After checking the price of the house, her husband discovered it was less than half the cost of a regular house.
Without consulting her, he went ahead and bought the villa anyway.
The two of them had argued about it for a while afterward.
Tasha didn’t believe in ghosts or evil spirits.
She simply felt the house carried a certain uncleanliness.
In that regard, both she and her husband were firm materialists.
Still, Alexander had offered the amulet out of genuine kindness.
She wasn’t about to reject a thoughtful gesture from her new neighbor, especially if she wanted to settle comfortably into this community.
Besides, she genuinely liked the young man.
Alexander smiled when he saw Tasha wearing the amulet.
He was glad she was willing to listen.
The last thing he wanted was to deal with stubborn people who dismissed good advice.
His gaze drifted for a moment as the amulet settled naturally against her skin.
‘It’s not that I’m being inappropriate,’ he told himself.
‘It’s just… physics.’
The pendant rested perfectly in the shadow of her neckline, and the faint scent of her perfume, combined with how close they were standing, made it hard to focus.
She was dressed more modestly than the day before, probably because she was taking her child to school but she still carried that effortless, mature allure.
The fitted tank top hugged her figure, and her pink yoga pants highlighted the strong, graceful lines of someone who clearly made time for the gym and yoga.
Alexander forced his eyes back up to meet hers.
“Everyone in the family should wear one,” he said earnestly.
“And it’s best to hang extras on the bedroom doors and pillows too.”
He didn’t mention the house’s haunted reputation.
Since they’d bought it anyway, they clearly weren’t the superstitious type.
If they refused to leave and something happened… well, some choices had consequences.
After handing over the charms, Alexander climbed into his secondhand pickup and headed for school.
He’d already taken three days off, he couldn’t afford to be late again.
Tasha watched him drive away and let out a soft sigh.
Her husband had been working longer hours lately, sometimes disappearing for days on business trips.
She understood it was for their future, but the loneliness still crept in.
She was only human.
There were nights when the emptiness felt too heavy, and fleeting, shameful thoughts crossed her mind, thoughts of seeking comfort elsewhere.
But she always pushed them down.
Her husband was doing his best.
____
Alexander’s driving was smooth, and the school wasn’t far.
He arrived in under twenty minutes.
As he pulled up, the familiar tall buildings of the University of Texas at Austin came into view.
Founded in 1883, it was a prestigious public research university, one of the best “Public Ivies” with a strong global reputation.
The original owner of this body had managed to get in, so his grades must have been solid.
Unfortunately, Alexander had only absorbed a fraction of those memories.
Twenty years of someone else’s life was a lot to process.
He was in his third year.
A few more credits and he’d graduate, stepping into the real world.
That pressure was probably why his ex-girlfriend Emma had left him.
She came from a wealthy family with connections.
He was an orphan with none.
“Look who it is!”
A shrill voice cut through the air.
“Our campus clown, Alexander! Heard your girlfriend ran off with someone else. Took three whole days off to cry about it, huh?”
A tall, freckled white guy, Frank stared at him with a mocking grin.
“So what if you bought a car? Still couldn’t keep her. Bet she’s with Buck right now, doing things you could only dream about.”
Frank thrust his hips forward in a crude gesture.
Laughter rippled through the small crowd that had gathered, classmates and strangers alike, all eager for the show.
Alexander calmly scanned the group, then stepped out of the truck.
The laughter faltered.
He towered over Frank now, his broad shoulders and powerful build casting a long shadow.
The baggy school uniform from before no longer hid the changes.
Frank’s smirk vanished.
“What the—?”
Before he could finish, Alexander grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand and lifted him clear off the ground.
Frank’s feet dangled helplessly.
A flicker of red glinted in Alexander’s eyes.
The bully’s face went pale.
The confident bully who’d tormented the old Alexander was gone.
In his place was someone who had just realized he’d picked a fight with the wrong person.
A wet patch spread across Frank’s pants.
Alexander wrinkled his nose at the smell and dropped him onto the grass.
“Go home and change,” he said quietly.
Frank didn’t say a word.
He just scrambled up and ran, the crowd parting in stunned silence.