" Jump! "
Pearl looked at Lucas as tears filled her big eyes. " Please let me go."She tried to move away but his grip on her wrist tightened." I told you to jump! " he pushed her forward and now she was standing at the edge of the rooftop." I don't want to die, " she looked down. Her blood ran cold. it was so high she shivered." But I want you dead " Lucas whispered in her ear, smirking, " never see you again " he pushed her off." Ahhhh! " Pearl screamed as she fell. Just when her head was about to touch the hard floor her eyes opened." noooooo! "she screamed waking up from her nightmare. she broke into cold sweat.Pearl whipped her forehead and noticed her whole body was covered in sweat. She looked around to find herself sitting on her bed. Pearl drank a glass of water to calm herself down and after sometime her breathing became normal." it was a dream "she thought, looking at her alarm clock she rose up from her bed to take a shower.Half an hour later Pearl stood before the mirror wrapped in a towel. She picked up her uniform and changed into it. She pulled her hair in a ponytail and applied lip gloss. She stood still to examine herself. She was satisfied with her look. She took her bag and locked her room behind her. Slowly she made her way towards the school building." Ah! " her head bumped into something hard and she fell on the ground." you dumbass don't you know where are you going? "Lucas growled looking at the girl before him.She had her head lowered and was rubbing her head with her small hand." you blind bull "Pear raised her eyes. " don't you have eyes or are they useless? " she lost her voice when she realised who he was," the..the bully."she thought and slapped her mouth to stop herself from speaking any further.Lucas was shocked to see that this girl not only chose not to run away from him, but she also dared to call him a blind bull!She raised her head to look at him and he froze. Big blue eyes stared back at him with anger. Her cherry lips opened and moved in a sexual way.She lifted her hand to rub her head again and he noticed her small hand.Suddenly he wanted to know how it would feel to hold her small hand in his. He was so lost that he didn't even realise what she was saying. he saw her eyes widen and she slapped her mouth. " I... I am sorry " Lucas said he was feeling nervous around her. His heart beat fast against his chest and he raised his hand to feel the fast beating. He saw so many expressions on her face in such a short time. Anger, frustration, shock and fear. He felt hurt seeing her fear him. He wanted to hold her and tell her that he would never hurt her. Lucas felt strange. " Why am I feeling this way? " He wanted to know this so bad.Pearl stared at the big hand before her. " Stay away from him " Daniel's word flashed in her head, but she still put her hand in his against her will. Her body worked on its own.Lucas pulled her back at her feet and handed her bag." A.. Are you hurt? " What was wrong with him? Lucas cleared her throat when he didn't get any response. He saw her still staring at him with her wide eyes." A sorry is not enough. Kneel down and salute at me " Pearl spoke with her chin raised high.Silence...More silence...A little more silence...Everyone was shocked to hear this including Lucas and Pearl herself. She wanted to just disappear.Lucas stared at her. Shocked.His eyes suddenly turned red and he started giving a very dangerous aura.Everybody moved back and said a silent prayer for Pearl in their heart. " God save this fool. "" We…Well I will forgive you this time… hehehe " Pearl gave a nervous laugh but she noticed the situation got worse. She wanted to slap herself.Her vicious tongue will be the cause of her death.Sigh…Lucas looked at her helplessly. He couldn't bring himself to hurt her no matter how much he tried." Just get lost " He threw those words at her and saw her run away.He looked at her disappearing back and smiled. She looked like a small bunny running away from its predator.The girls who were standing there to get a look of him fainted when they saw him smile.Everyone was shocked to witness this scene." Did he just let her go? Just like that? " This question was in everyone's head, but on one dared to ask.The bully let a girl insult him and he let her go! He even smiled looking at her! This news spread in the college like a wildfire.When Pearl reached her classroom she saw her classmates giving her a jealous look. They looked at her with anger as if they wanted to tear