Rosario sat with a box in her hands. Her piercing green eyes looked around at different family members. Some she knew well, some she had only met a couple of times, and some she had never met at all. They were all there to get their inheritance.
Her aunt Charo had committed suicide. She was a loner and most people in the room assumed that was why she had chosen to take her own life. Because she didn't have anyone. No one knew for sure since Charo hadn't left a letter. She had gone out of her way to make sure everyone got their fair share of what she owned so this was a planned thing. That much Rosario could figure out.
"That's all," the attorney Paul Heyman said.
"Stupid cunt only left me 10.000 dollars," Angel said.
Rosario looked over at her cousin. He was a spoiled brat even though he was an adult who should know better. Luckily she didn't have to deal with him for long.
"Are you sure there isn't something you missed?" Angel continued.
"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom," Rosario mumbled.
She left the room and walked out to the bathroom. She gripped the sink and stared at her mirror image. Her piercing green eyes stared back at her. The one thing she knew she had in common with her dead aunt. Those green eyes that no one else in the family seemed to have. Her hair was long and black. She had put it in a ponytail to try and look presentable. She let out a loud yawn she had been holding back when she was in the other room. She hadn't slept at all last night because she was nervous about today, and she could feel that now. She needed sleep but it was a long time away.
"Come to me."
It was like an unknown voice was calling her. No one was in the room with her. It felt more like it came from the box. She had no idea what was in it. She was surprised to get any inheritance at all. She hadn't been close with her aunt.
"Alright, let's see what you're hiding," she said.
She opened the box and found a letter on top. She picked up the letter and recognized her aunt's handwriting.
"My dearest niece Rosario.
I am sorry for this but you are the strongest person I know. Stronger than me. I thought I was strong but I couldn't handle it."
She felt tears in her eyes. Her aunt was apologizing for taking her own life. She wondered if the others got a letter like this.
"There's a lot of things I would like to tell you but I can't. There are rules to everything in life, and sometimes we have to figure them out on our own. You're smart. You can handle most things. I hope you can handle it all better than I could.
Remember that the kindest faces sometimes hold the darkest secrets. Behind every smile is a predator waiting to strike. Don't get swallowed up in the music just because it makes you happy. Stay grounded. Trust your guts. Follow the light out of the darkness. This world has many beings, and not everyone wants what's best for you. Sometimes the monster under the bed tries to get into it. Don't allow it.
Your aunt,
Charo."
"Okay, that went dark," she said. "What the hell was she struggling with?"
She looked down at the box again where tissue paper was on top. She moved it aside and pulled out what looked like a small chest. She opened it and found that it was a jewelry box. Inside was a beautiful, oval shaped, turquoise pendant hanging in a gold chain.
"Come to me."
She picked up the necklace and studied it for a couple of seconds before putting it on. She looked in the mirror and smiled. The turquoise color went great with her black hair and piercing green eyes. She pulled out the elastic and let her hair fall loose. She put the letter and the jewelry chest in her purse and left the bathroom.
"This is bullshit!" Angel shouted. "I deserve more money!"
She didn't want to deal with her angry family. Instead she left the house without a word and walked down the street. The sun was slowly setting. She had to get home and get her things since she had a night shift. She had to get her emotions under control. She was hurt that her aunt had left this world, but she was even more angry at how the family was acting. They didn't care. They just wanted money and whatever else was left.
She moved her hand up and closed it around the pendant while thinking about her aunt. She was about to cross the street but stopped and looked down the street to her right. She knew this street but it seemed so different than it used to. Happy voices were sounding from everywhere. Joyful music was playing from a bar. She walked a couple of steps and stopped when a long haired man suddenly came walking out from the bar. He broke out in a big smile and grabbed her hand.
"Let's dance," he said.
He pulled her inside the bar and out on the dance floor. She looked around and saw a lot of other happy people talking, dancing and drinking. Everyone was having fun. She felt all that happiness work its way into her body, and she decided to just give in to this handsome stranger who was twirling her around. He suddenly pulled her close and she blushed. It had been a while since a man like him had paid her any attention.
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Roman," he answered.
"I'm Rosario," she said.
He dipped her and held her there hanging above the floor, completely at his mercy.
"That's a beautiful necklace," he said.
"Thanks. It belonged to my aunt. She died recently," she said.
"Some people believe old souls give way to new ones. That one has to die in order for another to come to life," he said.
"If that was the case, the world wouldn't be overpopulated by now. We would have remained the same population," she said.
He chuckled and pulled her up again.
"Can I see it?" He asked.
He lifted her hand and gave it a kiss. Again she blushed. Her hand slid out of his but he kept his hand in the small space between them, waiting for her to either let him see her necklace or for her to tell him no.
"I guess," she said. "It's just a necklace though. Nothing special about it."
"It's a special necklace for a special woman," he said. "All this beauty in front of me is hard to take. You outshine everyone in this room."
She blushed again. This man was already way deep inside her heart, and she didn't even know him. She moved her hands up to open the necklace but stopped when the alarm on her phone went off.
"Fuck!" She muttered.
She found her phone in her purse and killed the alarm.
"I gotta go. I have a night shift," she said.
"Pretend you don't remember. I can help you forget," he said.
"I can't stay away. The hospital needs me," she said.
"Ah, you're a nurse," he said.
"A doctor," she smirked. "I gotta go. I'd like to see you again."
"Then come see me again," he said.
"Can I have your number?" She asked.
"No number," he said.
He pulled her in for a kiss instead. She almost forgot about work but her alarm went off a second time.
"I'm sorry. I always set it each minute until I turn it off completely once I'm in my car on my way to work. It's the paranoia in me," she said. "I really gotta go. No number. Okay, cool. I guess I'll see you if I see you."
"You'll find me again," he smirked. "I'll be here waiting. Come to me."
She furrowed her brows and took a step back. It all felt weird. She looked around and it felt like everyone had been watching them but were turning their eyes away to pretend not to.
"Work," she whispered. "I gotta go to work."
She ran out of the bar and the few steps back to the corner to continue in the direction she was supposed to go home. She looked down the street, and despite it still being the same street, it felt different. It felt like it usually did on a normal day. No more happy voices or joyful music from the bar. Someone had closed the door to the bar, and that apparently killed all the sounds.
"Work, Rosario," she reminded herself. "You can drool over him in your dreams tomorrow."