The Uterus Switching Curse

The moment I stepped back into my college dorm on freshman move-in day, the memory hit me like a physical blow. I stared at the sparkling crystal bracelet resting in my roommate's palm, knowing exactly what kind of hell was locked inside it.

In my previous life, this seemingly innocent piece of jewelry bound my reproductive system to hers, trapping me in an absurd, agonizing nightmare.

She had made it her life's mission to become the ultimate campus heartbreaker. Her goal was to sleep with one hundred different guys before graduation, walking away from every encounter without a scratch, completely immune to pregnancy or disease.

Meanwhile, I was the quiet, studious girl who had never even been on a date. Yet, I was the one who woke up with morning sickness. I was the one forced onto the cold, sterile surgical tables, enduring dozens of agonizing procedures to remove pregnancies that were not mine.

The entire campus branded me a shameless tramp. People spat at my feet. The ordeal finally ended when my body gave out during the final, catastrophic surgery. I bled to death in a freezing hospital room, entirely alone.

So, when my roommate smiled her sweet, deceptive smile and offered me that cursed bracelet again, I did not hesitate. I reached out and gently fastened it around the wrist of the woman standing next to her. Her mother.

"We are going to be roommates for the next four years. Consider this crystal bracelet a welcome gift. It brings good vibes and lucky energy."

Harper smiled warmly, pressing the delicate silver chain and sparkling stones into my hand. Her enthusiasm felt suffocating.

Staring at the familiar piece of jewelry, the reality of my rebirth fully set in.

"I appreciate the thought, but this looks expensive. We just met. It does not feel right accepting something so valuable right off the bat."

I gently pushed her hand back. Harper and her mother were dressed in faded, discount store clothes. They clearly were not wealthy. Out of the four girls in our suite, she was only offering this gift to me. It was a blatant trap.

Noah stepped forward and clamped his hand over mine, forcing my fingers shut over the crystals. "Just take it, Avery. Harper is trying to be nice. Do you have to be so socially awkward on the first day?"

Harper immediately played the victim. "Yeah, Avery. If you do not take it, you are basically rejecting my friendship."

I forced a tight, bitter smile. Noah was the boy I grew up with. He was the only reason I applied to this university in the first place.

Yet, before classes even started, he had already flirted his way into Harper's orbit through the freshman group chats. On the drive here, he specifically warned me to keep my distance so I would not ruin his chances with her.

I suddenly grabbed Noah's wrist. "You know, this bracelet really matches your aesthetic. Why do not you wear it?"

Noah looked horrified. He violently yanked his arm back, stumbling away from me. "Are you crazy? Harper bought that for you! I am not ruining her gift!"

My suspicion was confirmed. Noah knew exactly what the bracelet did.

I quietly slipped the jewelry into my pocket and stopped arguing.

A few minutes later, Harper and Noah turned around to unpack some boxes. I seized my chance. I stepped close to Harper's mother, pulled the bracelet out, and swiftly clasped it around her wrist.

The crystal pulsed with a faint, unnatural glow. The system had successfully bound its target.

Harper's mother ran her fingers over the stones, a greedy smile spreading across her face. "At least someone here has some sense. My daughter begged me to buy this expensive thing for you. I did not even want to let it go."

She looked me up and down, her eyes full of judgment. "Look at you, all dressed up in those tight jeans. You are clearly just here to chase boys. Do not you dare corrupt my daughter."

"I am keeping this bracelet. Do not mention a word of this to Harper, or she will throw a tantrum."

I offered her a polite, saccharine smile. "Do not worry, Mrs. Davis. Wear it in good health. Your secret is totally safe with me."

In my past life, putting on that bracelet initiated a dark, parasitic bond.

Harper wanted to be the queen of the party scene, treating guys like collectible trophies. She spent countless nights in fraternity houses and off-campus apartments, treating her body like an amusement park.

No matter how reckless she was, she never got pregnant. Instead, a virgin like me suffered the brutal, confusing consequences.

Rumors of my constant hospital visits spread like wildfire. Every time I walked into the cafeteria, I heard the whispers. People called me a public restroom, claiming anyone could have a turn.

No one believed my side of the story. Even the clinic doctors looked at me with disgust.

"You young girls have absolutely zero self-respect. Do you think your body is a joke?" they would say.

I paid for her sins with my life. This time, I was not playing the victim. If Harper wanted to play with dark magic, her own mother could pay the toll.

Once we finished unpacking, Harper insisted on taking the whole suite out for dinner.

Sitting at the restaurant booth, she tilted her chin up proudly. "My goal for college is to be a legend. I am going to date one hundred different guys before we graduate."

"Someone with my kind of beauty shouldn't be tied down. I am going to spread the love."

The rest of us exchanged uncomfortable glances.

Lexi, our blunt and fiercely protective roommate, frowned. "Seriously? That sounds like you are treating people like disposable garbage. Plus, your boyfriend is sitting right next to you. Is not he bothered by you saying that?"

Before Harper could even open her mouth, Noah jumped to her defense. "You guys just do not get it. Harper is a free spirit. I love how open and liberated she is."

