Cindy's mind reeled.
"What? I can't— I don't want to be a wandering spirit!" She cried out, her voice breaking as panic gripped her heart.
The thought of drifting aimlessly, neither here nor there, terrified her. That wasn't what she always wished, rather when ever in much agony, she always wished to rest peacefully, and not this way....
He tilted his head, his expression unyielding as he spoke.
"Then pay the price, and I will grant you that second chance you seek."
Without knowing what the price was, she turned to the bold man and said. " I Will pay any price, just send me back!"
For her that was a big opportunity to help save Ms Margret and also make Tina and her gang pay for what they did to her.
Don't you wanna know what the price is?" The bold man calmly asked
Cindy closed her eyes, her mind racing with the countless ways her life could change. With each flicker of thought, she replayed moments of happiness and sorrow, weighing their significance.
They were more than just recollections; they were pieces of her soul that fueled her desires.
Finally, she opened her eyes, illuminated by resolution and driven by vengeance.
"No!" She replied. "As long as you send me back to my body, I will pay anything! And I mean anything!!"
The bold make cleared his throats and whispered. " Okay!"
Calmly, he removed the black leather gloves from his right and and stretched it towards Cindy who was standing besides him.
"Touch my hand. " He said.
Then spoke words incantatory for few seconds.
Before she understood what was happening, the world around her melted away, replaced by a brilliant kaleidoscope of color.
Her soul felt the world dissolve around her, a sensation of swirling energy enveloping her as her eyes closed tight. The cacophony of sound faded, replaced by a profound stillness.
And a faint whispere,
"Don't forget the agreement. You've to pay the price. And remember, courage lies not in the absence of fear, but in the decision to forge ahead despite it."
And soon, Cindy was thrust into a her body, reborn...
Boom! just as abruptly, she was back. She blinked and found herself once again in the hall, the scent of wine still lingering in the air. And just like before, she was the center of ridicule.
Am..am back....!
She screamed jovialously. Probably, she couldn't restrain herself, just one thing missing she felt jumping up and down
" Has she gone insane?" Tina muttered to her friends who were already hatching their next move, unaware that Cindy was already aware of what would happen next.
" Hey, my sister-in-law," Trisha called out in a voice louder than necessary, drawing the attention of the entire hall.
Cindy calmly rolled her eyes, "Trisha, am gonna make you all pay for all my suffering!" She said inwardly.
"It isn't good to leave empty handed. It will bring bad luck to my family!" With a flourish, Trisha produced a shiny fifty-cent coin from her expensive purse and threw it Infront of her heels mocking Cindy's's modesty again.
"Go ahead Trisha! Am gonna beat you in your own game." Cindy said inwardly with a smirk.
"I have some alms to give, lest you find yourself wandering the streets begging for them. That will tarnish my family's reputation."
The hall erupted in laughter, the sound echoing like distant thunder, this time , it didn't sting Cindy's heart. Rather she took a deep gasp, and camly smiled back at them.
" Laugh all you Hudsons, but he who laughs last, laughs better. And your happiness will turn into agony and helplessness very soon." Cindy couldn't restrain from cursing the Hudson this time round.
" Come one, don't be shy, pick it up, you will need it later..." Trisha continued to mock Cindy.
Slowly, Cindy bent down and picked the coin from Trisha's foot, which surprised everyone especially trishi, that she didn't expect..
[ Doesn't she have any dignity left?]
Ridicules grew even more bitter yet she played dump and stood up with the shinny coin in her hands as her tender finger brushed over it.
She approached Trisha and said .
"People living in glass houses should not throw stones anyhowly, they may break their own glasses."
"You!" Trisha was out of words
Cindy quietly turned and left, but stopped right on her truck and slowly turned back at Trisha and aaid.
"Oh! One more thing, she said.
" Be careful what you wish for others. And nobody knows tomorrow. What you throw at others today may be thrown to you tomorrow"
She swiftly walked out with the coin, leaving Trisha so embarrassed, especially Infront of her friends and guests.
And it was Tina's time now., she was ready for Tina and her friends, she didn't want to be cought off guard at the stair.
Deep in her thoughts, she walked briskly along the stairs. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were behind her. And yes, she already knew, since it happened just as in few hours before her death.
"They must be following me" she thought, determination pooling in her chest.
The cool night air tugged at her loose strands of hair, and with every step, the whispers of caution echoed in her ears, her breath hitching as she spotted their shadows from the floor.
"You never fail to amuse me Tina!" She softly said.
Cindy's heart began thudding like a drum. She had been pushed down these very steps last time, but this was not going to happen again and was cautious. But of course, are still remembered their laughter and pain she got when she was thrust down, that she couldn't forget .
"Cindy…" came Tina's voice, sugary sweet yet laced with malice. "What's the rush? We just want to talk and help."
Cindy felt the trepidation rise, but she stopped, right on the very step where darkness once stole her footing.
"Welcome to my trap, Tina!" She smirked.
Taking a deep breath, she began to count, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "One… Two… Three…"