her apart.Pearl shivered. " What did I do? Did I somehow offend them? " She thought and reached her desk." Still not fully awake? " Daniel mocked her.Pearl ignored him." Look isn't it the bit*h that seduced our Lucas? " Pearl raised her head after hearing this." She is so shameless, " Another one added.Pearl stood up, " Who gave you the power to judge me and my character? " She looked at the fat girl before her." Are you blaming us now? " The fat girl spoke." Stay away from our Lucas. "Pearl felt funny. " How is he yours? " She wanted to laugh so bad. " Are you his girlfriend? "" You…The fat girl moved forward to grab her hair when a hand was grabbed by Daniel's." Do you want your family to go bankrupt? " He asked calmly. He saw the shock and fear in her eyes." Young.. Young master Daniel… I… I am sorry. " She quickly apologised. She was shocked to see that he was taking a stand for Pearl." Get lost. " He sat back in his seat pulling Pearl with him." It seems she is very important to him, " One of the girls whispered.They saw Daniel whispering something to Pearl and she smiled in return, hitting him playfully on his arm. They looked so intimate and in love.The fat girl shivered from anger. " She is trying to seduce both of them " She spoke and the rest of the girls nodded in return.As each day followed by things in college became more serious. Her classmates gave her a jealous look every time she passed by. Lucas bullied everyone from her classmates to her senior, but he never once called her. Pearl thought it was because she was Daniel's friend, but the real reason was he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. Pearl stayed up till late at night to complete her syllabus. Her first exam was knocking on her door. Pearl flipped through her books page with her glasses on her nose bridge and pushed them back every now and then. She read and then scripted what she understood in her notebook. She was so concentrated that she didn't notice a shadow behind her. The shadow raised her hand and touched her shoulder. " Ah! " Pearl screamed on top of her lungs. She felt a touch on her shoulder. " Gosh, stop shouting " Daniel sat on her bed while covering his ear. " You sound like a pig. " Pearl looked over her shoulder and saw Daniel sitting on her bed. " How did you get
Pearl looked down. Her shirt was completely wet and her bra was easily visible. She closed her eyes and a tear fell down from her eyes. She has never felt so humiliated. She pulled her shirt close. which was wrapped around her. She slowly made her way from the rooftop towards her room. Everyone who passed by her side gave her a sympathetic look. Bang! Pearl closed the door behind her and slid down on the floor. Her eyes were red and her body was shivering. " You got this. " She whispered. " Pearl, open the door. " " Pearl…" Knock! Knock! " Pearl.. Are you okay? Open the door! " She heard Daniel calling for her to open the door, but she couldn't. She couldn't let him see her. Not like this. " I'm okay.. Just sleepy " She tried to hide her trembling voice with a yawn. " Pearl.. " " I know what happened there " Silence… The door opened revealing a girl with red eyes and wet shirt. Her hair was messy and her small body was trembling. " Oh! Come here " Daniel pulled her in
It is said, time heals everything, but it is not always true. Sometimes the wound becomes even worse with time and the same goes with the unexpressed feeling and hatred. Lucas punched Daniel screaming in his face. " You dam* rascal you killed her! " He kicked him in his abdomen and Daniel spitted blood. "... And you dare ask me if I still blame you? " He grabbed him by his shoulder and pushed him against the railing grabbing his neck. " I blamed you yesterday and will continue blaming you for the rest of my life! " He removed his hand which was holding his neck and Daniel broke into a series of uncontrollable coughs. " It.. It was not my fault.. Cough! " It was not me who was driving… Daniel rubbed his neck and stared at the boy before him. Lucas stared at him with his red eyes filled with tears. " Lucas… Daniel moved forward. He felt bad seeing him so helpless" Get lost! " Lucas gave him one last look before turning back. " Stay away from her. She is not involved in
