DESIRE GRANTED, PRICE TAKEN
919 Words
CHAPTER SIX — DESIRE GRANTED, PRICE TAKEN
Aria, Serene, and Maya gasped as they stared at David's unconscious body.
He was lying on the floor of the janitor's room.
But he was no longer the same David they knew.
His body had become noticeably bigger.
Outside the room, they could hear students whispering.
“Did you hear? Some girl was being bullied.”
“I heard it was David.”
“Who was the girl?”
Aria's eyes widened.
She already knew.
It had to be Pearl.
“Come on,” Aria whispered.
The three girls followed the voices until they found the janitor's room.
And there she was.
Pearl was kneeling on the floor, crying.
“What happened?” Maya asked.
Pearl looked up at them.
“I—I don't know.”
She pointed at David.
“I only drank a smoothie, and now he's fat and unconscious.”
She began stammering.
“I didn't do anything. I swear!”
Serene looked at David.
“Is he dead?”
Aria immediately knelt beside him and placed two fingers against his neck.
She waited.
“No.”
She looked at Pearl.
“He's alive.”
Pearl let out a shaky breath.
Maya moved closer to her.
“Calm down, Pearl.”
“No, I can't!”
Pearl grabbed her hair.
“I don't know what happened to me!”
Maya gently held her hands.
“Then tell us everything that happened today.”
Aria nodded.
“Start from when you woke up.”
Pearl wiped her tears.
“I woke up. I said goodbye to Dad. Then my crush came…”
She hesitated.
“I saw Red Diamond—”
“Red Diamond?” Serene interrupted.
Pearl nodded.
“Yes.”
Serene exchanged a quick look with Maya.
Something about that name had caught their attention.
“Keep going,” Aria said.
Pearl shook her head.
“After that, everything became strange. People kept staring at me. Then David followed me. I ran into this room and…”
She looked at David.
“I touched him.”
Her voice became quieter.
“Then this happened.”
Nobody spoke.
Maya looked thoughtful.
“Pearl, listen to me. Go home and get some rest.”
Pearl looked confused.
“But David—”
“We'll take care of him,” Serene assured her.
Maya nodded.
“We need to check something first.”
“What?”
“A book.”
Pearl frowned.
“What book?”
“Umm…” Serene quickly interrupted.
“Pearl, leave first. You need to calm down.”
Pearl hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“Okay.”
She stood up and walked toward the door.
“Thank you.”
Once Pearl disappeared down the hallway, Aria immediately turned to Maya.
“What book?”
Maya lowered her voice.
“The Witch Spells Book.”
Aria's eyes widened.
“You have a witch spells book?”
Maya nodded.
“I've read something about the Red Diamonds in it.”
Serene folded her arms.
“And you didn't think that was important?”
“I didn't know it was connected to us!”
Aria sighed.
“Let's go home.”
---
BACK HOME
The house was unusually quiet.
Aria sat beside Maya as she placed the old spell book on the table.
Serene stood behind them.
Maya carefully turned the pages.
Page after page.
Nothing.
She kept searching.
“Come on…”
She turned another page.
Then another.
Suddenly—
“Got it!”
Aria leaned closer.
“What does it say?”
Maya stared at the page.
At the top was a drawing of a glowing red diamond.
Underneath it were several words.
DESIRE GRANTED.
Maya continued reading.
Her voice became quieter.
“Price taken.”
Serene's expression changed.
“That's it?”
Maya slowly turned the page.
There were drawings of people receiving different things.
A beautiful dress.
A crown.
A house.
A talent.
Love.
Power.
And beside every desire was a small red diamond.
But each picture had something crossed out beside it.
A memory.
A friendship.
A possession.
A talent.
Something was always taken.
Aria stared at the pages.
“So that's how it works.”
Maya nodded slowly.
“Someone's deepest desire can be granted…”
She looked at the final words.
“…but magic always demands a price.”
Serene moved closer.
“Then Pearl's transformation wasn't random.”
Maya shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at the drawing of the red diamond again.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
Her head lifted.
“Maya?” Aria asked.
Maya didn't answer.
She was staring at the page as if she had just remembered something.
“What?”
Serene stepped closer.
Maya swallowed.
“I think…”
She looked at them.
“I think I've seen this before.”
“Seen what?” Aria asked.
Maya pointed at the red diamond.
“Our moms.”
Silence.
Aria's expression changed.
“What about them?”
Maya looked down at the book.
“I think I saw our moms making a potion.”
Serene's eyes widened.
“You're sure?”
Maya slowly shook her head.
“No.”
She touched the page.
“But I remember seeing that symbol.”
Aria stared at the red diamond.
Their mothers had disappeared.
And now the same mysterious symbol was appearing around them.
Maybe the Red Diamonds weren't just a legend.
Maybe their mothers had been part of it.
And maybe…
they knew exactly where the magic came from.
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