Chapter 4: The Pendant’s Trap

I closed the door, took out the lucky pendant, and set it on the desk.

The pendant sat there, innocuous, but it might as well have been a loaded gun. I stared at it, dread rising in my chest.

What should I do? Right now, the whole family was watching me. I couldn’t move freely.

Every creak of the floor, every shift of the curtains felt like eyes on my back. I was trapped. I couldn’t breathe.

But if I didn’t get rid of the lucky pendant, my brother would still swap bodies with me!

The thought made my skin crawl. I had to act, and soon. There was no other way.

Knock, knock, knock.

My heart jumped into my throat. The door rattled, and I barely had time to hide the panic on my face.

As I scrambled for a plan, my brother knocked and walked in.

He eased the door open, smile plastered on, eyes darting around the room. He was looking for something—maybe a sign I’d cracked.

He pushed the door open, wearing a harmless smile, but his eyes missed nothing. Every detail was being filed away.

His gaze landed on the pendant, then flicked back to me. He was hunting for a crack in my armor.

“Bro, what are you thinking about?” He casually flipped through the books on my desk, then said offhandedly, “Lately, you seem a bit different. Is the pressure getting to you?”

He thumbed through my math notes, pretending to be interested. I could feel him sizing me up, waiting for me to slip. The tension was thick.

Alarms blared in my head, but I kept my cool. “What could be different? I just want to review more.”

I forced a laugh, hoping it sounded natural. “I mean, everyone’s on edge right now.”

“True. After all, the SATs are so important.”

He said it lightly, but his fingers drummed on the desktop, impatient. He was waiting for something.

He picked up the lucky pendant I’d left on the desk and fiddled with it in his hand.

He let the chain dangle, twisting it around his fingers. The metal caught the light, glinting ominously. It looked harmless, but I knew better.

“By the way, bro, remember when I gave you this lucky pendant? You got all choked up back then.”

He watched me closely, as if waiting for me to trip up. I could feel the test in his eyes.

His words were a trap. I sneered inwardly as all those fake memories from my last life surged up.

I could see the test in his eyes. He wanted me to stumble, to show my hand. But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Of course I remember. You said you hoped I’d live a long life and ace the tests.” I deliberately emphasized, “I’ve always remembered your kindness.”

I made my voice soft, even grateful. Let him think I was still the same gullible kid. Let him underestimate me.

My brother’s eyes flashed, and he kept probing. “Lately, I keep having nightmares—dreaming you didn’t get into college, and our family’s still poor.”

He said it quietly, almost like a confession. But I knew better. Nice try.

He paused, watching my reaction. “Bro, what if that really happened? What would we do?”

I looked him straight in the eye, my tone flat.

“If I don’t get in, then so be it. Life goes on. But you—if you give up the test to work the fields, won’t you regret it?”

I let the silence stretch, daring him to break it. His mask slipped, just for a moment. I saw fear flicker in his eyes.

His expression shifted slightly, but he quickly recovered. “As long as you make it, I won’t regret it.”

His lips curled up, but his eyes stayed cold. The smile was all for show.

Then he suddenly leaned in and lowered his voice. “Bro, do you think people can go back to the past and change things?”

The words hung in the air, heavy as storm clouds. My skin prickled with dread. Was he testing me? Did he know?

The air seemed to freeze. A storm raged inside me, but I forced myself to stay calm. I wouldn’t give myself away.

I held his gaze and gave him nothing.

“You’ve been reading too many books. Don’t talk crazy.”

I shrugged, trying to sound bored. “Sounds like something out of a movie.”

“Yeah, just saying.”

He straightened up and set the lucky pendant back on the desk. “Bro, study hard. I won’t bother you.”

He let the chain drop with a soft clink, then headed for the door. I watched his reflection in the window, tense. Every muscle in my body was tight.

Before leaving, he shot me a long look, as if trying to see through me.

His gaze lingered, full of questions he didn’t dare ask. I didn’t breathe until the latch clicked.

The moment the door closed, I let out a sigh of relief, but my back was already soaked in cold sweat. My whole body trembled.

I slumped into my chair, shivering. My shirt clung to me, damp with fear. I couldn’t relax, not for a second.

What did my brother mean by all that?

I replayed every word, every glance. The pieces clicked together, cold and clear. My mind raced.

