en she held out to me. It gleamed under the flat

ays made my stomach clench. "I know how hard you' ve been looking for a new j

lucky' desktop plant. A week after I put it on my desk, the company' s main server crashed, wiping out a multi-million dollar campaign I was in char

s just seem to go wro

two mon

he day I started using it, my wallet was stolen, along with my ID and e

sed them, Mark and I had the worst fight of our five-year relationship. He said things I could never forget, and I sc

ct, and she was a celebrated artist whose paintings suddenly sta

xpensive-looking thing. I knew, with a certainty that

k after Mark had left. I had gone to Emily' s spacious, sunlit studio, be

Why is this ha

nt in her eyes. She picked up a small, carved wooden bird from her de

s hiss. "You always did. The firstborn. The one Mom and Dad were always proud

gifts... they' re not for you. They' re for me. They take your good fortun

representation. Your boyfriend... well, I think I' ll keep him. You' re

ng me down the street. No one would ever believe me. My parents adored Emily. They' d

pen back to her smiling face. The old Sarah would hav

ad died with my job, my relati

grateful smile

mily. That' s

didn' t seem to notice. Or

ng the cold metal into my palm.

faint, metallic taste in my mouth. It was the feeling of my own life being siphoned away. But this time, underneath the

sive watch. "Mark is taking me to that new French r

ing and sweet. "Do try to cheer up, Sara

den under my shirt. It was my grandmother' s locket. My mother had tried to give it to Emily, saying it would suit her better, but my grandmot

ne piece of me she hadn' t been able to touc

autiful instrument of my destruction. But n

tly what to

belonged to a high-ranking officer, Commander David Stone. I had returned it to the base, and he had insisted on buying me a coffee to thank me. He was a serious man,

ed. As I' d hoped, he came in around noon for his lunch

. Good to see

, standing up. "It' s a co

, call m

or a minute, then I

o give you this. As a thank you for the coffee, and... for your service. A man in your p

is fingers brushing against mine. I flinche

ompletely unnecessary," he said, exa

' d feel better. Good luck

pen would do, but I knew its curse was no longer aimed at me. It was now in the hands

nd more dramatic than I

r where I was eating a bowl of soup I could barely af

ding to the temporary corruption of sensitive defense logistics data. Sources say the crash originate

tered against the

ang. It wa

frantic. "They' re talking about that military

wallet, Mom.

to happen around you! It' s that awful luck of yours. First your job, and now t

me through. It was Mark. I let my mothe

?" he demanded, his voi

ou talking a

and get involved in some kind of national security incident! You' re like a walking d

hun

x-boyfriend echoing in my head. They blamed me. Instantly, witho

e, a real, genuine smile touched

blindness was my new shield