got a stomachache. Need to use the bathroom," I said, trying to play it cool.

She frowned. "Why not use the one in the teaching building?"

"It’s... loud diarrhea. Super embarrassing," I muttered.

She didn’t look convinced, but I didn’t wait for a reply. I made a beeline for the dorm, with her trailing behind like always. I didn’t even get a chance to grab a tampon.

With no other option, I ran straight into the bathroom.

I sat down in the stall, but something felt off. I glanced at the door, it was supposed to be locked, but it had opened just a crack.

And there she was. Yolanda’s eyes, sharp and suspicious, were peeking right through.

I nearly jumped. "Yolanda! What are you doing?"

She pushed the door open a bit more. "It wasn’t shut properly. I was worried something might’ve happened to you."

"I’m literally just using the toilet. What could possibly happen? Can you close the door, please? It’s weird having someone stare at me," I asked.

But instead of stepping back, she leaned half her body into the stall. "Trixie, you’re not… on your period, are you?"

I kept my cool. "I haven’t had it in almost eight months. Didn’t we agree to go for a check-up after finals?"

She looked around the stall, clearly trying to spot anything that would prove me wrong. But there were no pads, no wrappers, nothing.

"You're still wearing the locket I gave you, right?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

I pulled it out from under my shirt. "Of course. It’s supposed to be lucky, right? Why would I take it off?"

As soon as she closed the door, I finally let out the breath I had been holding. Good thing I managed to change my bloody underwear before she walked in.

Just to be safe, I had hidden some spare underwear and tampons in the bathroom earlier and thank God I did. I actually needed them this time.

Yeah... definitely need to be more careful going forward.

That night, after lights were out, I couldn’t sleep. My cramps were acting up pretty bad. I heard Yolanda shift in her bed next to mine.

"Trixie, you still awake?" she whispered. I didn’t say a word. Just kept still, pretending I was already asleep.

She got up quietly, came over and lifted the locket from around my neck. She used a flashlight to take a closer look at it. Only after seeing the bit of red still glowing inside did she finally switch the flashlight off.

But instead of going back to bed, she started snooping through my drawers and cabinets. I knew exactly what she was hoping to find.

I turned slightly, just enough to watch her from my bed. She searched through everything but didn’t find a thing.

Right when she was about to give up and turn around, she looked up and our eyes met. "Oh my God!" she jumped back a little, holding her chest like I'd scared her half to death.

"What are you doing going through my stuff?" I asked.

"Uh... I think I just started my period and I didn’t bring any pads. I didn’t want to wake you, so I was just trying to find one myself," she mumbled.

I gave her a look. "I’m not on my period. Why would I have any? Maybe ask Xyla or Sylvia?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "Right... yeah, I’ll ask them."

After she finally crawled back into bed, I exhaled. Thank God I had been careful earlier and hid the new tampons under my bed.

If she had found them, she definitely would’ve started questioning me again. But after that night, it seemed like she let it go.

Just like in my last life, as the days ticked by and the due date crept closer, rumors about me being pregnant slowly started to spread around campus.

After a while, more and more classmates started asking if I was actually pregnant. I got so sick of repeating myself, I just stopped responding altogether.

Then during class, a few guys walked right up to me and didn’t even try to be subtle.

"Trixie, your belly’s huge. Are you about to pop or what?"

"Who's the dad? Someone from our school?"

"You don’t even know who the father is? Damn, you really went wild!"

They were always hanging around Yolanda and of course, she laughed along with them.

"Don’t be ridiculous," she grinned. "Be careful or Trixie might just give birth to one of your kids right here in class!"

Everyone laughed. I just ignored them and went to my seat like nothing happened. Today was the same date I gave birth in my last life. If everything repeated itself, the show was about to begin.

I kept an eye on the time, then suddenly clutched my stomach.

"Ouch... my stomach really hurts," I said, letting my voice carry a little.

Yolanda immediately perked up, eyes gleaming. "Trixie, it’s happening! You’re finally going into labor. Come on, push harder!"

Her voice was loud enough to turn every head in the room. More than two hundred students stared and even the teacher walked over in confusion.

"I just need to go to the bathroom," I said, keeping a straight face.

Yolanda wouldn’t let up. "Nope. You’re totally giving birth. Push harder!"

She was way too hyped, but the excitement on her face disappeared in a second. She suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach, her expression twisting in pain.

"Someone help! Call an ambulance! It hurts, I'm dying!" she cried out.