On a pleasant Saturday morning, a beautiful young lady by the name of Rina, sat on a marble-white leather couch in a large luxurious house. Everything was sparkling clean, with the interior being coloured white or grey. There were huge windows all around the home and tall staircases leading up to the second floor. It was the perfect house. But Rina was missing one thing: Arnold Liam Colmin, her best friend and husband. Arnold Liam Colmin was a world-famous scientist, and because of that, he was always away from home. Rina understood the conditions of his job, so she never complained. She lay on the couch, bored and tired, scrolling through the TV channels. No matter how much she tried to fill the void, nothing was able to entertain her. She was pregnant at the time, so it made it even harder for her to do anything by herself. Suddenly, she got a call from her boss at work.
"Rina (on the phone): Oh hello Mr. Kelvin. How are you-"
"Mr. Kelvin (on the phone): No time for chit-chat. Get here as fast as you can, Rina. We need you to report something ASAP!" he interrupts aggressively before hanging up.
Rina sighed and grabbed her long brown coat before running out the door, her car keys in hand. She jumped into her car and drove as fast as she could. Nervous and excited at the same time, until she suddenly received a call from Arnold.
"Rina (on the phone): Arnold, what happened? Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"Arnold (on the phone): Hey, honey. I just wanted to check in and see if you're okay. One of my coworkers mentioned there's been an accident on a street near ours."
"Rina (on the phone): That must be why my boss called me in to work on a Saturday. Do you know what happened?"
"Arnold (on the phone): I don't know if it's true, but I heard that all the buildings on that street have been turned into dust..."
"Rina (on the phone): What? That's ridiculous. Are you sure that's what they said?"
"Arnold (on the phone): Yeah- oh sorry, I'll call you later honey. Love you," he says before abruptly ending the call.
Rina put her phone away, her curiosity now heightened. A few minutes later, she arrived at her workplace and sprinted into the building, searching for Mr. Kelvin. The job proved difficult; her coworkers were panicked and pacing everywhere she looked.
"Rina: Mr. Kelvin!" she yells out, her eyes rapidly scanning the crowd.
Finally, she spots him amongst the crowd and starts pushing through towards him.
"Rina: Mr. Kelvin, what happened?" she asks, out of breath.
"Mr. Kelvin: Oh, Rina, finally! I need you to head to XXXX Street right now!" he says, his eyes on his phone as he types urgently.
"Rina: What about the camera crew?"
"Mr. Kelvin: They're already there!"
"Rina: Got it. Then I'll be going."
Rina ran out of the building and back into her car. She drove towards the street in a hurry, her eyes widening as she started seeing huge mountains of dust in places where buildings used to stand.
"Rina: What on earth happened here?" she mutters to herself.
She drove around in search of a parking space and eventually decided on a spot near a few buildings that seemed to still be intact. She gets out of her car and looks around for the camera crew. Then, from a distance, a woman waved at her and called her over. Rina quickly ran towards her, glancing at the piles of dust along the way.
"Ava: Rina, you made it!"
"Rina: Hey Ava, I got here as fast as I could! I'm ready whenever you are."
"Ava: Perfect! Here's your script. Jack is setting up the camera and microphone. Oh, by the way, where are those papers I asked for last week?"
"Rina: Dang it! I think I left them in my car. Let me go back and get them."
Rina started to run back to her car but suddenly saw a large black figure dart into what appeared to be an alleyway. At first, she tried to ignore it, but her curiosity got the best of her. She glanced back to see if anyone was watching, then turned and hurried after the figure into the alleyway.
"Rina: Hey excuse me!" she called out.
"???:...."
The black figure stopped running and turned to face Rina. As it did, she saw that it was wearing a black cloak, with its face concealed by the hood. She felt her blood run cold but knew that it was too late to turn back now.
"Rina: I'm so sorry for bothering you. I'm a reporter and wanted to ask if you witnessed or knew anything about what happened."
The figure remained silent. Rina fidgeted, waiting for a response.
"???: What led you to chase an unknown being into an alleyway?"
His voice was cold and deep, sending shivers down Rina's spine. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand on end.
"Rina: Oh um- I'm sorry if I disturbed you. As I mentioned, I'm a reporter and I was just curious. I mean whatever happened doesn't occur every day and you're the only person around..." she replied quietly.
"???: How naive of you," he says quietly.
The man then pulled an old book from his cloak, holding it in one hand. In his other hand, he held a necklace with a strange pink gem attached.
"Rina: Wha...what do you mean?"
