- 11 hours ago
Plaything Rules
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Short filmTranscript
00:00At the wedding banquet, Isabella, the one they called my sister, took the opportunity of toasting to lean in close,
00:05and give me a taunting smile.
00:07I tried out your husband in your wedding bed for you last night. It was absolutely amazing.
00:12Couldn't stand it and slapped her across the face.
00:15The next second, Dorian, my fianco, as well as the most reputed Lycan lord in the Ironspire kingdom, gave me
00:21six hard lashes in front of everyone.
00:23I heard a cold voice, coarse from ancient.
00:25It is done. The suffering ordained for this form has run its course.
00:28Not one lash unearned. Not one sorrow unspent.
00:31Death will not be an ending. It will be a door.
00:34Dear traveler, once this body dies, you may return to your original world.
00:39Hearing those words, I suddenly stopped wailing.
00:41My heart shifted from the despair and agony of moments ago to a sense of relief at the imminent release.
00:46At the wedding banquet, Isabella, the one they called my sister, took the opportunity of toasting to lean in close,
00:52and give me a taunting smile.
00:53Congratulations on your marriage. I tried out your husband in your wedding bed for you last night.
00:59It was absolutely amazing.
01:02Couldn't stand it and slapped her across the face.
01:05The next second, Dorian, my fianco, as well as the most reputed Lycan lord in the Ironspire kingdom, gave me
01:11six hard lashes in front of everyone.
01:16Isabelle has never offended you. She gave you everything, yet you still can't stand her.
01:25Do you really think you can conceal your filthy past from me?
01:28You slave mongrel. If it weren't for your brothers, I'd rather marry a dog than a shameless ingrate like you.
01:33At his command.
01:36He threw me into a deep, remote forest, and tossed me into a snake den, teeming with venomous snakes to
01:41reflect on my actions.
01:47After seven days of torment, my three older brothers of Ashevale's house came to me.
01:54I thought I'd be saved finally. But I was wrong.
02:02My eldest brother, the alpha king in the Ironspire kingdom.
02:06The most valiant commander, yet also the most ruthless woman, who slaughtered the inhabitants of two cities to bring the
02:13north under his control.
02:15Without hesitation, he thrust his sword through my shoulder blade.
02:20Isabelle cried all night. I've already decided to name her as the heiress of the kingdom.
02:26My second brother, the dragon just this year, cold as he was sculpted from a marble stone,
02:31once burned spin of features accused of treason and witchcraft at the stake without batting an eye.
02:35He didn't even take a glance at my battered body, just said coldly,
02:39From now on, only Isabelle's name will be recorded in the royal family registry.
02:43As for you, don't even think about being recognized as a member of this family for the rest of your
02:47life.
02:48My third brother, the renowned vampire Healer,
02:54was even more ruthless. His sharp teeth pierced my throat.
03:01Isabelle has suffered from scurvius since childhood.
03:06To compensate her, you must keep giving out your blood to save her.
03:11I heard a cold voice, coarse from ancient.
03:14It is done. The suffering ordained for this form has run its course.
03:17Not one lash unearned, not one sorrow unspend. Death will not be an ending.
03:23It will be a door.
03:24Dear traveler, once this body dies, you may return to your original world.
03:31Hearing those words, I suddenly stopped wailing.
03:34My heart shifted from the despair and agony of moments ago to a sense of relief at the imminent release.
03:39My eldest and second brothers had already left with my blood in a large, exquisite bottle.
03:43In the chilly, snake-infested den, only my third brother, Mortimer, and I remained.
03:48Blood was still gushing from the incision, and Mortimer frowned in exasperation as he sutured the wound on my neck.
03:54If you'd cooperated sooner, we wouldn't have had to do this under such primitive conditions.
03:59It's taking me so much effort.
04:02It's a real hassle.
04:04Just last week, while Isabella was feeding the puppy which the eldest brother gave to her,
04:08she was scratched by it and got a nearly invisible cut.
04:11Mortimer reacted as if the sky had fallen.
04:13He summoned all his assistants from the court to take care of Isabella,
04:16applying the most precious ointment,
04:18and he checked the progress of her wound recovery every three hours.
04:22But now, facing me, who had almost lost one's life,
04:25with nothing but a ball of thread I'd torn from my tattered dress
04:29and a thorn from a bramble bush,
04:31he was still complaining about the hassle of the most basic suturing.
04:35Perhaps seeing that I hadn't moved for a while, he leaned down,
04:38patted my face.
04:39Stop pretending.
04:40I know you're in great shape.
04:45Aren't you just trying to play the victim to make me feel guilty
04:49so you can steal my affection for Isabelle?
04:52You're so dark and petty.
04:55Since you've been a member of us, put those petty schemes away.
04:59In the past, faced with a loved one's misunderstanding,
05:01I would have defended myself with tear-filled eyes,
05:04crying out that I wasn't that kind of person.
05:06But at the time, I felt only num-kong,
05:08closing my eyes, I said hoarsely.
05:10You should leave too.
05:13I can wait here alone to die.
05:17Serafina, you?
05:18Just let me die so that I can return to my original world.
05:25For me, the quickest way to find relief right now was to die immediately.
05:29But to Mortimer, those words clearly carried a different meaning.
05:34Serafina, what do you mean?
05:36Are you deliberately saying these depressing things to disgust me?
05:39He deliberately yanked hard on the stitches.
05:42The fragile edges of the wound instantly tightened,
05:44and foul blood gushed out, bringing excruciating pain that no normal person could bear.
05:49Seeing me gasp in pain, my head drenched in cold sweat,
05:52a flicker of pity crossed his eyes, and he softened his tone.
05:55Don't speak nonsense.
05:57You are not going to die.
05:59At the end of the day, if you hadn't been so narrow-minded,
06:02refusing to accept Isabel, and even hitting her,
06:05you wouldn't be suffering like this.
06:08As long as you promise not to give Isabel a hard time once we get back,
06:11and sincerely apologize to her,
06:13I can take you back to the court and get you the best treatment.
06:16You won't have to suffer here anymore.
06:18Hearing the condescending tone in his voice,
06:20I felt even more chilled to the bone and mocked.
06:22Although I am a time traveler,
06:24I had been reincarnated into the body of Serafina in this world starting from the age of six.
06:29Poor, parentless, and nearly being sold as a slave.
06:32Before being sold, the only chance lain before me was to get adopted.
06:36I was lucky.
06:37That night, the administrator of the orphanage with twinklings in her eyes,
06:40said to me,
06:41Lucky, sweetie, there were three anonymous gentlemen who claimed to be your biological brothers.
06:52At the wedding banquet, Isabella, the one they called my sister,
06:55took the opportunity of toasting to lean in close,
06:58and give me a taunting smile.
