As time passed, I moved from one roommate to another, yet no one seemed to understand me. It felt as though the world was against me, but I refused to give up.
Haters multiplied around me, but I kept pushing forward.
Finally, my father paid for me to get my own room.
For the first time, I had a space to call mine.
I decorated it beautifully, making it a reflection of the person I wanted to become—independent, strong, untouchable.
Then came the five girls who would change everything.
Beauty.
Theresa.
Faith.
Princess.
Queen.
Princess and Queen lived far from my lodge, but they were my coursemates. The remaining three stayed in my lodge, and they were the real Gen Z baddies.
Our friendship grew fast and deep.
We shared our pasts, our pain, our heartbreaks.
They took me to places I had never been—parties, clubs, birthdays, hotels. I met people with wealth, men with cars, men who spoke in money.
For the first time in my life, I felt powerful.
I felt like I was on top of the world.
I thought I had finally found real happiness.
But it wasn't happiness.
It was just another illusion.
Another form of wicked happiness.
At first, Queen moving in with me felt like a good idea. She was my coursemate, my friend, someone I trusted. She had been chased out by her caretaker, and I thought letting her stay would bring us closer.
But I was wrong.
Queen took more than she gave. She ate my food but never shared hers. She made me feel small, like I owed her something simply because she was older. I respected her too much to complain, but deep inside, I was drowning in resentment.
Then, one day, she finished my foodstuff and refused to contribute.
That was my breaking point.
I didn't confront her. Instead, I came up with a plan.
When my mother told me about a family friend's daughter, Jessica, who had just gained admission to my school and needed a place to stay, I knew it was my way out.
I lied to Queen.
"My cousin is coming to stay with me. Her mother wants us to live together."
Queen's face dropped. She was confused, unsure of where to go next. Her parents never really supported her, and I knew she had nowhere to go.
I felt pity.
So I gave her a few days to find a place.
But deep down, I was relieved.
I had learned something important: Never live with a friend if you don't want to become enemies.
When Queen finally left, Jessica moved in.
She was nothing like Queen.
A dark-skinned, quiet girl—too local for my world. She was calm, respectful, well-trained, and seemingly innocent.
At first, living with her felt peaceful. I told myself things would be different this time.
Meanwhile, my friendship with the three baddies—Beauty, Theresa, and Faith—continued to grow stronger.
We gossiped, laughed, and went to apartment parties. Wild parties. I never did the naughty things they did, but I watched, observing the kind of life I had never imagined before.
I met more people. More men.
But they were all the same.
They wanted just one thing.
Sex.
And I always refused.
This made people talk.
"She must be a lesbian."
"She's not romantic at all."
"She doesn't even love for a relationship. Maybe she's possessed?"
I heard it all.
But I didn't care.
They didn't know my pain.
They didn't know the oath I had sworn.
Time passed, and Jessica started changing.
The quiet, calm girl I once knew wasn't the same anymore.
Maybe it was the influence of school. Maybe it was the people around her. Or maybe it was the "see finish"—the fact that she saw me every day, knew my flaws, and no longer had the same respect for me.
She stopped helping out.
She didn't contribute.
She didn't work.
I had enough.
I chased her out.
Her mother was furious.
"You're too worldly now," she said. "Even your dressing shows no respect."
But I didn't care.
I moved on.
Living alone again felt different this time.
It wasn't peace.
It wasn't freedom.
It was fear.
Something was wrong.
I started having strange dreams.
Marine spirits appeared to me at night.
They tormented me.
I would wake up sweating, my heart pounding. I didn't understand what was happening to me.
Out of fear, I ran out of my room and went to stay with my three baddies.
I told them everything.
Faith looked at me, her expression serious. "You're actually possessed. You're from the water. That's why relationships don't favor you."
Her words sent chills down my spine.
I rejected it immediately.
But deep down, fear clung to me like a shadow.
I couldn't live alone anymore.
I needed a new roommate.
Someone.
Anyone.
Because I wasn't sure how much longer I could face the darkness on my own.