The Sacred Pendant

Chapter 6

    Celine woke up 3am in the morning to ease herself. Her eyes were heavy and her head still ached a bit. Celine sat on her divan and turned to her left. She peered into the darkness and saw Chi, nicely tucked in the duvet and soundly asleep.
     Celine swept her hand on the drawer beside her divan in search of her glasses. She found it and put it on. Celine got up from the bed and teetered to the bathroom. The lights weren't switched on so it was hard to find the bathroom door. She searched the walls with her hands and finally found the door leading into the bathroom. She searched for the doorknob and opened the door.
     Celine tripped over something as she walked in and fell down with a loud thud. The sound of Celine's fall made Chicken move but she didn't wake up. Celine's eyes were now widely open and awake.
"Ouch, " Celine winced, holding her elbow. "What did I trip over?" She looked at her legs to see what made her fall and she saw her leg in her schoolbag.
"Totally my fault, " Celine said and hit her forehead. "I must have dropped it here last night when I came to have my bath. "
     Absentmindedly, Celine had taken her schoolbag along with her to the bathroom when she had gone to take her bath the previous night. Crying had made her so tired and weak. After her bath, she had gone to the kitchen. Chi was done cooking then, so they ate together and later went to bed.
"I wonder if Aunt Margenta came home last night, " Celine said, getting up. She kicked her bag and a clanking sound came out of it. She turned on the bathroom light.
What could be in my bag that's making that sound? Celine thought, massaging her right elbow.
     She squatted beside her bag and unzipped it. In the bag, shining brightly, was the pendant she had picked up from the fountain.
"Whoa! It looks more beautiful than the last time I saw it, " Celine said, picking up the pendant from her bag. "There's something familiar about this pendant. I just don't know what it is. "
     Celine got up and went to the mirror on the bathroom cabinet.
"Let's see how you look on me, " Celine said and put on the pendant.
     Celine didn't understand what happened but as soon as she put it on, she felt something enter her. She held her chest and gasped for breath.
What was that?
     Her vision became blur. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Celine was about putting back on the glasses when she realized something strange. She could see clearly now with the glasses. Celine put on the glasses and her vision blurred. She removed them and she could see as clearly as ever.
Celine looked into the mirror and couldn't recognize herself. Her iris had turned green!
"What's going on? What's wrong with my eyes? " Celine asked, horrified. She staggered backwards, almost losing her balance. Then all of a sudden, she felt it again; something creeping on her whole body.
     Celine looked at herself and found out that her pyjamas were slowly disappearing and some sort of dark green feather-like clothes were covering her skin. Celine couldn't believe her eyes. Her blue pyjamas was no more. She was now wearing what looked like a warrior costume. Her once bare legs were now covered with shiny fancy black boots. She wore a mysterious, tight, feather-like, dark green colored, turtleneck jump suit with a big black leather belt placed tightly on her waist.
     Celine was dumbfounded. She opened her mouth in disbelief and looked at the mirror again. On her head was a black helmet that stretched smoothly against her cheeks and covered her whole hair.
"Am I dreaming? " Celine asked her reflection, perplexed.
     The pendant rose up mid air with the chain still on Celine's neck. Celine stared at it in horror, her heart palpitating. And all of a sudden, the pendant entered Celine's chest with such a great force that pushed her very hard. Celine let out a loud scream and fell to the floor. Her whole body went numb.