06:59I tried out your husband in the wedding bed for the last night.
07:02It was absolutely amazing.
07:05Couldn't stand it and slapped her across the face.
07:07The next second, Dorian, my fianco,
07:10as well as the most reputed Lycan lord in the Ironspire kingdom,
07:13gave me six hard lashes in front of everyone.
07:15I heard a cold voice, coarse from ancient.
07:18It is done.
07:18The suffering ordained for this form has run its course.
07:21Not one lash unearned.
07:22Not one sorrow unspoken.
07:24Death will not be an ending.
07:25It will be a door.
07:27Dear traveler, once this body dies,
07:29you may return to your original world.
07:31Hearing those words, I suddenly stopped wailing.
07:34My heart shifted from the despair and agony of moments ago
07:36to a sense of relief at the imminent release.
07:38At the wedding banquet, Isabella, the one they called my sister,
07:42took the opportunity of toasting to lean in close,
07:44and gave me a taunting smile.
07:46Congratulations on your marriage.
07:48I tried out your husband in your wedding bed for you last night.
07:52It was absolutely amazing.
07:55Couldn't stand it and slapped her across the face.
07:57The next second, Dorian, my fianco,
08:00as well as the most reputed Lycan lord in the Ironspire kingdom,
08:03gave me six hard lashes in front of everyone.
08:08Isabelle has never offended you.
08:10She gave you everything, yet you still can't stand her.
08:17Do you really think you can conceal your filthy past from me?
08:20You slave mongrel.
08:22If it weren't for your brothers,
08:23I'd rather marry a dog than a shameless ingrate like you.
08:26At his command,
08:28he threw me into a deep, remote forest
08:31and tossed me into a snake den,
08:32teeming with venomous snakes to reflect on my actions.
08:39After seven days of torment,
08:41my three older brothers of Ashevale's house came to me.
08:46I thought I'd be saved finally,
08:49but I was wrong.
08:54My eldest brother,
08:56the alpha king in the Ironspire kingdom.
08:59The most valiant commander,
09:00yet also the most ruthless woman,
09:02who slaughtered the inhabitants of two cities
09:05to bring the north under his control.
09:07Without hesitation,
09:08he thrust his sword through my shoulder blade.
09:13Isabel cried all night.
09:15I've already decided to name her as the heiress of the kingdom.
09:19My second brother,
09:20the dragon justiciar,
09:21cold as he was sculpted from a marble stone,
09:23once burned spin-a-features
09:24accused of treason and witchcraft at the stake
09:26without batting an eye.
09:28He didn't even take a glance at my battered body,
09:30just said coldly,
09:31From now on,
09:32only Isabel's name will be recorded
09:34in the royal family registry.
09:36As for you,
09:37don't even think about being recognized
09:38as a member of this family for the rest of your life.
09:40My third brother,
09:42the renowned vampire Hewlett,
09:47was even more ruthless.
09:49His sharp teeth pierced my throat.
09:53Isabel has suffered from scurvius since childhood.
09:58To compensate her,
10:00you must keep giving out your blood to save her.
10:04I heard a cold voice course from Ancient.
10:06It is done.
10:07The suffering ordained for this form has run its course.
10:10Not one lash unearned,
10:12not one sorrow unspend.
10:13Death will not be an ending.
10:15It will be a door.
10:17Dear traveler,
10:18once this body dies,
10:19you may return to your original world.
10:24Hearing those words,
10:25I suddenly stopped wailing.
10:26My heart shifted from the despair and agony of moments ago
10:29to a sense of relief at the imminent release.
10:31My eldest and second brothers
10:33had already left with my blood in a large exquisite bottle.
10:35In the chilly, snake-infested den,
10:38only my third brother, Mortimer,
10:40and I remain.
10:41Blood was still gushing from the incision,
10:43and Mortimer frowned in exasperation as he sutured the wound on my neck.
10:47If you'd cooperated sooner,
10:48we wouldn't have had to do this under such primitive conditions.
10:52It's taking me so much effort.
10:55It's a real hassle.
10:56Just last week,
10:57while Isabella was feeding the puppy which the eldest brother gave to her,
11:00she was scratched by it and got a nearly invisible cut.
11:03Mortimer reacted as if the sky had fallen.
11:06He summoned all his assistants from the court to take care of Isabella,
11:09applying the most precious ointment,
11:11and he checked the progress of her wound recovery every three hours.
11:14But now, facing me,
11:16who had almost lost one's life,
11:18with nothing but a ball of thread I'd torn from my tattered dress,
11:21and a thorn from a bramble bush,
11:23he was still complaining about the hassle of the most basic suturing.
11:27Perhaps seeing that I hadn't moved for a while,
11:29he leaned down,
11:30patted my face.
11:31Stop pretending.
11:33I know you're in great shape.
11:38Aren't you just trying to play the victim to make me feel guilty?
11:41So you can steal my affection for Isabelle?
11:45You're so dark.
11:46And petty.
11:48Since you've been a member of us,
11:49put those petty schemes away.
11:51In the past,
11:52faced with a loved one's misunderstanding,
11:54I would have defended myself with tear-filled eyes,
11:56crying out that I wasn't that kind of person.
11:59But at the time,
12:00I felt only num-kong,
12:01closing my eyes,
12:02I said hoarsely.
12:03You should leave too.
12:05I can wait here alone to die.
12:09Serafina, you?
12:10Just let me die so that I can return to my original world.
12:17For me,
12:18the quickest way to find relief right now was to die immediately.
12:22But to Mortimer,
12:23those words clearly carried a different meaning.
12:27Serafina,
12:27what do you mean?
12:28Are you deliberately saying these depressing things to disgust me?
12:32He deliberately yanked hard on the stitches.
12:34The fragile edges of the wound instantly tightened,
12:37and foul blood gushed out,
12:38bringing excruciating pain that no normal person could bear.
12:41Seeing me gasp in pain,
12:43my head drenched in cold sweat,
12:45a flicker of pity crossed his eyes,
12:46and he softened his tone.
12:48Don't speak nonsense.
12:50You are not going to die.
12:51At the end of the day,
12:53if you hadn't been so narrow-minded,
12:55refusing to accept Isabel,
12:56and even hitting her,
12:58you wouldn't be suffering like this.
13:00As long as you promise not to give Isabel a hard time once we get back,
13:03and sincerely apologize to her,
13:05I can take you back to the court,
13:07and get you the best treatment.
13:09You won't have to suffer here anymore.
13:10Hearing the condescending tone in his voice,
13:12I felt even more chilled to the bone and mocked.
13:15Although I am a time traveler,
13:17I had been reincarnated into the body of Serafina in this world starting from the age of six.