He’s been reborn too!

The realization was a slap in the face. I wasn’t the only one with a second chance. The game had changed.

At dinner, the whole family was unusually quiet.

The only sounds were the scrape of forks and the hum of the old fridge. Even the dog seemed to sense something was off, slinking under the table. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. I picked at my food, appetite gone. Every bite tasted like sawdust.

My nerves were stretched tight. Things were getting more and more complicated. I couldn’t let my guard down.

I kept glancing at my brother, at Mom, at Dad—wondering what they remembered, what they knew.

If all three of them had memories from their previous lives, then my act of tossing the lucky pendant into the pigsty definitely struck a nerve.

I caught Mom’s narrowed eyes, Dad’s twitching jaw. They were rattled, just like me. My heart hammered in my chest.

I started to regret it. I shouldn’t have acted so rashly.

But what choice did I have? Waiting had cost me everything last time. I couldn’t let that happen again.

But doing nothing, just letting the tragedy of my past life repeat—I could never accept that.

I gripped my fork so hard my knuckles turned white. Never again. I’d fight, even if it killed me. I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.

After a while, I set down my fork and spoke up.

The words tumbled out before I could second-guess myself. My voice was steady, but inside I was trembling. I had to sound natural.

“Dad, Mom, the clasp on the lucky pendant my brother gave me is faulty. It keeps falling off. Luckily, my brother saw it today. If a pig had eaten it, that would’ve been a real shame.”

I tried to sound casual, like I was just worried about a keepsake, not my own survival. Please, just buy it.

“I heard there’s an old couple in town who are good at fixing jewelry. I want to get it reinforced so I don’t really lose it.”

I kept my tone light, hoping they’d buy it. My palms were sweaty.

“So… could you give me some money?”

I fished in my pocket, making a show of being responsible. My hands shook, but I forced a smile.

My foster parents looked up and told me to show them the pendant.

Their eyes were sharp, faces unreadable. I swallowed hard and did as I was told. My heart pounded in my ears.

When I pulled it from my pocket, I twisted hard, snapping the jump ring loose.

The metal gave way with a tiny snap. I forced my hands to stay steady, even as my heart pounded. I hoped they didn’t notice.

Seeing it was broken, my foster parents immediately frowned, their eyes darkening.

Mom’s lips thinned, Dad’s jaw clenched. They exchanged a look I couldn’t read. My stomach twisted.

My brother glanced at it too and said, casual, “Bro, this was obviously forced open. You don’t like it, do you? It’s fine—if you don’t, I’ll just give it to someone else.”

He shrugged, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. His words were light, but his eyes burned.

Another test.

He was waiting for me to slip, to show my hand. I wouldn’t give him the chance.

I absolutely couldn’t admit I didn’t like it, or they’d be sure I’d been reborn.

I forced a smile, even as dread gnawed at my gut. I couldn’t let them know what I knew. I had to stay ahead.

In my last life, I was beaten to death and my body thrown straight into the pigsty, and nobody ever noticed.

I remembered the cold mud, the squealing pigs. No one came looking. No one cared. Not a single soul.

In this small town, no one cared if someone like me went missing.

I was invisible, a ghost in my own life. I mattered to no one.

If I made them angry now, I’d probably still lose my life.

The stakes were higher than ever. One wrong move, and it was over. I had to be perfect.

“How could I not like it? Maybe I crushed or pulled it in my sleep.”

I made my voice light, like I was embarrassed to admit it. Please believe me.

As I spoke, I carefully wiped the pendant with a handkerchief.

I fussed over it, pretending to be upset about the break. I had to sell the act.

“It’s a good piece. What a shame if the clasp is broken. I’ll get it fixed in town tomorrow.”

I glanced at my brother, hoping he’d take the bait. My heart thudded.

My brother’s mouth curled up. “Sure, bro, I’ll go with you.”

His tone was too eager, too quick. I knew he’d never let me out of his sight. I was still trapped.

I’d planned to use the chance to sell the pendant for bus fare and escape.

I’d dreamed of slipping away, starting over somewhere no one knew my name. Freedom was so close, yet so far.

But my brother didn’t trust me at all.

He watched me like a hawk, every move calculated. I could feel his eyes burning holes in my back.