"Are you really okay now? Gosh, I was so shocked and scared when Reina did that," Micah said, full of worry and genuineness.
"I was shocked too… but still, I'm worried about her. What got into her that she had to do that?" I said, concern written all over me. Reina is my best friend. If I had known that would happen, I should've backed out at that time. "By the way, where's Reina?" I asked curiously. Ever since I regained consciousness, I haven't seen her.
"I don't know. After you passed out and the host declared the winners, she ran off and we haven't seen her," she paused for a moment. "Mary… earlier, when you passed out, it was Jad who brought you here to the clinic, and… he saw your necklace." I was taken aback by what she said.
"What did he do?"
"He just asked when you changed the pendant of your mother's necklace."
"Hopefully, Jad has no idea about the emerald necklace, but RJ… RJ is starting to suspect me. He's doubting my magior, and he definitely knows about the emerald necklace because he asked me about it earlier."
"What? Why didn't I think of that… Of course he knows. He has the book and knows about Queen Emerald. We—you—should be extra careful, Mary. We still have a lot of things to figure out, like what happened to you."
"I know, Micah. Aside from that, I'd like to know if this has something to do with my parents. How did my mother get this necklace?" I said, caressing the necklace on my chest. Then my eyes drifted and I saw it again. Why does that shadow keep following me?
"Mary? Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost," Micah asked and even looked where I was looking. The shadow vanished.
"Mic… I feel like it's following me."
"What? Who? What do you mean, Mary? Are you okay?" Confusion was clear in her voice.
"Just a moment ago, I started seeing some shadow. It's completely black but surrounded by gold. And—and just now, I saw it again." I honestly confessed.
"What—wait… M-Mary, are you messing with me?" I shook my head. "And this just happened today? The first time you used your magior from the necklace. Wow. Just wow. We still haven't figured out the mystery of your sudden magior, your mother's necklace—and now this? That necklace is definitely something." her eyes widened can't believe from everything. I am too. My life is up and down.
Problem keep coming that's why I learned to let it away, not caring about it letting it passed like air. World is never fair to me.
"Relax, Mics. As long as that shadow doesn't harm me in any way, we have nothing to be afraid of. Let's focus on what we should do, and that is to figure out the mystery of my magior." I said calmly.
Actually, nothing is okay, I feard everything but I remaine calm for the sake of my love ones.
"Right. Right… it's just a shadow. Yeah, just like a ghost—it has no body," she said, trying to calm herself. "But Mary… the fact that shadow is literally following you around is already messed up. Can't you do something… using your magior?"
"What else could I do?"
"I don't know—something that could let you talk to the shadow. Ask what it needs and why it's following you around. Or maybe do something that would banish that shadow forever. It's creepy knowing something is watching over you." She had a point. I didn't know if this shadow was harmful, and I didn't want to risk finding out the hard way.
"The book. Where's the book?"
"Here," she handed me the book. I started flipping through the pages, looking for something. I didn't know exactly what I was searching for—maybe something related to shadows. But I ended up finding nothing useful. Instead, I found something else.
"What? Have you found something that might help?" Micah asked after seeing me flip through the pages back and forth.
I shook my head. We were stressed, trying to find something to help us with our problem, when a sudden knock on the door interrupted us. I immediately told Micah to hide the book.
"Come in," I said. It was Jad.
"Mary—Micah, you're still here?" Micah just silently shrugged. "Anyway, here are your clothes, Mary. Get changed. We'll leave in 30 minutes." He left the room.
I looked at Micah and gave her a bitter smile. Soon enough, she followed Jad outside.
I started changing, packing, and cleaning up my things. Just as I was about to leave the room, I bumped into RJ. I was about to walk past him but was stopped by his words.
"I know what you did, Mary."
"What? What do you mean?" At that moment, I mentally congratulated myself for not stuttering.
"How did you get that?"
"What? I don't know what you're talking about. Don't play dumb with me!" I tried to act mad to hide how nervous I was, afraid he really knew something.
"Don't play dumb with me! That necklace," he pointed at my chest. "That's the emerald necklace." He said it as if it weren't even a question.
"You can't deny it. Grandpa already told me what the necklace looks like—and that's it. I'm positive." My heart was pounding fast. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Y-you're mistaken. I've got to go—they're waiting for me." I turned to leave but was stopped again by his next words.
"It's not just one person who's following you. There are others—people who know nothing but to take what's rightfully theirs."
Theirs? What would they take?