13:21Poor, parentless,
13:22and nearly being sold as a slave.
13:24Before being sold,
13:25the only chance lain before me was to get adopted.
13:28I was lucky.
13:29That night,
13:30the administrator of the orphanage with twinklings in her eyes,
13:33said to me,
13:34Lucky, sweetie,
13:35there were three anonymous gentlemen who claimed to be your biological brothers.
13:42Term's palace reeked of blood.
13:44Elf hit a sculpture in her royal bedchamber,
13:45and she adored it obsessively.
13:47The statue fell dead and silent again.
13:49Princess's temper blackened by the day.
13:51The head handmaiden stepped forward.
13:53Enchanted things can only be roused by blood sacrifice.
13:56The statue, however,
13:57still did not move.
13:58Princess's patience finally snapped until it landed on me.
14:01Dara lunged at me like I was a lifeline.
14:03She slashed at my wrist again,
14:04and again in a frenzy.
14:06This bitch must not a virgin.
14:07She has defiled the ritual.
14:09And then the impossible happened.
14:10The statue,
14:11motionless for so long,
14:12moved,
14:13and drew the small wound on her fingertip to its lips.
14:15He has surely mistaken me for you.
14:17Then it crawled to her feet and knelt before her.
14:19A bucket of ice-cold water came down over my head.
14:22Dara stood over me with a triumphant smile.
14:24Princess of the Sun elf had a sculpture in her royal bedchamber,
14:27broad-shouldered,
14:28narrow-waisted,
14:29and unnervingly perfect,
14:30and she adored it obsessively,
14:32spending every waking hour entwined with it.
14:34Term's palace reeked of blood.
14:35The smell had settled here for a full three months,
14:38creeping from a ghost of a scent to something so thick and sharp
14:40it felt like the very walls had been soaked in it.
14:42I knelt on the cold stone floor.
14:44No one knew where the statue had come from.
14:45One sweltering summer night,
14:47it had simply appeared that night's wind was hot,
14:49thick with night blooms,
14:50but not enough to cut through Term's palace's atmosphere of decadence.
14:54Princess had just dismissed a rotation of ballots
14:56and lay alone across her wide canopied bed,
14:58idly picking at the lacquer on her nails.
15:00Then she saw him.
15:01A man cold as winter stone,
15:02or rather,
15:03a statue carved in the shape of a man.
15:05He lay bare beside her,
15:06his torso long and strong,
15:08every line of muscle flowing as though sculpted by a god's own hand,
15:11every inch of pale skin flawlessly rendered.
15:13The summer heat parched everything it touched,
15:15yet he was cold as ice pressed against her skin,
15:18producing a sensation both strange and irresistible.
15:21Princess could not put him down.
15:22She clung to him all night like someone who had found a priceless relic,
15:26running her hands over his powerful frame,
15:28whispering shameless endearments into his carved ear.
15:30You are extraordinary,
15:32better than any of those valets combined.
15:34If only you could wake up,
15:36I would name you the greatest night beneath the stars.
15:39Be still.
15:40Let me look at you properly.
15:42Yet after that night,
15:43the statue fell dead and silent again.
15:45Princess's temper blackened by the day.
15:46She smashed objects of incalculable work.
15:49Useless!
15:49All of you are useless!
15:50You cannot even rouse a dead thing!
15:52Princess kicked over the side table beside her.
15:54That servant threw herself to the floor.
15:56My princess, mercy!
15:57Please, mercy!
15:58Drag her out.
15:59Twenty strokes.
16:01It was then that Dara,
16:02the head handmaiden,
16:03stepped forward.
16:04My princess,
16:05I have heard that certain enchanted things
16:07can only be roused by blood sacrifice.
16:09Shall we try?
16:10Princess's eyes sharpened at once.
16:12Oh?
16:13Is that true?
16:15Absolutely true.
16:17My grandmother told me as a child
16:19that some statuary,
16:20once they drink living blood,
16:22can take mortal form.
16:23Princess was delighted
16:24and immediately summoned several young servants.
16:27Sharp blades opened their wrists.
16:28Crimson blood poured down over the statue's crown.
16:31It's working!
16:31It's actually working!
16:33Dara, you are invaluable to me!
16:35Ask for whatever you wish!
16:37Serving you is all the reward I need,
16:39my princess.
16:39The statue, however,
16:41still did not move.
16:42No matter how much blood was poured over it,
16:44it held its vacant,
16:45lifeless posture.
16:46Princess's patience finally snapped,
16:48jabbed her finger at Dara's face.
16:50You told me blood would wake it,
16:52so why is it still not moving?
16:53Dara hit the floor in a terrified cowdow,
16:56and her frantic gaze swept the hall
16:57until it landed on me,
16:59standing in the corner.
17:00I was nobody then,
17:00just a night elf,
17:01the lowest servant in the spire,
17:03tasked with the dirtiest work,
17:04never daring to raise my eyes to anyone.
17:06Dara lunged at me like I was a lifeline,
17:08seized my wrist in both hands.
17:10This trickle won't fill a cup,
17:12let alone feed a statue.
17:13The cut burned,
17:14and I locked my teeth shut,
17:16terrified of making a single sound
17:17that might irritate her further.
17:18But Dara was not satisfied.
17:20She slashed at my wrist again,
17:21and again in a frenzy.
17:23Esther!
17:23More blood!
17:24If that statue doesn't wake,
17:26I will flay you alive!
17:27At last,
17:28darkness swallowed me,
17:29and I felt nothing.
17:30In the final instant before,
17:32I lost consciousness.
17:33I felt Dara's spook connect with my ribs.
17:35My princess,
17:36I have heard that only the blood of the unbond carries true power.
17:41This bitch must not a virgin.
17:43She has defiled the ritual.
17:45Then drag her out,
17:47kill her.
17:47The guard stepped forward to take me,
17:49and then the impossible happened.
17:50The statue,
17:51motionless for so long,
17:53moved.
17:53It raised its head slowly,
17:55then crawled on hands,
17:56and knees to Dara's feet.
17:57It extended one pale,
17:58long-fingered hand,
18:00lifted hers as though cradling something precious,
18:02and drew the small wound on her fingertip to its lips,
18:04tasting it with reverent care.
18:06She yanked at her hand.
18:07What are you doing?
18:08Let go of me!
18:10Congratulations, my princess.
18:12Felicitations.
18:14He has surely sensed your devotion.
18:16That is why he has awakened.
18:18It even pressed its lips to the air near her skin.
18:20Princess laughed.
18:21Her smile was beautiful,
18:22and deeply.
18:23It seems he prefers you.
18:26I have served you since childhood, my princess.
18:29I carry your scent.
