The Pearl #1

The cushioned pillow underneath Diana's head didn't lull her to sleep, and the nightstand stood proudly against her dazed look.

Her dry eyes kept reminding her to blink every now and then, and if anyone were to see her now, they would need to get close to make sure she was breathing.

There was no way she could sleep after having that shock.

Maybe it was because the words kept being repeated in her head, but she felt a heavyweight in her stomach.

The memories were slow to come, but when she heard him drop that news on her, suddenly they all rushed in at once, pushing each other to appear in front of her, leading her to rub her forehead.

Diana had eloped with her boyfriend of five years after struggling a lot with convincing her family to accept him. Her parents were outspoken when it came to whom they welcomed into their children's lives...

Like…

Like who?

Diana sighed and ignored that nagging feeling in the back of her head, deciding to continue ushering thoughts in.

Her 'family' would never let her marry someone like Elliot, who had a tattoo shop and lived in an unsafe neighborhood, that was a fact that both of her and Elliot were sure of, and it was a fact that proved to be true when she introduced him.

Their reaction was bad, to say the least. Their side glances, repeated mocking words, and mentionings of Elliot's upbringing spoke loudly about their opinions. When they started to ask personal questions that they knew the answer wouldn't be to their liking, Diana had snapped.

She was usually meek, soft-spoken and had deep respect for her parents, who lived through a lot together and built their family with well-educated thoughts and principles. But, at that moment, she found it hard to justify her parents' actions and her heart tightened in anguish while she held back her tears.

That moment was enough to open her eyes and realize some stuff. She had fought with them before and walked away feeling guilty about whatever they manipulated her to think. It wasn't until one time she had felt the world was holding her tightly by the neck after an argument with them, that she decided to go on a walk.

One way took her to the other, and blindly she wandered into a neighborhood that she had never seen before. If it hadn't been for the sudden surge of courage that took over her body, she would never walk into such a setting where no one stepped onto the streets and every shop was closed which was unusual for mid-morning.

The only open place was a tattoo shop, a nice well-decorated place — from what she could see through the windows — that was filled with too many inked drawings and papers on the floor. The sign outside told her that it was called 'Ray'.

She had stood outside for a few minutes, eyes flickering left and right, looking if there was anyone around her. Soft but edgy music filled her ears, bringing a new sound of something other than classical to her dull life.

She had then walked in, hoping for something new.

And that wish came true. It came in the form of Elliot with his tattooed arms and piercing eyes. Someone who had a charming smile and easy words on the ears, and someone who was the first to give her a small tattoo on her back.

It had brought new flavor into her life, something special to appreciate and hold. When she had left that shop, she found her legs leading her to it every now and then, until flames started to play between them and one thing took to the other until they became what they were now.

She thought that keeping him a secret was easy, and to her surprise, it was. No one knew of a thing, not until she found herself pregnant and attached to the soul that was slowly growing inside her.

Introducing Elliot was one thing, but telling her parents that she was with a child from a man they couldn't wait to kick out of the house, was totally another story. They wanted to know where he lived to unleash their anger on him, but she held back. She held tightly onto all the information relating to Elliot, in fear of them actually doing damage. When they had threatened her of cutting her off the family if she didn't speak, she remained silent.

She would never give up on someone that she spent her precious moment with. Someone who understood her and could connect with her to a deep level.

Fast-forward to where she was, Diana closed her eyes tightly to block away all the overly intimate moments that spread around her mind. Flashes of them kissing and hugging made all hairs on her body stand up straight in goosebumps. Her current mentality and memories didn't match, and she felt her body shiver in denial.

No, she didn't live through any of those.

She was who she knew herself to be.

Right?

Diana shook her head. The important thing now was that she was a month and a half pregnant and her sudden rush of memories made her feel a certain way about the baby inside her.

It felt too precious, too small and innocent to kill alongside her.

She made sure to curse fate internally as she raked her head for possible solutions.

When she noticed that Elliot's breaths slowed down and he was not moving, she silently slid out of the bed, knowing that he was probably tired after a long shift and a small noise wouldn't shake him awake.

She stepped inside the living room, making sure to wear slippers since she didn't want to bleed her ears out hearing him lecture her about how unhealthy it was to walk bare feet. She almost slapped his mouth shut.

She sat on the couch and started thinking of a plan. The thing was, she couldn't remember almost anything that she had gone through before she died which was a hindrance to her progress. She thought of her past deaths and even those were becoming blurry.

Diana was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard a sudden sound of glass breaking outside their house and shoutings. What followed that were sounds of cheers and people encouraging whatever was happening outside.

Her eyes were trained at the doors for a few minutes before deciding to check what the situation was. She grabbed a trench coat over her nightdress and tried jolting the door open, which took a few times.

What she saw outside surprised her.

The neighborhood was a complete disaster. The houses were too close to each other, and everyone could see onto everyone or eavesdrop if they wished. The roads were barely lit with street lights, and she saw everyone standing outside their house, some in their PJs and some in clubbing clothes, looking at a certain direction.

Her curiosity was spiked when she saw how somewhere even munching on popcorn and others were standing in the middle of the street taking cash and shouting bets. She rose to her tiptoes to see what was occurring in the middle of the swarm of people but saw nothing with her petite stature.

"There is nothing there, sweetie," an elder slid closer to her, patting her on the shoulders. Her amused look caught her off guard, and she wondered if she was missing something. "Same old fights never get old." It only got weirder when the neighbors who were previously eating popcorn, started throwing their food around as they cheered.