Chapter 2

"Well, Sarah? Don't keep us waiting," Brenda said, her voice edged with impatience.

Jessica stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the lockets.

But her gaze wasn't on the Trailblazer.

It lingered on the gold Wallflower Charm.

A slow, greedy smile spread across her face.

"Actually, Mother," Jessica said, her voice smooth, "I've been thinking."

Brenda looked surprised. Jessica rarely thought against Brenda's script.

"Sarah' s first life... married into Alex' s family. Comfortable. Supported. No stress."

Jessica's eyes flicked to me, full of smug understanding.

"She had it easy. The Wallflower Charm... it must be the key to a life of leisure, supported by a rich man. That' s the real prize."

She was reborn too. And she' d drawn the wrong conclusion.

She thought my marriage to Alex, a gilded cage, was a desirable fate.

"I want the Wallflower Charm," Jessica declared, reaching out a perfectly manicured hand.

Brenda froze. "Jessica, what are you saying? The Trailblazer is for achievement, for success!"

"Success?" Jessica scoffed. "Success got me killed. Used up and thrown away. No, thank you. I'll take the easy life this time."

She looked directly at me, her eyes narrowed. "You can have the Trailblazer, little sister. Go on, knock yourself out. See where all that ambition gets you."

A taunt. A dismissal.

She truly believed she was snatching the better deal.

Before Brenda could protest further, Jessica' s fingers closed around the Wallflower Charm.

She lifted it, a triumphant smirk on her face. "This is mine."

The air crackled. A faint shimmer, almost invisible, pulsed from the gold locket and then faded.

The choice was "sealed," as family lore dictated.

Brenda looked aghast. "Jessica! You foolish girl! What have you done?"

Her carefully laid plans, ensuring her favored daughter got the "best" charm, were in ruins.

My turn.

My hand was steady as I reached for the silver Trailblazer Charm.

It felt cool, almost alive, in my palm.

As my fingers closed around it, a different shimmer, brighter, sharper, pulsed from the silver.

Brenda stared at me, her face a mask of fury and disbelief.

"You," she hissed, her voice venomous. "This is your fault."

I met her gaze, my expression calm.

"Jessica made her choice, Mother."

Internally, a spark ignited. Not of triumph, not yet. But of possibility.

The Trailblazer Charm. Sharp intellect. Opportunity. A path to significant achievement.

The tools I desperately needed.

Brenda' s face was pale. "The choice is sealed," she whispered, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. "But this isn't over, Sarah. Don't think for a moment this changes anything."

Oh, but it changed everything.

Jessica, cradling the Wallflower Charm, looked smug. "Enjoy your struggles, Sarah. I'll be enjoying my comfort."

I simply nodded, the weight of the Trailblazer in my hand a silent promise.

The game had changed. And Jessica had just handed me the winning piece.