18:31He has surely mistaken me for you.
18:33Princess's gaze dropped to the small cut Dara noticed.
18:35She took up the blade,
18:36and opened a cut across her own wrist.
18:38The blood that welled up was licked clean before a second had passed.
18:41I ate from your table this morning, my princess.
18:42Your essence has touched me.
18:43He is a discerning thing, is he not?
18:45The minutes stretched.
18:46The hall held the silence of a held breath.
18:48Dara's color drained steadily from her face.
18:50She had lost too much blood.
18:52Settled docilely against Dara's side like a tamed animal.
18:54Dara glanced at princess's expression and murmured carefully.
18:58Now that you have eaten your fill,
19:00go and attend your mistress.
19:02The statue's gaze moved slowly around the hall,
19:04and it came to rest on princess's face.
19:06A flash of something like wonder crossed its eyes.
19:09Then it crawled to her feet and knelt before her.
19:11Dara dragged me along with her.
19:12A bucket of ice-cold water came down over my head,
19:15blinking slowly open.
19:17Dara stood over me with a triumphant smile,
19:20looking down from what felt like a great height.
19:22I didn't expect your idea to actually work.
19:25Dara rolled her eyes and kicked me.
19:26Unluck.
19:27The statue bleeds for life,
19:28and yet your blood did nothing.
19:31You're not a virgin anymore, are you, you useless?
19:34Sister, please don't tell anyone.
19:36If the princess finds out, I'm finished.
19:38Dara's brow furrowed.
19:39Of everyone in princess's estate,
19:41only one person would have dared do such a thing.
19:43Her fiancé,
19:44the vile and lecherous Lord Karis.
19:46He had begun as a failed scholar,
19:47but his face was made for deception,
19:49and his tongue was made for flattery.
19:51He had imagined a glittering future,
19:52titles, power, a dynasty,
19:54but princess was not a woman who kept her attentions long.
19:57Term's palace housed over a hundred ballots,
19:59every one of them beautiful, gifted, extraordinary.
20:02Karis was not remarkable among them.
20:03To stay close to her,
20:04he debased himself in every way imaginable.
20:07He crawled on his hands and knees,
20:09so she could use his back as a mounting step.
20:11Eventually his patience was rewarded.
20:12On a whim,
20:13princess made him her fiancé,
20:15yet she remained cold to him as ever.
20:17She spent her days as she always had.
20:19And Karis, for all his title,
20:21was nothing more than furniture.
20:22Resentment and bitterness filled him by degrees.
20:24During one drunken night,
20:25he forced himself on a young and beautiful servant.
20:28In the aftermath,
20:29he was gripped by terror that princess would have him killed.
20:31My princess,
20:32it was all that creature's doing.
20:33She seduced me.
20:35I beg you to forgive me just this once.
20:36Princess reclined lazily on her chaise,
20:39watching him flounder.
20:39Why are you so frightened?
20:41She was only a servant.
20:42If you wanted one,
20:43I would have given you more.
20:45None of those creatures are worth a toe ring of yours,
20:47my princess.
20:47You haven't summoned me in so long.
20:49I have been dying without you.
20:50One hundred and eight lustrous pearls scattered across the floor.
20:53A few rolled through the open archway.
20:55Then I'll give you the bracelet from my own wrist.
20:58The man I spent six years paying off in blood and humiliation,
21:01he murdered his own family
21:02and framed my brother for it.
21:04My brother Jack was behind the wheel
21:05the night eight members of the Pierce family died.
21:07The only survivor was Liam Pierce
21:09and he made us pay for all of it.
21:11The pressure was too much for my parents.
21:14They jumped from the roof of the company building.
21:15Then he sold me to his creditors to settle the debt.
21:18Six years.
21:19I stared at her stomach.
21:21She wasn't showing yet,
21:22but the word landed like a punch.
21:24Baby.
21:25Your brother wiped out my entire family.
21:27Isn't that enough?
21:28Why are you-
21:29At the auction,
21:29I was locked in a cage.
21:31I bid one hundred thousand dollars.
21:32Two hundred thousand.
21:34This bitch is mine tonight.
21:35Five hundred thousand.
21:37Poffer,
21:37if you have no money,
21:38don't even think about wanting a woman.
21:40My emotions were on the verge of collapse.
21:42I never could have imagined
21:44that the man who vowed to marry no one but me
21:46would plot to destroy my entire family.
21:49I swear I will exact my revenge.
21:52My brother Jack was behind the wheel
21:53the night eight members of the Pierce family died.
21:55The only survivor was Liam Pierce
21:57and he made us pay for all of it.
22:00Yeah.
22:00Yeah.
22:03That same day,
22:04he called off our engagement.
22:06One week later,
22:07my family's company was bankrupt.
22:09Nine hundred million dollars in debt.
22:11Jack got 15 years.
22:14The pressure was too much for my parents.
22:17They jumped from the roof of the company building
22:19and died on the fact.
22:20On the day of their funeral,
22:21Liam forced Jack's wife to marry him.
22:23This is what your family owes me.
22:25You'll be paying it back
22:27for the rest of your lives.
22:28Then he sold me to his creditors
22:30to settle the debt.
22:31Help me!
22:31Six years.
22:32Somebody help me!
22:33All because I believed we owed him.
22:35I truly thought this was justice.
22:37The day I paid off the last cent,
22:39I went straight to his office.
22:40Not to fight.
22:41To beg.
22:43I just wanted him to show mercy
22:44and set Sarah free.
22:46My hand was on the door
22:47when I heard his voice inside.
22:48He was on the phone
22:49with his oldest friend.
22:50You rigged Jack's car.
22:52You used him to wipe out your own family
22:54so you could take the empire.
22:55You got everything you wanted.
22:56The company.
22:57The woman you always loved.
22:58So why won't you just let Olivia go?
23:01You grew up together.
23:02How can you be this cold?
23:03If it weren't for her,
23:05Sarah and I would have been together years ago.
23:07She forced her way into my life.
23:09Everything she's going through now,
23:10she brought it on herself.
23:12The man I spent six years paying off
23:13in blood and humiliation.
23:15He murdered his own family
23:16and framed my brother for it.
23:18I turned to run.
23:19Who's out there?
23:20The door flew open before I could move.
23:23Liam scanned the hallway.
23:24Cold.
23:25Methodical.
23:26When he didn't see anyone,
23:27he slammed it shut dot.
23:28I stayed pressed against the wall,
23:30hand over my mouth,
23:31not breathing.
23:32We grew up together,
23:33Liam and I.
23:34He remembered every birthday.
23:36Every gift was exactly what I'd wanted.
23:38He used to protect me
23:39like it was his only job in the world.