"Besides, I am her main guy. Everyone else is just a temporary guest. As long as she comes back to me, why should I care?"

Harper and Noah locked eyes, smiling like they were starring in a romantic movie.

Lexi and I shared a look. We were watching two absolute clowns.

I slowly shook my head. In high school, Noah was smart and kind. Now, he was a brainwashed lapdog. I could not believe I ever wasted tears on him.

Harper enthusiastically mapped out her grand strategy over appetizers.

"There are eight major colleges on this campus. I figure I will hook up with ten guys from each department. I will save the last twenty spots for athletes from other schools. Oh, and if I can bag a few young professors, that would be the ultimate flex."

"Fair, right? This way, every major gets a chance to experience me."

I knew arguing with her was pointless. I just nodded and pretended to be impressed by her ambition.

Lexi could not hold her tongue. "If you are sleeping around that much, you better be using protection. One mistake and your life is ruined. Abortions wreck your body."

Harper waved her hand dismissively. "I never use protection. Skin-to-skin is the only way to do it. And do not worry about me. I am never getting pregnant."

I put down my fork and feigned shock. "Really? Are you infertile or something?"

Harper glared at me. "Shut up. I just have complete control over my body. I only get pregnant if I choose to."

"I have a secret weapon."

Her eyes darted down to my wrist, landing on the sparkling stones. A smug, wicked grin crossed her face.

What she did not know was that the bracelet I was wearing was a cheap, ten-dollar knockoff I bought at the campus bookstore. The real cursed artifact was currently resting on her mother's arm.

That night, Harper did not come back to the dorm. Neither did Noah.

The three of us stayed quiet. When the Resident Advisor did bed checks, we did not cover for her.

Right at midnight, Harper sent a message to the massive freshman group chat.

"The beds at the hotel across the street are so stiff. My back aches and my legs are completely like jelly."

She attached a photo. She was lounging on white hotel sheets, wearing a silk robe that slipped strategically off one shoulder.

The chat exploded instantly. Hundreds of guys flooded the replies.

"Are you trying to kill us? How am I supposed to sleep now?"

"Is the bed really the reason your legs are shaking, gorgeous?"

Satisfied with the chaos she created, Harper dropped her snapchat link. "Add me if you want to hang out."

Harper got written up for skipping curfew. Naturally, Noah blamed me for not lying to the RA.

"We are supposed to be a team! You are just bitter because I picked her over you."

"Look in a mirror, Avery. You could never compete with Harper. Stop taking your jealousy out on her."

I did not even waste my breath arguing. I just rolled my eyes and locked my bedroom door.

By the end of the first week, Harper had already cycled through three different guys. Every evening when I walked back from the library, I saw her making out with a new guy outside our building.

The entire freshman class was talking about it. Some girls called her trash. Some of the guys treated her like a goddess.

A girl from our biology class tried to pull her aside. "You really need to be careful. You are going to catch something serious."

Harper just laughed in her face. "My immune system is flawless. Keep your advice to yourself."

She was right. In my past life, every single bacterial infection and virus she contracted bypassed her system and manifested in my body. I spent half my freshman year shivering in clinic waiting rooms.

This time around, I wondered how her dear mother's immune system was holding up.

For the next few weeks, Harper stuck to her rigid schedule. A new guy every three days. She barely set foot in our suite.

Then, on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, my phone rang.

"Avery, my mom is in the hospital. Can you please come down here?"

My ears perked up. This was not a standard cold. I grabbed my coat. I had to see this drama play out.

When I arrived at the emergency room, Harper and Noah were pacing the hallway, looking completely frantic.

The very first thing they did was stare at my wrist. Seeing the cheap crystal bracelet securely fastened to my arm, they both let out a massive sigh of relief.

I played dumb. "What happened to your mom?"

Harper rubbed her temples. "The doctor said... she is two weeks pregnant. And she has a massive bacterial infection. The doctor said it was caused by reckless, excessive intimacy."

"My dad was so furious he screamed at her in the lobby and drove off. Now we do not even know if she can keep the baby."

I peered through the glass window. Harper's mother was lying in the hospital bed, gently rubbing her stomach with a dreamy, delusional smile.

Harper suddenly turned to me, her fingers digging into my arm.

"Avery, have you been feeling okay lately? Anything weird going on with your body?"

I nodded slowly, looking concerned. "Actually, yes. I have gained a ton of weight out of nowhere. And my cycle is completely messed up. I am weeks late."

"Since I am already here, I was going to ask the pharmacy for some supplements."

Harper's shoulders immediately dropped. The tension vanished from her face.

I fought back a smirk. I had gained weight because Lexi and I discovered an amazing late-night taco truck near campus. My cycle shifted naturally because living with three other girls had synced our routines.

Harper's mother ultimately lost the pregnancy. She was too old, and her body was too weak to handle the violent magical transfer.

The doctor gave her a stern lecture about practicing safe intimacy and warned her that another pregnancy could be fatal.

Clearly, neither the mother nor the daughter took the warning seriously.