Everyone has at least once encountered someone who left a very deep impact on our life. Someone who will always be a sensitive topic in our life. Someone who will always remind ourselves of our past and this is life. Pearl woke up from her not so pleasant sleep. Her eyes were puffy and her face looked tired. She got out of her bed and entered her bathroom. Half an hour later she locked her room and knocked on her neighbour's door. The door opened after five seconds, revealing a dashing man. Dressed in his black uniform. " Early. are we? " " No "Daniel moved back for her to enter and closed the door behind. " Didn't you sleep well? " Daniel asked observing her puffy eyes and tired face. " You look so horrible " Pearl rolled her eyes and stretched her arms. Only he had the audacity of saying something like this. " Just nightmares " She couldn't forget those nightmares she kept getting again and again last night. Daniel looked at her silently. She has lost her smile and his
Incomplete love stories are beautiful until they are not yours. Pearl walked in the green playground. She heard students shouting, laughing and enjoying their life to the fullest. She couldn't do it, she had a promise to fulfil. She has to make her parents proud. She couldn't enjoy her life as these students who were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Pearl felt alone even when she was surrounded by so many people. Suddenly she felt cold. She raised her hands to cover her arms. She didn't have her blazers as she had left them in her classroom. Suddenly she felt something warm being dropped around her shoulder. She paused to look at him. Dark eyes looked at her. " Daniel.. She saw him smile at her. He took her hand and led her to the bench. " Where is your blazer? " Daniel looked at her up and down. She looked so innocent wrapped in his big blazer. Pearl pulled his blazer closer. She bit her lips. " I left it in the class " Pearl noticed him staring at her. Her cheeks
I would be your trust even when you will have no one around to trust. I would walk with you through your darkest path till you find your light. I would love you even when you would find it difficult to love yourself. I would be happy to be reminded by you when you no longer need me by your side.Pearl entered the sports room. She peeked inside. " Sir, you were looking for me? " She got no reply in return. " Sir, are you there? " Suddenly she was pulled inside in the darkness and the door closed behind her with a bang. " Ah! " Pearl screamed when she felt a hand pulling her inside. She was pinned to the wall. " Who is that? " Pearl heard her sports teacher outside. She tried to scream for help, but she felt a hand on her mouth. " Scream and I will make sure you regret it " Pearl's blood ran cold hearing his voice. It was him! She wanted to bang her hand against the wall to come here alone. After waiting for so long the sports teacher got no reply. He thought he had mistake
Sometimes we feel alone even in the crowd. Daniel stared at the girl before him. She was unconsciously lying on the infantry bed. Her face was pale as if every drop of her blood was drawn out of her petite body. Daniel blamed himself for her condition. He shouldn't have lost control of himself in front of her. She was genuinely scared. " Don't worry she will be alright, young man " The infantry teacher parted his back. " She is just in shock " Daniel nodded. He knew she lost consciousness because she was scared and shocked. Pearl struggled to open her eyes but she couldn't. " Pearl.. " I am sorry.. Daniel held her hand. He saw her eyes move and finally she opened her blue eyes. " Pearl! " Daniel helped her sit up. His movement was slow and soft in order to not move the iv wire. " Are you in pain? " Pearl turned her face to look at him. It was the same face which was abusing Lucas just a while ago, but it showed the expression of concern. She looked at his hand which was
I could look at your face for a lifetime without getting bored. The door was pushed open and a petite figure got in. All the eyes in the room turned towards her. Pearl walked inside and stood before them. She looked confident and there was not a single expression of fear or anxiety on her face. " Pearl, you shouldn't be here " Daniel stepped forward and held her hand. " How are you feeling? " Mister Ashbluff looked at his son, shocked. He couldn't believe, his son was showing so much concern and affection towards a woman. It was the first time he saw him like this. Lucas rolled his eyes at them. " I am fine " Pearl smiled. Mister Whitlock looked at the girl before him carefully. She was beautiful and her innocent blue eyes were shining like stars. No wonder his son liked her. Mister Whitlock turned towards his son. He saw him staring at her. " Aren't you going to talk to her? " Lucas glared at him. He was already frustrated. " So, you are Pearl Hart? " Mister Ashbluf