23:41If I hadn't heard it myself,
23:42I never would have believed it.
23:44That the boy I grew up with
23:45had murdered his own family.
23:46To get revenge on me.
23:48To seize the family empire.
23:50Thought I owed him.
23:50I was paying off a debt
23:52that never existed.
23:53I dug my nails into my palms
23:54until I felt blood.
23:55I didn't let myself cry.
23:57I just walked.
23:58I was almost at the exit
23:59when I heard my name.
24:01Olivia?
24:02Olivia?
24:02Is that really you?
24:04Sarah.
24:05My sister-in-law.
24:06Designer clothes.
24:08Flawless.
24:08Six years hadn't touched her at all.
24:10Her eyes looked warm,
24:12but when she reached for my hand,
24:13I caught it.
24:14Just for a second,
24:15Sarah frowned.
24:17Why didn't you tell me you were back?
24:19Liam said you've been abroad
24:20this whole time.
24:22Recovering.
24:22Are you feeling better?
24:25Recovering?
24:25Six years of being treated
24:27like I wasn't a person.
24:28And that's the story he gave her.
24:31It's been so hard, hasn't it?
24:32When everything happened,
24:34Liam told me the only way
24:35to clear your family's debt
24:36was if I married him.
24:37I didn't have a choice.
24:40You don't still blame me,
24:41do you?
24:43She was just a woman
24:44caught in the same storm.
24:45Even if she knew the truth,
24:47what could she have done against him?
24:48I was about to let her keep the lie.
24:50Then a voice came from behind me,
24:52like a blade.
24:53Who gave you permission to be here?
24:55The look he gave me,
24:57pure contempt.
24:57I'm leaving.
24:58Right now.
25:00Stay.
25:01Six years of fear
25:01doesn't just disappear.
25:03I couldn't even meet his eyes.
25:04He turned to Sarah,
25:06his voice dropping soft.
25:07You look pale.
25:08What did she say to you?
25:10Sarah's face shifted,
25:11a small wince.
25:13It's not Olivia's fault.
25:15It's just that it reminded me
25:16of something unpleasant,
25:17and then the baby in my welly
25:20kicked me.
25:21I stared at her stomach.
25:22She wasn't showing yet,
25:24but the word landed like a punch.
25:26Baby.
25:27Your brother wiped out
25:28my entire family.
25:29Isn't that enough?
25:30Why are you still here
25:31making things worse for Sarah?
25:33What, do you still think
25:33you'll take Sarah's place?
25:37Let me make this clear.
25:38That will never happen.
25:40Not in this life.
25:41It should have hurt,
25:42but I'd been in so much pain
25:44for so long
25:44that I barely felt it.
25:46That's not why I'm here.
25:48He stepped closer.
25:49Then why are you here?
25:52I'm warning you.
25:53If anything happens
25:55to Sarah or this baby,
25:56I will hold you responsible
25:58with your life.
26:04At the auction,
26:05I was locked in a cage.
26:07I bid $100,000.
26:08$200,000.
26:10This bitch is mine tonight.
26:11$500,000.
26:12Poffer,
26:13if you have no money,
26:14don't even think about
26:15wanting a woman.
26:16My emotions were
26:17on the verge of collapse.
26:19I never could have imagined
26:20that the man who vowed
26:20to marry no one but me
26:21would plot to destroy
26:23my entire family.
26:25I swear I will exact my revenge.
26:27My brother Jack
26:28was behind the wheel
26:29the night eight members
26:30of the Pierce family died.
26:31The only survivor
26:32was Liam Pierce,
26:33and he made us pay
26:34for all of it.
26:39That same day,
26:40he called off our engagement.
26:42One week later,
26:43my family's company
26:44was bankrupt.
26:45$900,000,000 in debt.
26:47Jack got 15 years.
26:50The pressure was too much
26:52for my parents.
26:53They jumped from the roof
26:54of the company building
26:55and died on the fact.
26:56On the day of their funeral,
26:57Liam forced Jack's wife
26:58to marry him.
26:59This is what your family owes me.
27:01You'll be paying it back
27:02for the rest of your lives.
27:04Then he sold me
27:05to his creditors
27:06to settle the debt.
27:06Help me!
27:07Six years.
27:08Somebody help me!
27:09All because I believed
27:10we owed him.
27:11I truly thought
27:12this was justice.
27:13The day I paid off
27:14the last cent,
27:14I went straight
27:15to his office.
27:16Not to fight.
27:17To beg.
27:18I just wanted him
27:19to show mercy
27:20and set Sarah free.
27:21My hand was on the door
27:23when I heard his voice inside.
27:24He was on the phone
27:25with his oldest friend.
27:26You rigged Jack's car.
27:28You used him
27:28to wipe out your own family
27:30so you could take the empire.
27:31You got everything you wanted.
27:32The company.
27:33The woman you always loved.
27:34So why won't you
27:35just let Olivia go?
27:37You grew up together.
27:38How can you be this cold?
27:39If it weren't for her,
27:41Sarah and I
27:41would have been together
27:41years ago.
27:43She forced her way
27:44into my life.
27:44Everything she's going through now,
27:46she brought it on herself.
27:48The man I spent six years
27:49paying off in blood
27:50and humiliation.
27:50He murdered his own family
27:52and framed my brother for it.
27:54I turned to run.
27:55Who's out there?
27:56The door flew open
27:57before I could move.
27:58Liam scanned the hallway.
28:00Cold.
28:01Methodical.
28:02When he didn't see anyone,
28:03he slammed it shut dot.
28:04I stayed pressed against the wall,
28:06hand over my mouth,
28:07not breathing.
28:08We grew up together,
28:09Liam and I.
28:10He remembered every birthday.
28:12Every gift was exactly
28:13what I'd wanted.
28:14He used to protect me
28:15like it was his only job
28:16in the world.
28:17If I hadn't heard it myself,
28:18I never would have believed it.
28:20That the boy I grew up with
28:21had murdered his own family.
28:22To get revenge on me.
28:24To seize the family empire.
28:25Thought I owed him.
28:26I was paying off a debt
28:28that never existed.
28:29I dug my nails into my palms
28:30until I felt blood.
28:31I didn't let myself cry.
28:33I just walked.
28:34I was almost at the exit
28:35when I heard my name.
28:37Olivia?
28:37Olivia?
28:38Is that really you?
28:40Sarah.
28:41My sister-in-law.
28:42Designer clothes.
28:43Flawless.
28:44Six years hadn't touched her at all.
28:46Her eyes looked warm,
28:47but when she reached for my hand,
28:49I caught it.
28:50Just for a second.
28:51Sarah frowned.
28:53Why didn't you tell me
28:54you were back?
28:55Liam said you've been abroad
28:56this whole time.
