The box was lighter than she expected.
Karyn sat cross-legged on the mattress, the quiet of the half-empty house pressing around them. The ocean whispered outside, faint through the windows. Mikey shifted beside her, chewing on his lip like he was nervous.
Her fingers trembled as she lifted the lid.
Could it be?
Her heart hammered. What if this was it—the stone? The proof she wasn’t insane, proof that Jon had been real, that she had been Jon, that her memories weren’t just a cruel, fractured dream?
She swallowed hard and pulled the lid all the way back.
Not a stone.
A ring.
Small, silver, unflashy. The kind of ring two kids who didn’t have much money would save up for, hoping love would make it shine brighter than gold ever could.
Mikey smiled, relief softening his young face. “I managed to snag it before Mom could throw it out,” he said quietly. “It’s… it’s the wedding ring. The one Jon gave you. The day you both made your vows.” His voice cracked a little on Jon, but he pushed through. “I thought you’d want to have it. Even if you don’t… remember.”
Karyn took a deep breath, letting the air out slow. Not the stone. Not proof. Just… a ring.
But as she held it between her fingers, she felt something stir. The metal was cool against her skin, and for a fleeting second, warmth spread through her chest. A memory that wasn’t a memory—a feeling of hands clasped together, of words whispered in a quiet place, of a promise that even death hadn’t erased.
It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t expensive. But it was real.
And maybe, that was enough.
She smiled. “Thank you, Mikey. It’s… nice.” Her voice was softer than she meant it to be.
Without thinking, she pulled the thin silver necklace from around her neck. Jon’s necklace. She’d worn it every day since Mikey first gave it to her, almost like it was an anchor to keep her steady. Carefully, she slid the ring onto the chain. It slipped past the pendant and hung there, simple and shining.
“There,” she said, fastening the clasp and letting it fall back against her chest. “Now it’ll always be with me.” She turned to Mikey, grinning. “And maybe someday, when you find someone special, I’ll give it to you.”
Mikey rolled his eyes but blushed anyway. “Yeah, sure. Like any girl would want me.”
“They will,” Karyn said firmly. “Trust me. You’ve got your brother’s heart, and that counts for more than you think.”
He ducked his head, pretending to fiddle with one of the empty takeout boxes, but she saw the small smile tugging at his lips.
The night drifted on, the house still echoing from its emptiness. Boxes lined the walls. Most of their furniture was still days away from delivery. For now, there were just mattresses, blankets, and the two of them sprawled in a home that didn’t feel quite lived in yet.
“Tomorrow we decorate,” Karyn said, yawning. “Curtains, rugs, maybe a couch if the delivery gods are kind.”
“Sounds good,” Mikey said, already lying back and staring at the ceiling.
”
“
then Karyn smirked, voice pitched higher in mock seriousness. “you and me still gotta sign you up for school, right? Middle school’s not gonna pass itself and im not having no drop out under my roof you hear!.”
Mikey just sighed saying "yes mother, i will be the perfect little student for you" in a dead slow voice
She laughed and swatted his arm playfully. “Don’t ‘mom’ me, Mikey. It’s Karyn. Or big sis. Got it?”
He clutched his arm like she’d wounded him. “Ow, abusive guardian already. I’m telling the authorities.”
They both dissolved into laughter, their voices ringing through the empty house like it had been waiting years for this sound.
For the first time since she’d stepped into this strange new life, Karyn didn’t feel lost. She was Karyn, a woman now one who lived with her now brother and in a nice house with a life infrunt of her, but what to do? does she even like men? or woman could she find someone? date? get a job? or even do some university course? but what?