It had been a week. Seven days of pretending to be Pearl. Of swallowing down the truth like a secret that might rot me from the inside out. No one noticed. Not really. They still called me by the name that wasn’t mine. Still treated me like the girl who arrived at the academy dazed and forgetful. Still saw the version of me they expected to see. But I saw it. In the mirror. In the way I stood. The way my voice had softened, lilting into the same cadence Rosie used to have when she whispered to the stars from her bedroom window. I saw it in the way my fingers reached up—absent, automatic—to tuck my hair behind my ear whenever I was nervous. Just like she used to do. Just like I used to do. Rosie was slipping out of me like light through cracked glass, and I didn’t know how to stop it. And Lucas… he noticed something. I could feel it. He didn’t say anything. But I’d catch him staring sometimes, brow creased in that quiet, careful way of his—like he was trying to
And I screamed and screamed as loud as I can to stop the voices in my head, to hush them from consuming me entirely. The room was pitch-black, but I could still see the flames. Still hear the screech of tires, the shattering glass, the last words my mother ever said to me—Rosie, close your eyes. And I had. For years. But now they were open. Wide open. And everything hurt. The door slammed open. I barely had time to breathe before he was there—Lucas, heart in his throat, panic in his eyes. “Pearl!” He was at my side, hands cupping my face like I might vanish. “What happened? Are you okay?” I couldn’t speak. Not right away. Because looking at him felt like bleeding. He was older now. Broader. More haunted. But he still had the same eyes—the ones that used to look at me like I was his world. Not Pearl. Rosie. And that was the part that shattered me most. He was holding me like I was someone else. Like I was a girl with a different name, a different story. But I
The candlelight is low. Flickering. Dying. I walk barefoot down a hallway lined with mirrors—dozens of them, tall and arched, gilded in gold that’s flaking away. The floor is marble, but my footsteps don’t echo. It’s like the air itself is swallowing the sound. Heavy. Watching. My dress clings to me, unfamiliar. Pale gold, stitched with roses. I don’t remember putting it on. Everything smells like rosewater and smoke. I pause beside a mirror. My reflection stares back, but there’s something off. I lean closer. The tilt of my head, the shape of my mouth, the line of my shoulders—it’s all right, and yet… wrong. Like I’ve seen this face on someone else. It’s me. Of course it’s me. But my stomach tightens. I force myself to look away. That’s when I see him. Daniel, standing at the far end of the corridor, dressed in black, shadows curled around his shoulders like a cloak. He holds a bouquet of roses—blackened, wilting, soaked in something that drips down his wrist.
I press the phone to my ear and glance at the stars. The rooftop is cold beneath me, slates hard against my back. The wind carries that soft chill that always makes me feel like something’s about to shift.My mom’s voice comes through the speaker, warm and clipped with concern.“You sound tired, sweetie. Are they overworking you again?”I let out a breath—half a laugh, half exhaustion.“No, it’s fine. Just a lot of assignments.”A pause.“And late-night walks,” I almost add. “And watching someone unravel.” But I don’t.She hums thoughtfully. I can hear her stirring something, probably tea. Home always sounds like comfort.“Have you made any new friends yet? You never talk about anyone there.”I hesitate, then lie.“Yeah. A few.”She doesn’t press. She never does. Maybe she thinks I’m just quiet. Or maybe she’s learned not to dig when I’m like this—floating somewhere far away from where my body is.“Your father says hi,” she says. I can hear him grumbling in the background, something a