28:57Recovering.
28:58Are you feeling better?
29:00Recovering?
29:01Six years of being treated
29:03like I wasn't a person.
29:04And that's the story
29:05he gave her.
29:06It's been so hard,
29:08hasn't it?
29:08When everything happened,
29:10Liam told me the only way
29:11to clear your family's debt
29:12was if I married him.
29:13I didn't have a choice.
29:16You don't still blame me,
29:17do you?
29:19She was just a woman
29:20caught in the same storm.
29:21Even if she knew the truth,
29:23what could she have done
29:23against him?
29:24I was about to let her
29:25keep the lie.
29:26Then a voice came from behind me,
29:28like a blade.
29:29Who gave you permission
29:30to be here?
29:31The look he gave me,
29:33pure contempt.
29:34I'm leaving.
29:34Right now.
29:36Stay.
29:36Six years of fear
29:37doesn't just disappear.
29:39I couldn't even meet his eyes.
29:40He turned to Sarah,
29:41his voice dropping soft.
29:43You look pale.
29:44What did she say to you?
29:46Sarah's face shifted,
29:47a small lince.
29:49It's not Olivia's fault.
29:51It's just that it reminded me
29:52of something unpleasant,
29:53and then the baby
29:55in my welly kicked me.
29:57I stared at her stomach.
29:58She wasn't showing yet,
30:00but the word landed
30:01like a punch.
30:02Baby.
30:03Your brother wiped out
30:04my entire family.
30:05Isn't that enough?
30:06Why are you still here
30:07making things worse for Sarah?
30:09What, do you still think
30:09you'll take Sarah's place?
30:13Let me make this clear.
30:14That will never happen.
30:16Not in this life.
30:17It should have hurt,
30:18but I'd been in so much pain
30:19for so long
30:20that I barely felt it.
30:22That's not why I'm here.
30:23He stepped closer.
30:25Then why are you here?
30:28I'm warning you.
30:29If anything happens
30:30to Sarah or this baby,
30:32I will hold you responsible
30:34with your life.
30:37When I opened my eyes again,
30:38I was standing under
30:39the blazing Louisiana sun,
30:40my chest beating
30:40with a second chance.
30:41The day before
30:42my freshman orientation,
30:43I stood in an underground clinic,
30:45asked a person in scrubs
30:46to remove my uterus.
30:47Memories of my past life
30:48surged in like a swamp tide.
30:50I remember those 18 pregnancies
30:51and pushed me down the stairs.
30:53I smiled.
30:53Without a uterus,
30:54no wound-binding curse
30:55can find anywhere to attach.
30:55That night at the freshman bonfire,
30:57I took a sip
30:57and immediately knew
30:58something was wrong.
30:58I spit it out,
30:59but too late.
30:59Erin LaFontaine
31:00was a woman in her 40s.
31:01The wound-binding curse
31:02is an ancient bio-magic,
31:03but without a wound
31:03to attach to,
31:04the curse is adrift
31:04in your blood.
31:05My body began
31:05to gain weight uncontrollably.
31:06I gained a throat
31:07moving with a low sigh.
31:08Deep in his pupils
31:09flashed a silver-blue light.
31:10At the same time,
31:11in the dorm,
31:12I slept soundly,
31:12completely unaware
31:13of the approaching danger.
31:14Suddenly,
31:15a silver-blue light materialized.
31:16It was searching for something.
31:18Something had burrowed inside.
31:19I didn't know yet.
31:20The day before
31:21my freshman orientation,
31:22I stood in an underground clinic
31:24on the edge
31:24of the French Quarter,
31:25asked a person in scrubs
31:27to remove my uterus.
31:28In the last moment
31:29before anesthesia took effect,
31:31memories of my past life
31:32surged in like a swamp tide.
31:34I remember those 18 pregnancies.
31:36Each time,
31:37the swelling came without reason.
31:39Each time,
31:40my body was nurturing a life
31:41that could never be mine.
31:42I remember the black smoke
31:43from those miscarriages,
31:44thick as tar,
31:45stinking of swamp muck.
31:47I remember my parents' faces
31:49at the hospital door.
31:50I have no daughter
31:51as shameless as you!
31:53I remember Caleb's voice,
31:54his well-rehearsed disgust.
31:55Why don't you just die,
31:56you shameless whore?
31:57I remembered losing my scholarship,
31:58every whisper in the hallway.
31:59I remembered kneeling
32:00before Moira,
32:01begging her to tell the truth.
32:02Begging her to tell the truth.
32:02She lowered her eyes,
32:03the hint of a smile on her lips.
32:04I remember at the end,
32:05she put her hands on my chest
32:06and pushed me down the stairs.
32:07My postpartum body
32:07didn't even have time to cry out,
32:08blood spread from the back of my head
32:09and drowned out all sound.
32:10When I opened my eyes again,
32:11I was standing under the blazing
32:12Louisiana sun in late August,
32:14clutching my orientation form,
32:15my chest beating
32:15with a second chance.
32:20At your age,
32:21this surgery is unnecessary.
32:22I understand.
32:22It would be permanent.
32:23I won't have it any, Dren.
32:24Ever.
32:24There are some things in this world
32:25I would rather never take root
32:26inside my body.
32:27Her expression flickered for a moment,
32:28some kind of understanding.
32:3072 hours later,
32:31I woke from anesthesia.
32:32There was a new scar below my belly
32:33and inside me,
32:34a silence I had never known before.
32:35Right before the anesthesia
32:36pulled me back into darkness,
32:37I smiled.
32:37Without a uterus,
32:38no wound-binding curse
32:39can find anywhere to attach.
32:40Let Moira Vance
32:41try to transfer her next monster
32:42into my body.
32:42Try.
32:43Let her try.
32:43Less than three hours
32:44after returning to the dorm,
32:45Moira Vance took my arm
32:46and said those words.
32:47In the other life,
32:48those words began my slow death.
32:49I pulled my arm back.
32:50I have a boyfriend, Moira.
32:51Caleb?
32:52Caleb doesn't count.
32:53I'm talking about experiences
32:53that can change you.
32:54Another roommate, Daphne,
32:55a straightforward girl from Baton Rouge,
32:56looked up from her textbook.
32:57Such outdated fear.
32:58We're college students now.
32:59We should learn to embrace new worlds,
33:00not tremble at old rules.
33:01Take these.
33:01Call it my apology,
33:02ancestral to swamp recipe.
33:03Made with coral powder,
33:04and other ingredients
33:05my grandmother taught me
33:05to harvest from the swamp.
33:06I've drank a cup before bed.
33:07Was there long before
33:07Vore Louisiana weed
33:08won't touch your skin.