All of a sudden, the hooded figure began chanting and reading words that sounded like gibberish to Rina. She felt a strong pressure in her stomach, causing her to instinctively place a hand on her belly. Already six months pregnant, Rina's worry deepened. Meanwhile, the figure continued to chant from the book.
"Rina: W-what are you doing?"
Rina leaned against the building's wall, as she kept her hand pressed to her stomach, the pressure intensifying. After what felt like an eternity, the cloaked figure ceased its chanting and tossed the necklace aside. The pressure in Rina's stomach finally began to fade away. The figure then placed its hand on the same wall Rina was leaning against. She watched in fear as the figure removed its hand and burst into strange, unsettling laughter.
"???: Yes! It worked!"
Rina straightened up, her face a mix of confusion and anger. She was shocked and afraid by what she had just experienced.
"Rina: What did you do to me?! What was all of that?" she asks angrily.
The creature didn't answer. Though his face remained hidden in the shadow of his hood, Rina was positive she saw a smile. He then bolted out of the alleyway. Rina tried to chase after him, demanding answers, but exhaustion soon overwhelmed her. Reluctantly, she stopped and walked back to the alley's entrance. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered the necklace and went back to retrieve it. Picking it up from the ground, she was shocked to see it had changed from pink to purple. She quickly stuffed it into her pocket and exited the alley. After ensuring no one was around, she hurried to her car to get the papers. Grabbing everything as quickly as she could as her hands were still trembling, she ran back to Ava and the others.
"Ava: Rina! Where in the world did you go?"
Rina wanted to tell Ava about what she had just witnessed, but the more she thought about it, the more she feared of being labelled as insane. Convinced that no one would believe her, she decided to keep it a secret.
"Rina: Oh uh...I just saw something run into an alleyway and went to see what it was. Turns out it was just a large rat," she says with a nervous chuckle.
"Ava: If you say so... Did you bring the papers?"
"Rina: Oh yeah! Here."
She hands the papers over and then wipes the sweat off her face.
"Jack: Alright. The camera is all set up for you, Rina. You can start reporting in about... Five minutes."
"Rina: Got it. Thanks, Jack."
Sometime later, Rina finishes her reporting and heads home after Ava advises her to rest. On the way, she keeps thinking about the events in the alleyway and wondering if they're connected to the issues with the buildings. She also debates whether to tell Arnold, fearing he might not believe her. When she finally arrives home, she takes off her shoes and coat when she suddenly hears her husband call out to her.
"Arnold: Hey honey, you're finally home."
"Rina: Arnold?! How are you home so early?"she asks, running into the kitchen and finding Arnold preparing an incredible dinner for the two of them.
"Arnold: I left the rest of my work to my assistant, Drew. He begged me to let him take on some serious research and tasks, so I agreed," he says with a sly smile.
She smiles and without another word, runs up hugs him.
"Rina: Thank you, darling."
He hugs her back, and they both enjoy their dinner together before sitting down to watch a TV show. However, Rina remains distracted, debating about whether to tell him about the events from earlier, or stay silent. Eventually, she decides on the first option.
"Rina: Hey, Arnold?"
"Arnold: Yes, Rina?"
"Rina: There's something that I need to tell you," she says quietly.
"Arnold: What's wrong?"
He turned to her with a worried look on his face.
"Arnold: Is there something wrong with our baby?"
"Rina: No, no! Nothing like that. It's just... Something happened when I went to report on those buildings today."
"Arnold: Is it about the buildings that got turned into dust?"
"Rina: Yeah, but not only that. When I went back to my car to get something, I saw someone run into an alleyway and followed them there."
"Arnold: Rina! That's so dangerous! What were you thinking?! What if it was a kidnapper or a murderer?!" he says, wide-eyed.
"Rina: Calm down. I'm still alive and well. It wasn't a kidnapper or a murderer. It was some sort of magician or like some sort of cult member. I don't know. At some point, it talked and sounded creepy and had a very deep voice. It also chanted something that sounded like a spell from a book that was in its hand."
Rina looked at Arnold as he looked back at her frowning in confusion.
"Rina: It also threw this necklace onto the floor," she continues, taking the necklace out of her pocket and holds it up for him to see.
"Rina: While he was holding it, it was pink. Now it's purple."
Arnold's expression was serious as his hand reached out.
"Arnold: Very interesting. Mind if I take a look?"
"Rina: Sure! Take it."
She handed it to him and he examined it carefully, his brows furrowed.
"Arnold: I've seen around two hundred different gems and crystals, but I've never come across one that changes colour. Pink gems and crystals are especially rare."
