Chapter 1

My mom coughed again, a dry, painful sound from her bedroom.

I closed my textbook, the words blurring.

Calculus wouldn't pay the medical bills, not yet.

Scholarships would, if I aced everything.

Top university, that was the plan, the only plan.

Ever since Dad died, it was just me and Mom.

He was a soldier, strong, then gone too fast.

Now, her illness was a quiet thief in our small house.

The town was competitive, full of kids with trust funds and tutors.

I had my brain, and a part-time job stocking shelves.

It wasn't enough.

Tomorrow was the big physics exam, another hurdle.

Maya, my best friend since kindergarten, texted good luck.

Her family had money, a nice house, no worries like mine.

She didn't always get it, but she was Maya, like a sister.

Jake, my other close friend, was probably cramming too.

He wanted that top spot as much as I did, maybe more.

We were rivals, but friendly, or so I thought.

The next afternoon, the exam was done. My head throbbed.

I walked home, cutting through the old market square.

A street vendor I'd seen around, Silas, sat by a fountain.

He sold strange trinkets, carvings, old coins.

His eyes were too sharp, like he saw more than the dusty goods on his blanket.

He beckoned me over.

"Young Ethan," he said, his voice raspy. "You look troubled."

I just shrugged, tired. "Big exam."

"More than an exam troubles your path," he said, holding up a small, woven bracelet. "This. You wear it?"

I frowned. Jake gave me a bracelet this morning, right before the exam.

"Yeah, a friend gave it to me. For luck." It was on my wrist, simple, dark threads.

Silas shook his head slowly. "Not luck, son. A Swapper's Charm."

I almost laughed. "A what?"

"It takes your good, gives it to another. Takes their bad, gives it to you."

He pointed at my wrist. "That boy, Jake, he aims high on this exam?"

"Yeah, we both do."

"Then his score, likely poor if he relies on this, will become yours. Your good score, his. And it binds itself to you. Soon, you won't be able to remove it."

This was crazy. Silas, the weird trinket seller, talking curses.

"That's... not possible," I said.

"Is it?" Silas's eyes held mine. "The magic is old. It feeds on intent."

He leaned closer. "If it becomes truly stuck, only one way to pass it on without harm to yourself. Give it to family. Someone you consider blood."

Family. Maya. Mom.

The thought was a cold stone in my gut.

"This is a joke, right?" I asked, but my voice was unsteady.

Silas just looked at me, his expression unchanging.

"Some jokes aren't funny, Ethan. Watch your scores. Watch your friend."

He turned back to his trinkets, dismissing me.

I walked away, the bracelet suddenly feeling tight on my wrist.

A Swapper's Charm. Ridiculous.

But a sliver of unease had taken root.