the prestigious Atherton scholarship, a full ride that would launch my career. My paintings were ge

ay my roommate, Chlo

om, hunched over a canvas, adding

she said, her voice full of that sweet,

t was an antique silver locket, tarnished with a

er smile wide and genuine. "For good luck. Y

the locket on, and the cool metal felt strang

I slept soundly and woke up full of energy. A sense of well-being washed over me, calming the usual pre-ex

on. The gallery was packed. My paintings were front and center. The university dean, a st

ilent room, "is awarded to the student whose work has shown not only e

s, accepting congratulations. I felt Chloe' s arm wrap around

n it ha

t was something brutal, something tearing me apart from the inside. I gasped, stumbling forward,

wood cold against my cheek. My vision blurred. People were shouting, backing away. I

e gasp of the crowd. Right there, on the floor of the art gallery, under t

e wasn't just on the scholarship list anymore, it was in the headlines of ever

larship the next morning. Dean

ton scholar," she said, her words cold and final. "

been with a man, that it was impossible. They looked at me with pity and dis

My mother' s voice was

ing such shame to this family? We are a l

ends, my future, my fami

nothing left. The baby was taken by social services, a stranger I had n

r doing nothing to numb the pain inside. I looked down at the dark,

The locket wasn' t for good luck. It was a cursed object, ancient and evil. It didn' t just bring inspirati

astermind

rt collector who sponsored the exhibition. She had intended for him to get her pregnant, to secure her future. But the locket offere

and claim the scholarship. She would then present the child to Liam, claiming a brief, forgotte

ayal was so deep, so monstrous, it burned away my despair and

ent, wrenching sensation

my eyes fl

y dorm room, the smell of oil paint thick in the air.

oe stood smiling, h

under the desk lamp, was

voice dripping with poison I coul

as