I’ve always hated mirrors.They show too much. Too honestly.But now—Now, I can't stop staring.The girl in the glass tilts her head. She’s beautiful in that haunting, aristocratic way. Rosie Miller’s beauty was always cold, like marble warmed by candlelight.And now… it’s mine. Mother did everything so that I look like her. The cheekbones took two surgeries. The lips were easy—subtle filler and muscle memory. I even learned how she blinked. Slowly. Like she knew the world would wait for her.I lean in, brushing a lock of black hair behind my ear, her signature habit. I trace the light scar at my neck. A perfect replica from her dead body.Rosie was always the star. The one with the spotlight in her eyes. The chosen daughter. The heir. The girl people died for.But she’s dead now.And I’m not.I trace the curve of my jaw with one finger, still bruised faintly under the skin where the bone was shaved. Months of healing. Years of training. Voice lessons. Diary entries memorized. Even
The wind clawed at the windows like it was trying to warn me. I stood at the edge balcony leaning against the railing. Below, the ocean was bathed in silver moonlight, still and too perfect. A lie, like everything else lately. The moon hung low tonight, pale and sharp-edged. Pearl would say it looked like a blade. My phone buzzed once on the table. The number flashed. Cale. I snatched it up. “Report.” “Sir,” he said, voice crisp, but edged with something else. Hesitation. “ I have the report .” The cold that slid through me wasn’t a surprise—it was confirmation. I said nothing. Just waited. “She’s not Rosie,” he continued. “… she’s not the one who died in that accident.” I closed my eyes. My chest didn’t rise. I was stone now. “I had to dig deep, sir. Most of the records were burned or erased, but a few medical files survived in private storage. Enough to run a sequence. And... it matched someone else.” “Who?” My voice came out hoarse, like it hadn’t been used in days. “He
Apollo whined softly as I knelt beside him, his blue eyes watching me with quiet protest. His paw pressed against the doorframe like he understood what it meant—that he couldn’t follow me past this point. “I know,” I whispered, running a hand gently down the sleek curve of his back. “I don’t like it either. " He nuzzled my wrist, and I swallowed hard. “I’ll be back after classes, then we'll go back home, alright? You’ll be safe here.” My voice sounded too sure. Like I was convincing myself more than him. He tilted his head, ears flicking at some distant sound, but stayed close—refusing to move from the doorway. “I have to go,” I said, brushing my thumb just under his chin, where the fur was softer. “You know the rules. No panther cubs allowed in Elite Garden’s holy halls.” my phone ringed again, I looked down it was Lucas calling me. " yes, I am coming. ” That almost earned a huff from him. Almost. I smiled down at him. " it's your dad, the classes are going to start
The engine purred beneath my hand, smooth and obedient like always. The car was built for silence and speed—one of my father’s more useful indulgences. Black exterior, sleek leather interior, the kind of vehicle that announced your presence before you ever stepped out of it. Pearl sat beside me, legs crossed at the ankle, eyes on the window. The early morning light painted the world gold, but she didn’t seem to notice it. She hadn’t said much all morning. I kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gearshift, close enough to brush against her thigh if I reached. I didn’t. Music played softly in the background, something mellow she usually liked. She didn’t hum along like she used to. I stole a glance at her. Eyes open, but distant. Her fingers were curled in her lap, nails tracing the lines of her skirt like she was trying to count something she couldn’t name. She looked tired—not the kind of tired that sleep fixed. The kind that lived in the bones. “You okay?” I
The next morning, I move like nothing happened. I pour coffee, feed Apollo, fold a blanket left on the couch. Lucas is in the shower, and I can hear the water running upstairs like white noise. Safe. Familiar. Grounding. But every now and then—just in the gaps between movements—I feel it again. The weight. Not heavy enough to drag me down, but just enough to notice. Like walking through air that's a little too still. Like forgetting what you were doing mid-sentence. Like something watching from the corners, but only when you don’t look directly. I tell myself I’m fine. And mostly, I am. But the dream clings. Not in vivid images—those faded as soon as I woke—but in texture. In the way I flinch when the kettle whistles. In the way I glance at the kitchen doorway without meaning to. In the way Apollo follows me from room to room, tail low, eyes tracking the corners of the ceiling as if he remembers too. I don’t tell Lucas. I make him breakfast. I brush my fingers throug