After that, they never told anyone about what they discovered that day and actively made sure that Milly never took the necklace off at any cost. Years went by, and Milly grew up with a strange curse that no one, not even the greatest scientists could explain.

~

Years later, at the age of five, Milly started first grade. Her parents believed she was far smarter than any other five-year-old, and they were right. She was brilliant and always at the top of her class. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her from getting picked on by the other kids. Milly was very shy and quiet, so she never fought back and tried her best to be nice in every situation. Due to the bullying, she wasn't fond on talking to her classmates, let alone getting to know them. However, one boy in her class caught her attention. He was also quiet and avoided talking to others, but he was exceptionally intelligent. In fact, he was even smarter than Milly, but disliked it when anyone mentioned it. He was also labelled as the most handsome boy in the entire school, with beautiful green eyes, fair skin speckled with a few freckles, and perfect, silky, wavy black hair. Milly never learned his name and didn't feel the need to; she believed he was on a whole different level than her. 

Until the third grade, Milly kept to herself and never made any friends. That changed when she met Aniya. Although many of the students described her as "rude" and "mean," Milly quickly realized that Aniya only reacted that way when someone provoked her. Aniya helped Milly countless times, and they gradually became close friends. Despite being two years older and in a higher grade, their friendship was strong. Aniya had striking diamond-blue eyes, often hidden behind her bangs, and straight black hair styled in a high bun. Whenever Milly was with her, everybody kept a respectful distance from them. As they neared the end of middle school, Aniya introduced Milly to a boy named Rex from her grade.

"Aniya: Milly! Meet Rex. He's one of my friends and close classmates. He was lonely, so I invited him to join us. Is that alright with you?"

"Milly: Sure! I don't mind." 

"Rex: Hi my name is Rex Bastian!" he says excitedly, extending his hand.

"Milly: H-hello. My name is Milly Colmin," she says quietly, shaking hands with him.

"Aniya: Rex, Milly is two years younger than us and she goes to class.... What was your class again, Milly?" 

"Milly: 4F."

"Rex: That's so cool! My brother is also in that class." 

Milly gave a confused look as she thought of the boys in her class. No one in her class looked remotely similar to Rex. He had grey eyes, a colour not many students in the school had, and very tan skin with light brown curly hair. The one thing Milly instantly noticed were the scars and bruises that covered his body. He even had two bandages on his face. She also noticed that he was pretty tall for a kid his age, but also very thin, almost too thin. It looked like he didn't eat very well, or maybe he didn't eat at all. 

"Rex: Guys, I'm going to go get my lunch real quick and come back. This is going to be fun!" 

"Aniya: Sure, be back quick!" 

Rex disappears from view and Milly turns to Aniya.

"Milly: Um... Aniya..." 

"Aniya: Yeah, what is it?" 

"Milly: Can I ask you something?" 

"Aniya: No need to ask for permission, just ask!" she says with a laugh, not yet catching the seriousness in Milly's tone.

Milly stood up from her chair and whispered something into Aniya's ear.

"Aniya: Oh, are you curious about that?"

"Milly: I'm kind of worried about him." 

"Aniya: No need to worry. He loves sports, that's why he's always covered in bruises. He's always rolling in the dirt with his friends." 

"Milly: Yeah, but if he's getting hurt often, why play those sports?" 

"Aniya: I don't know, Milly. Maybe talk to him yourself. You guys should get along anyway." 

Milly looks at Aniya hesitantly. 

"Milly: But he might not feel comfortable sharing something like that." 

"Aniya: I doubt it. He's a reckless rascal. He doesn't have his boundaries of what to share and what not to share," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Milly: (Takes a deep breath) Okay, I'll ask him."

Milly and Aniya waited for Rex to return.

~

Thank you for reading ♡(｡- ω -)