33:09Daphne and the other two roommates
33:10couldn't wait to brew the tea.
33:11A smell filled the room.
33:12Floral, mineral,
33:13and something deeper.
33:14Like wet earth
33:14after floodwaters recede.
33:16Like something kept
33:16too long in the dark.
33:18I stared at the rising steam,
33:19turning over the word
33:20Moila had used.
33:21Harvest.
33:21In my past life,
33:22I would have thought
33:22she meant herbs.
33:23Now I knew she meant something else.
33:25Now I knew she meant something else.
33:26Mira,
33:27you're the only one
33:28who hasn't had any.
33:28I can't drink herbal tea.
33:30I'm allergic.
33:30When did you become allergic?
33:32Six weeks ago,
33:32I saw you pour something
33:33into an water bottle.
33:34After that,
33:34my body began to change.
33:35I'm not allergic,
33:36I just don't like it.
33:37Her lower lip trembled.
33:38A perfect performance.
33:39I brought these
33:40all the way from home.
33:41Just take one sip, okay?
33:42Mira,
33:42it's just a cup of tea.
33:43Don't be so dramatic.
33:43I met Moila's
33:44expected glistering gaze
33:45into the sink,
33:45then poured that moment.
33:46A crack appeared in her mask.
33:47Deep in her eyes,
33:48I saw something far older than 18,
33:49something that had traded
33:49pieces of itself in darkness
33:50for countless years.
33:51My grandmother would be sad.
33:52I'll write her an apology letter.
33:53I grabbed my bag
33:54and turned away.
33:57Behind me,
33:58Moila's gaze pressed
33:59between my shoulder blades
34:00like a knife.
34:07That night at the freshman bonfire,
34:08someone handed me
34:08an ice-cold bottle of water.
34:09I took a sip
34:10and immediately knew
34:10something was wrong.
34:11That damp, earthy taste.
34:12That mineral smell.
34:13I spit it out,
34:13but too late.
34:14A big mouthful
34:14had already gone down.
34:15Across the fair,
34:15Moira raised her own bottle
34:16in a toast toward me
34:17for the next date
34:17in the bathroom,
34:17trying to expel
34:18what I had swallowed
34:18along with the fear
34:19in my memories.
34:32Moira didn't come back
34:32to the dorm that night.
34:33I lay in my narrow bed,
34:34listening to Daphne's
34:35steady feet on the floor.
34:36I kept my breathing steady,
34:37my eyes closed.
34:37Through my lashes,
34:38I saw Moira emerge
34:39from the darkness.
34:39Then Biswina bought her shoulders,
34:40the skin tightened,
34:41smoothed, erased every pore and flaw.
34:43She was growing more beautiful,
34:44more unworldly,
34:45less human.
34:45Suddenly, I understood everything.
34:46The thing I'd died
34:47without knowing in my past life.
34:47What the Luke Gargi really wanted
34:48wasn't Moira's body,
34:49it wanted the act itself.
34:50She put with it
34:51in a big degree of human warmth.
34:52In return, it gave her beauty,
34:52power, and when she needed
34:53to repay a debt
34:53for feeding child,
34:54a mutant feudist
34:54that would destroy
34:55a normal womb,
34:55a child transferred
34:56into my body in my past life.
34:57Come on, Moira,
34:57try to plant your next monster
34:58inside my body.
34:58Let's see where you can put it this time.
34:59Her gaze left the mirror
35:00and fixed directly on my bed.
35:01My breathing stayed steady,
35:02my eyes stayed closed.
35:03After a moment,
35:04I heard her climb into her own bed.
35:06The springs creaked,
35:07the room fell silent.
35:08Outside the dorm window,
35:09deep in this voice,
35:10sounded like hunger,
35:11like a contract,
35:12like an unquenchable desire.
35:13The day after orientation week ended,
35:14I didn't go to class.
35:15I went to the university hospital's
35:16pathology department
35:16and asked for a full blood workup,
35:18six visals of blood.
35:18As I walked out of the hospital,
35:19the sun was setting
35:20along the Mississippi,
35:20but under blood in the microphone,
35:21the Techno Orlidge
35:22found something unusual.
35:23I asked to see the slices myself.
35:24Under the microscope,
35:25not bacteria,
35:26not viruses.
35:26They were curled,
35:27pointed at both ends
35:28like rolled dead leaves.
35:29Each shell was carved
35:30with a barely visible pattern,
35:31curse residue.
35:31I sent the photos to someone
35:32I'd been in contact with
35:33online for a month,
35:34Erin Lafont,
35:34a special case consultant
35:35for the New Orleans Police Department,
35:36whose badge number
35:37was marked veil-related.
35:38The email reply was just one word,
35:40meet.
35:40Erin Lafontaine was a woman
35:41in her 40s.
35:42She was sitting in an old cafe
35:42in the French Quarter
35:43in plain clothes.
35:44The silver amulet around her neck
35:45was the same style
35:46as the one the underground
35:46clinic doctor wore.
35:47She flipped through the copies
35:48of my lab reports
35:48without speaking for a long time.
35:50What else have you been exposed to?
35:51I told her everything.
35:51Moira's bone tea,
35:52the tampered water bottle,
35:53and the marks on her shoulders
35:53that night.
35:54Lafontaine was silent for a moment
35:55then slid her phone across to me.
35:56On the screen was a scan
35:56of an old engraving.
35:57A woman lay on a bed,
35:58her belly swollen,
35:58surrounded by robed pimples.
36:07This is one of the oldest defenses
36:09and the most brutal.
36:10But guess what,
36:10Miss Holloway?
36:11It worked.
36:11The womb-binding curse
36:12is an ancient bio-magic
36:13so old that it recognizes
36:14only a womb.
36:15Once it can't find one,
36:16it's like a key without a lock.
36:17It can't complete the transfer
36:18and within three weeks
36:18it will degrade in your body.
36:20What if it finds another way
36:21to attach?
36:22Lafontaine stared into my eyes
36:23and slowly smiled.
36:25So from today,
36:26I'll teach you how to make sure
36:27the curse never finds
36:28its footing again.
36:35Over the next month,
36:35my body began to gain weight
36:37uncontrollably.
36:37I gained over 10 pounds
36:38in a month,
36:39my belly clearly swollen.
36:40I could hear the whispers
36:41from classmates as I walked by.
36:42Mira, have you seen Caleb's lately?
36:44No, we've been busy
36:45with competitions
36:45and haven't been in touch.
36:46Daphne's gaze flicked over my belly,
36:48hesitating to speak.
36:49That afternoon,
36:49in the library stairwell,
36:50I suddenly smelled
36:51a swampy odor.
36:51The nausea hit my throat.