"Rina: I honestly don't know, Arnold. While that thing was chanting, I felt this extreme pressure in my belly. I didn't know what was happening."
"Arnold: No need to worry, honey. It was probably just an early contraction due to stress in the moment. It's very common, I'm sure," he says reassuringly, not wanting to add fuel to her worries.
His expression serious, she could see the worry in his eyes despite his efforts to comfort her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head as she leaned into him.
"Rina: I just hope she's okay."
"Arnold: I know she is. And everything else is fine too. That man was probably part of a cult or something. As long as you're not hurt, there's nothing to worry about."
They sat in silence as they continued to watch their TV show, both leaning against each other.
~
Three months passed after that and finally, their daughter was born. They named her, Milly Rin Colmin. Arnold gave her the middle name "Rin" because it was a short version of Rina, whose name he loved very much. Milly looked as beautiful as her mother. She had sandy blonde hair like her father, but caramel brown eyes like her mother.
"Rina: Aw, how cute! Milly is an adorable name."
"Arnold: Yes, indeed it is."
"Rina: I'm so happy we're finally going home today. She'll finally be able to see her beautiful new home."
Arnold chuckled as he hugged Rina tightly. A few hours later, they were sent home, and for the first time, Milly smiled. Both Rina and Arnold burst with excitement. Months passed and they were a happy, healthy family. Arnold even started coming home earlier to see the two of them every day. All was well until something strange happened one night while Rina was putting Milly to bed. When Rina turned her back to get a bottle of milk, Milly touched the bed, and to Rina's surprise once she turned around, she saw Milly lying on a pile of dust that looked just like the dust Rina had seen all over the street months ago. Rina's jaw dropped in shock.
"Rina: M-Milly?"
Milly started giggling.
"Rina: Arnold!!"
Rina shouted for him frantically and Arnold ran crashing into the room.
"Arnold: What happened!?"
"Rina: Look!" she exclaims, her eyes wide as she points at Milly.
Arnold turned his head to Milly and his mouth was left open in shock.
"Arnold: What happened to her bed?"
Rina picked up Milly and held her tight.
"Rina: I turned around for one second and when I turned back, she was laying in a pile of dust!"
"Arnold: What? That makes no sense, honey," he says in disbelief, running his hand through his hair.
"Rina: I know! But this isn't normal dust. It's the dust I saw months ago. Remember? The time when the buildings turned into dust or something?"
"Arnold: Are you sure that's what happened? Are you pranking me?"
"Rina: Arnold!"
"Arnold: Sorry, sorry! This is just so peculiar. Give her to me one second," he says, reaching out for her.
Rina handed Milly to Arnold, who held her gently with one arm while using his other hand to take the milk bottle. He held it out to her, but as soon as the index finger of Milly's left hand touched the bottle, it suddenly turned to dust.
"Rina: (Gasps) What did she just do?"
"Arnold: I don't know?" he says in awe.
Arnold holds a bewildered expression, unsure of what to say despite the countless strange things he's seen in his time as a scientist.
Then, Rina and Arnold walk into the living room and lay her on the couch.
"Rina: Should we go to the hospital?"
"Arnold: Absolutely not! The worst thing to do right now is to let some random people see her do whatever that was."
Suddenly, the necklace with the purple gem began to glow on the shelf they kept it on. To their astonishment, it changed back to pink. Rina grabbed it from the shelf and held it up to show Arnold.
"Rina: Look! This necklace is glowing pink!"
Arnold looks at it with shock.
"Arnold: Wait! Rina, run upstairs with the necklace and see if it changes colour."
Rina took the necklace and ran upstairs.
"Rina: It's purple now!"
She ran back down and sat next to Arnold.
"Rina: Now it's pink and glowing again."
"Arnold: Okay then. Hand it over to me."
Rina gave him the necklace and he put it around Milly's neck.
"Rina: Arnold! What are you doing?"
Arnold then takes the TV remote and gives it to Milly's left hand.
"Rina: ARNOLD! THAT'S THE TV REMOTE-"
This time, however, the remote did not turn into dust and the necklace, which stayed pink, stopped glowing.
"Arnold: So, the man you met is connected to what happened to the buildings that day..." he says quietly, a look of realization crossing his face.
"Rina: And this necklace is a protective shield of some sort..."
"Arnold: Rina, you must not tell anyone this! It must stay between us forever," he says seriously.
"Rina: Alright..."
~
Thank you for reading ♡(｡- ω -)
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