"Celine! Celine! Celine! "
     Celine blinked her eyes slowly. White light shone brightly on her eyes and it made it hard for her to open her eyes.
Am I in heaven? Celine thought.
"Celine!" Chi called. It was obvious from her voice that she was alarmed.
"Celine! " Chi called again switching on and off the torchlight she was holding.
     Celine slowly got back to her senses. 
"Celine, open your eyes! " Chi pleaded loudly.
"How can I when you got a torchlight pointing directly at my eyes, " Celine said.
"Oh, sorry, " Chi said and switched off the torchlight. "Are you alright? "
     Celine groaned in pain as she tried to sit on the bed. She thought the fall might have injured her badly but she was surprised that she didn't feel any pain at all.
"What happened? " Celine asked. Chi was on top of her, looking alarmed.
" 'What happened?'. I'm the one who is supposed to ask you that. You screamed and it woke me up. I got out of bed quickly and went into the bathroom only to see you lying on the bathroom floor unconscious. I was terrified. I thought you might have slipped and fallen and may be hit your head. I rushed to you but I didn't see any blood. So I carried you to the bed and I've been trying to wake you up. Thank God, you are awake, " Chi said, relieved.
"How long have I been unconscious? " Celine asked.
"About an hour or so, " Chi replied. "What happened? "
"I don't -," Celine paused, going through what had happened.
It must have been a dream. Or wasn't it? It felt so real, but I doubt it was real. No way! But if it wasn't why then did Chi find me in the bathroom where I fell?
"Celine," Chi called and Celine jolted out of her thoughts.
"I must have sleepwalked, " Celine lied. She thought it stupid to tell Chi what had really happened.
There's no way it could have been real so there's no need to tell her about it, Celine thought.
"Do you normally sleepwalk? " Chi asked.
"No, " Celine replied.
"Then it's weird for you to sleepwalk when you don't normally do, " Chi said.
"I don't know. May be it was because of how tired and devastated I was last night that made me sleepwalk, " Celine said.
"OK, that's possible. But even if you sleepwalked, what made you scream? " Chi asked.
"Come on, Chi! How could I possibly know? I was sleepwalking," Celine said in a is-not-that-what-sleepwalking-means way.
"Fair enough," Chi said. "But are you sure you are OK? You don't feel any pains? "
Surprisingly, I don't.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks, " Celine said and Chi smiled.
"I'm glad you are alright. I was so scared. I thought you might have slipped and, you know," Chi said and fell on the bed like someone who is dead.
"Very funny, " Celine said sarcastically and child chortled.
"Sincerely speaking, that's what I thought when I saw you lying unconscious on the bathroom floor, " Chi said.
     Celine tried to convince herself that what happened was a dream, but something kept on telling her it wasn't.
If it was a dream, then the pendant will still be in my bag. But if it wasn't(Oh boy!), Chi might have seen it on me, Celine thought , I'll ask her.
"By the way, did you by any chance see a necklace on my neck when you found me on the floor? Or may be, I don't know, something that looks like a pendant?" Celine asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Necklace? Pendant? No, I didn't see either of those things. But I did find your schoolbag at the front of the bathroom door. Why did you ask that? Were you wearing a necklace before you went to sleep last night? " Chi asked.
"No, I was just asking, " Celine said, relieved.
So it was a dream. Thank -
"No, wait! " Chi suddenly said and climbed down the bed.
"What is it? " Celine asked, hiding the alarm in her voice.
"I just remember something, " Chi said and went to the bathroom .
Oh my, please it shouldn't be what I think it is,  Celine pleaded inwardly.
"Here it is, " Chi said, coming out of the bathroom. She held up a golden chain. "This was on your neck when I found you."
     Celine watched the golden chain, from the pendant, sway left and right on Chi's hand with both disbelief and terror.
It wasn't a dream, Celine thought , it was all real!
"Celine, are you OK? You like you've just seen a ghost, " Chi said, sitting on the bed.
"No, I-I-I didn't... It's just... N-n-no, I'm fine, " Celine stuttered staring at the golden chain on Chi's hand.
"Celine, are you sure? " Chi asked. She placed the back of her palm on Celine's forehead. "Do you have a fever? "
"No, I'm fine. Yes, I'm fine," Celine said not taking her eyes off the golden chain.
It entered me. The pendant entered me and here is the chain as proof, Celine thought.
"OK, if you say so, " Chi said, not convinced. "So...is this chain real gold?" She asked, admiring it.
"I think so, " Celine said and gulped.
"Where did you get this? Your gave it to you? " Chi asked.
"No, I found it in a fountain at the park."
"The fountain at the park? Who could have guessed that the fountain produces gold. May be I'll go there today after school to try my luck, " Chi said and chuckled. Then she abruptly stopped.
     Celine looked at Chi, wondering why Chi was staring at her like that.
Why is she staring at me like that? Has my eyes turned green again?
"What is it? " Celine asked.
"I thought you were a Christian, " Chi said. Celine could see the perplexity on Chi's face.
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm a Christian, " Celine said, confused.
"What type? "
"I'm a Seventh Day Adventist, " Celine said, wondering why Chi was asking.
"I've heard of them. But I never knew they allowed their members have tattoo, " Chi said.
"Tattoo? " Celine asked.
"Yes, tattoo. Having a tattoo is not a good thing, Celine. Looks like I don't know you too well yet. You are badass to have a tattoo, " Chi said.
"Tattoo? I don't understand. I don't have a tattoo. What are you talking about? " Celine asked, thinking Chi might have lost it.
"You really must take me for a fool. If you don't have a tattoo then what's that on your arm? " Chi said, frowning.
Tattoo on my arm?  Celine looked at her right arm.
     Few of the buttons on her pyjamas were undone, so it made the hand of her pyjamas sag down, exposing her arm.
     A red phoenix tattoo was on Celine's right arm. At first sight, it was so beautiful to Celine but then she thought : How did I get this tattoo?
"How did I get this...this bird tattoo?"
"It's a phoenix, " Chi corrected. "And how do you expect me to know how you got it. It's your tattoo."
"No, you don't understand. I don't have a tattoo. I didn't have a tattoo. I don't know how this cell about, " Celine said. She scratched the tattoo, hoping it would peel off or something. But it remained attached to her skin.
"Are you sincere or pulling my legs? " Chi asked, getting irritated. She hated people lying to her.
"No, I'm not pulling your legs. I'm being sincere. I don't know anything about this tattoo, " Celine said, hoping Chi would believe her.
"That's weird then, " Chi said. "First of all, I found you unconscious in the bathroom after you gave out a loud scream; then you told me you found a golden chain -pure gold -in a fountain, like that's a thing that happens everyday; and now you have a tattoo that you claim not to know anything about. You know what? "
"What?"
"I think Don was right when he said you were just as weird as your aunt. Trust me, it really must be in your family's blood," Chi said angrily.
"What? " Celine said in a whisper, not believing her ears.
"You heard me! What do you take me for? A fool? A dimwitted dummy? It's obvious you've been lying to me from the start! Don was right! You don't deserve my friendship, Bitch!" Chi said and stormed out of the room angrily.
     Celine sat still on her bed, trying to comprehend what had happened.
"Ch-Chi, I -," Celine stuttered and broke into tears.