36:53I rushed into the bathroom
36:53and vomited for five minutes.
36:55When I came out,
36:55several girls were watching me
36:56from the end of the hall.
36:57I knew those looks too well.
36:58In my past life,
36:58they followed me until death.
36:59Back in my dorm,
37:00there was a note on my bed,
37:01scrubbed,
37:01but very recognizable.
37:02Now I knew she meant something else.
37:03Mira,
37:05you're the only one
37:05who hasn't had any.
37:06I can't drink herbal tea.
37:07I'm allergic.
37:08When did you become allergic?
37:09Six weeks ago,
37:10I saw you pour something
37:11into a water bottle.
37:11After that,
37:12my body began to change.
37:13I'm not allergic,
37:13I just don't like it.
37:15Her lower lip trembled.
37:16A perfect performance.
37:17I brought these all the way from home.
37:18Just take one sip, okay?
37:20Mira, it's just a cup of tea.
37:21Don't be so dramatic.
37:21I met Moyla's sex-spectic,
37:22glistering gaze into the sink,
37:23then poured that moment.
37:24A crack appeared in her mask.
37:25Deep in her eyes,
37:25I saw something far older than 18,
37:31I grabbed my bag
37:32and turned away.
37:34Behind me,
37:35Moyla's gaze pressed
37:36between my shoulder blades
37:37like a knife.
37:44That night at the freshman bonfire,
37:46someone handed me
37:46an ice-cold bottle of water.
37:47I took a sip
37:47and immediately knew
37:48something was wrong.
37:49That damp, earthy taste.
37:50That mineral smell.
37:50I spit it out, but too late.
37:51A big mouthful had already gone down.
37:52Across the fair,
37:53Moira raised her own bottle
37:54in a toast toward me.
37:54For the next day,
37:55in the bathroom,
37:55trying to expel what I had swallowed
37:56along with the fear in my memory.
38:09Moira didn't come back
38:10to the dorm that night.
38:11I lay in my narrow bed,
38:12listening to Daphne's
38:12steady feet on the floor.
38:13I kept my breathing steady,
38:14my eyes closed.
38:15Through my lashes,
38:15I saw Moira emerge
38:16from the darkness.
38:17Then Biswina bought her shoulders,
38:18the skin tightened,
38:19smoothed, erased every pore and flaw.
38:21She was growing more beautiful,
38:22more unworldly,
38:22less human.
38:23Suddenly, I understood everything.
38:24The thing I'd died
38:24without knowing in my past life.
38:25What the Luke Gargi really wanted
38:26wasn't Moira's body,
38:27it wanted the act itself.
38:27Without his exaltry,
38:28she put with it in a bouquet degree
38:29of degree of human warmth.
38:29In return, it gave her beauty,
38:30power,
38:30and when she needed
38:31to repay a debt for feeding child.
38:32A mutant feudist
38:32that would destroy a normal womb.
38:33A child transferred into my body
38:34in my past life.
38:34Come on, Moira,
38:35try to plant your next monster
38:35inside my body.
38:36Let's see where you can put it this time.
38:37Her gaze left the mirror
38:37and fixed directly on my bed.
38:39My breathing stayed steady,
38:40my eyes stayed closed.
38:41After a moment,
38:42I heard her climb into her own bed.
38:43The springs creaked,
38:44the room fell silent.
38:46Outside the dorm window,
38:47deep in this voice,
38:48sounded like hunger,
38:48like a contract,
38:49like an unquenchable desire.
38:50The day after orientation week ended,
38:52I didn't go to class.
38:52I went to the university hospital's
38:53pathology department
38:54and asked for a full blood workup.
38:55Six visals of blood.
38:56As I walked out of the hospital,
38:57the sun was setting
38:57along the Mississippi,
38:58but under blood in the microphone,
38:59the tech New Orleans
38:59found something unusual.
39:00I asked to see the slices myself.
39:02Under the microscope,
39:03not bacteria,
39:03not viruses.
39:04They were curled,
39:05pointed at both ends
39:05like rolled dead leaves.
39:07Each shell was carved
39:07with a barely visible pattern,
39:08curse residue.
39:09I sent the photos to someone
39:10I'd been in contact with
39:11online for a month.
39:11Erin LaFont,
39:12a special case consultant
39:13for the New Orleans Police Department,
39:14whose badge number
39:14was marked Vale related.
39:16The email reply was just one word,
39:17meet.
39:18Erin LaFontaine was a woman
39:19in her forties.
39:19She was sitting in an old cafe
39:20in the French Quarter
39:21and plain clothes.
39:21The silver amulet around her neck
39:22was the same style
39:23as the one the underground
39:24clinic doctor wore.
39:25She flipped through the copies
39:25of my lab reports
39:26without speaking for a long time.
39:27What else have you been exposed to?
39:28I told her everything.
39:29Moira's bone tea,
39:30the tampered water bottle,
39:30and the marks on her shoulders
39:31that night.
39:31LaFontaine was silent for a moment
39:32then slid her phone across to me.
39:33On the screen was a scan
39:34of an old engraving.
39:35A woman lay on a bed,
39:35her belly swollen,
39:36surrounded by robe pimples.
39:37Through the gaps,
39:37you could see things moving
39:38on the side.
39:38She pointed to the engravings.
39:38Someone used it on you,
39:40but without a womb to attach to,
39:41the curse is adrift in your blood.
39:51So old that it recognizes
39:52only a womb.
39:53Once it can't find one,
39:53it's like a key without a lock.
39:54It can't complete the transfer,
39:55and within three weeks,
39:56it will degrade in your body.
39:57What if it finds another way
39:58to attach?
39:59LaFontaine stared into my eyes
40:01and slowly smiled.
40:03So from today,
40:04I'll teach you how to make sure
40:05the curse never finds
40:06its footing again.
40:12Over the next month,
40:13my body began to gain
40:14weight uncontrollably.
40:15I gained over 10 pounds
40:16in a month,
40:16my belly clearly swollen.
40:18I could hear the whispers
40:19from classmates as I walked by.
40:20Mira, have you seen Caleb's lately?
40:21No.
40:22We've been busy with competitions
40:23and haven't been in touch.
40:24Daphne's gaze flicked over my belly,
40:25hesitating to speak.
40:26That afternoon,
40:27in the library stair hill,
40:28I suddenly smelled
40:28a swampy odor.
40:29The nausea hit my throat.
40:30I rushed into the bathroom
40:31and vomited for five minutes.
40:32When I came out,
40:33several girls were watching me
40:34from the end of the hall.
40:34I knew those looks too well.
40:35In my past life,
40:36they followed me until death.
40:37Back in my dorm,
40:38there was a note on my bed,
40:39scrubbled but very recognizable.
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