Chapter 1

I walked out of the SAT practice test, my head held high. Another perfect score, I just knew it. Harvard was almost in my grasp, a ticket out of this small New England town for me and Mom. Mom worked two jobs, her hands always rough, her smile always tired, just to keep us afloat. This scholarship was everything.

My name is Sarah Miller, school academic star, future astrophysicist. That' s what everyone said.

On my way home, I passed Mr. Abernathy' s dusty antique shop on the edge of town. He was outside, sweeping the stoop with an old broom. He looked up, his eyes like old, faded photographs.

"Top of the class sometimes means bottom of the barrel, young lady."

His voice was raspy, like dry leaves skittering across pavement. I just nodded politely, thinking he was just an old man rambling. What did he know about my future?

The next day, Chloe Thompson, my best friend since middle school, bounced up to me, her cheerleader ponytail swinging.

"Sarah! I got you something!"

She held out a small, silver locket. It was heart-shaped, a little old-fashioned.

"It' s a friendship locket! For good luck on the real SATs. You have to wear it."

I wasn't big on jewelry, especially something clunky like that for a test, but Chloe looked so excited.

"Thanks, Chloe. It' s...nice."

I put it on. It felt heavy around my neck.

The first sign something was wrong came with the next practice test results. My score had dropped, significantly. I stared at the paper, a cold knot forming in my stomach. It had to be a fluke, a bad day.

But then Chloe, who usually struggled with anything harder than a pop quiz, started getting A' s. She even aced a physics paper she' d been complaining about.

"See, Sarah? The locket works!" she chirped, tapping the identical one she wore.

I forced a smile, but Mr. Abernathy' s words echoed in my mind, "Top of the class sometimes means bottom of the barrel." Doubt, cold and unwelcome, started to creep in.

My actual SAT scores came back, and they were a disaster. Far below what I needed for a full scholarship, far below anything I' d ever scored. My dream felt like it was shattering. Mom would be so disappointed, her sacrifices wasted.

I couldn' t understand it. I studied, I knew the material.

Desperate, I found myself back at Mr. Abernathy' s antique shop. The little bell above the door jingled mournfully as I entered. The air inside was thick with the smell of old wood and forgotten things.

He was behind the counter, polishing a tarnished silver box.

"Mr. Abernathy," I started, my voice trembling a little, "you said something to me the other day, about... about the top of the class."

He looked at me, those knowing eyes seeming to see right through me.

"Some objects, child, carry more than just memories. They carry intent, fortune, misfortune." He gestured vaguely around the shop. "This locket Chloe gave me," I blurted, touching it. "Could it...?"

He didn't answer directly. "Such things often work through strong connections, bonds of affection, or what one believes to be affection. Sometimes, they can shift burdens, or blessings, from one to another, if the recipient is considered a true friend, a loved one."

The idea of transferring a burden, especially to Chloe, who I' d known forever, or Ethan, my childhood friend, captain of the football team, the town' s golden boy who' d always been there for us after Dad died... it made me feel sick. Ethan, who helped Mom fix the leaky roof last spring. Chloe, who' d held my hand at my father' s funeral.

"No," I said, more to myself than to him. "That' s not possible. They' re my friends."

I left the shop quickly, my heart pounding. It was just superstition, old wives' tales. There had to be a rational explanation. Maybe I was too stressed, maybe I hadn' t prepared enough, even though I knew I had.

Chloe wouldn' t hurt me. Ethan wouldn' t hurt me. They were the closest people I had.

I clung to that thought, dismissing the old man's cryptic words and the cold feeling the locket gave me. I was just tired, overworked. Everything would be fine.

But then, I walked past the school library. The door was slightly ajar, and I heard voices. Chloe' s light laugh, and then Ethan' s deeper tone.

"She' ll be fine, Chloe. Sarah' s always so smart, she' ll figure something out. You deserved a chance at a good college too."

My blood ran cold.

"And that locket from Abernathy?" Chloe asked. "It really works. I can' t believe you got it for me."

"He said it swaps luck," Ethan admitted, his voice lower. "I just... I felt like Sarah was too focused on academics, you know? Not enough on us, on living a little. And you really wanted that spot at State."

Betrayal hit me like a physical blow. My legs felt weak. My best friend, my childhood friend, the boy I might have loved. They had deliberately sabotaged me. For a "chance" at college? Because I was "too focused"?