CHAPTER NINETEEN

The Awakening

"Hmmm... Where am I?"

I mumbled as I woke up and found myself back in my room.

Then it hit me.

It worked! It worked! It woooooorked!

I screamed, jumping up in excitement. But my joy was short-lived. The memory of Amelia flooded my mind, and I sat on the bed, my heart sinking.

"Poor thing... She saved me. How could I have let her die?"

I whispered, blaming myself.

Trying to shake off the sadness, I went out for some shopping and returned home. As I stepped inside, I made a decision.

"No more pretending. Changing who I am just to make someone pay isn't worth it. I'm back, and I'm Rockie! Because I do Rockie things. That's who I am! And no one—absolutely no one—can change that!"

I grinned, feeling proud of myself for the first time in a long while.

And then...

"Rockie!"

My mom's voice snapped me out of my moment.

"Really? Does she always have to interrupt everything?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Where are you coming from?" she asked as I climbed the stairs.

"I'm not in the mood, Mom. Please," I muttered, entering my room.

As soon as I shut the door, Velvet appeared.

"What's wrong? You look unhappy," she said.

"Oh, thank God you made it!" I gasped in relief.

"Yeah. I'm in you. If you're free, we're free," she said.

"We?" I frowned.

Before she could answer, my mom barged in again. Velvet vanished instantly.

I just sat there, trying not to cry.

"What's wrong, honey bear? Ever since church ended today, you've been acting strange. But just yesterday, you were fine babysitting the kids," my mom said, concerned.

"I'm okay, Mom," I lied.

She gave me a skeptical look but left the room.

I changed into my pajamas and lay in bed, about to sleep, when Velvet reappeared.

"Hey," I muttered.

"You mentioned 'we' earlier. What did you mean?"

Velvet smiled. "Raya, Mia, Susan, and I. We're all inside you. You can call on any of us when you need help."

"Then why are you the only one I see?" I asked.

"Because I was your immediate past life, so I'm closest to you. When I was alive, Susan was the one who always appeared to me," Velvet explained. "At first, I was even more stubborn than you, so I don't blame you for struggling with all this."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Velvet chuckled. "Yeah. A spirit popping out of my mirror, telling me the fate of the world was in my hands? Crazy, right?"

I smiled slightly as she continued.

"When Susan first appeared, I freaked out. I broke my mirror and threw it away. Then she started showing up in every mirror I used—my makeup mirror, my bag mirror, my bathroom mirror. I even ordered every mirror in the house to be removed! But guess what? She came out of the window glass instead. I started to wonder if I had to get rid of that too!"

I laughed a little.

"But by the time I finally accepted the truth, it was too late. Rafaal and Aurora had already sealed the Kiss of Doom, and my downfall was inevitable. Raya failed. Mia failed. Susan failed. And I failed too.

"But Rockie..." Velvet placed her hands on my shoulders. "You're stronger than all of us. If you fail, someone else will come, and you'll be her guide. But you can put an end to this cycle. If not, Raya's generation will continue to reincarnate forever, and our destiny will never be fulfilled.

"Destroy Rafaal and his cursed school. He doesn't deserve to live this long!"

I processed her words carefully. And then, an idea struck me.

"I need to go somewhere," I said, stepping toward my wardrobe.

Velvet groaned. "Ugh! After all that, you're still thinking about a school party? Rockie, are you even listening to me?"

I smirked. "Who said anything about a party? I'm done with school parties."

A flash of my last disastrous one crossed my mind.

"I'm going to the graves of Raya's generation," I announced with a grin.

Velvet's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am," I said. "In fact, this might be the first time in my life I'm actually being serious."

Dear Diary,

Friday, March 4th, 2022.

I'm so happy I escaped Rafaal's cage. I still can't believe that Heaven—no, Aurora—is his lover.

I wish I could have done something to save Amelia... but it's too late now.

There are 1.8 billion people on this planet. Each one with a different destiny.

Rafaal's destiny is to destroy me.

Amelia's destiny was to save me so I could fulfill mine.

And my destiny?

To end Rafaal. To destroy his evil school.

And I can't do it alone.

I need help.