Promise

It's another day and another boring school day. Maya Bennett can't wait for the weekend plans with her friends. She's glad it’s finally Friday. Maya and her besties are going to wear the latest fashion trends.

Even if Maya were to look like a mess, she's still popular, after all. And she couldn't care less. Little did she know that this would lead to her downfall.

When the last school bell rang, Maya was the first to walk out the classroom door. The teacher and the other students couldn't stop her. She suddenly bumped into someone and fell on the floor.

Maya realized it was Lucas Zelmer, the most popular guy in school, who happens to be her biggest crush. While helping her up, Lucas said,

"Oh hey, Maya! Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

Maya fixed her hair and replied,

"Hi, Lucas! It's all good. Besides, I wasn't in a rush."

The entire school knows that Lucas recently went through a breakup.

Maya didn't care about any of the rumors, especially that. Then she saw her friends, Taylor Morris and Shanice Ellis. She thanked Lucas for his help and met with her friends to chat. Taylor asked Maya,

Are you okay from all that ruckus?

Maya's friends noticed something didn't seem right. Shanice asked Maya,

"Did you not realize that everyone was laughing at you when you fell?"

Then there was a sudden flicker in the light. Coincidentally, the school announced lockdown.

The entire school was freaking out. Maya wanted to get home because she didn't care about the situation and said,

"Why does this have to affect me? I mean us?"

Maya also didn't care about everyone else's whereabouts. She and her friends headed toward the main exit door and found a necklace.

Maya suddenly felt queasy. She recognized it because the necklace belonged to her. She thought,

"How did my old necklace get here, and why is it broken?

Taylor and Shanice broke Maya's silence which stopped her from feeling uneasy. The necklace had triggered Maya's past which had never ceased to be erased.

Taylor and Shanice wanted to pick up the beautiful necklace, but Maya stopped them. She demanded them to leave it, wondering again where it came from. Maya just brushed off her curiosity.

The girls tried leaving the school, but the door did not open. Maya became frustrated and suddenly thought about her childhood friend, Lily Anderson, who caused her grief.

Meanwhile, the girls continued to open the other doors until they gave in. The school became more silent, and the lights continued flickering. Taylor and Shanice started worrying.

Taylor said,

"We're never going to get out of here like this!"

Shanice added,

"Come on, Maya! We should go back and wait with everyone else in the cafeteria."

Maya ignored her friends when she heard someone calling her name nearby. It was in a familiar area.

Taylor was getting a bit annoyed saying,

"Not again! Maya, where are you going?"

Shanice continued,

"You do know the school's cafeteria is in the opposite direction, right?"

Then Maya replied,

"Shh, I know! I'm not in the mood for this. But I think someone else is here too without us knowing."

Taylor and Shanice looked at each other worried and tried to stop Maya from leaving. They saw the necklace again in front of a door. It was telling them to enter the gym.

Maya felt uneasy again. When the girls turned around, they were startled and saw Lucas looking grim. Maya remembered Lucas was also Lily's love interest, so it did not occur to her then.

It was too late to turn back. Maya asked,

"Lucas, why are you here? And what is happening?"

Taylor and Shanice were also wondering about that. Lucas replied,

"I'm sorry, Maya. I just wanted to help you and Lily. The truth is, Lily is still here. She was never gone."

Frightened, Maya remembered the day of the promise she made with Lily.

When Maya and Lily were only 15, they played a game called Promise. The game requires an exchange of an item both players have, and each must have pure intentions and full honesty, which is tricky.

Lily has always cared for Maya with sincere thoughts and feelings. She hopes her best friend will do the same for her.

Both girls made their promise in exchange for their friendship necklace.

Maya wanted Lily to never like or be with the same guy she liked. Lily wanted to have everything Maya had.

Then they ended the game by simultaneously saying,

"And granted it shall be until we are free!"

The next day, Lily was nowhere to be found. Maya looked everywhere for Lily and called out many times, but there was no answer. Maya kept searching for her friend for years.

Eventually, Maya gave up. She threw out the old friendship necklace, hiding her worries and fears. Up until now, she has become rebellious and reckless.

Finally, Maya snaps out of the memory when she hears Taylor and Shanice calling her name.

"Maya! Maya! Maya, can you hear us? What is exactly going on?"

Lucas speaks to Maya again,

"Lily is here now."

After all this time, Maya knew it was not the same. The lights flicker more as Lily appears. Lily stood face to face with Maya, and hugged her saying,

"Lucas was only trying to help us meet again. Did you miss me, like how I've missed you?"

Maya was shocked to see her old friend, but something about Lily was different. Maya thought to herself: she looks like Lily, but she isn't Lily.

Then Lily continued,

"My dear Maya, sorry for causing a stir. Something has happened. Can we just put our promise to an end?"

Maya got upset and asked Lily,

Why didn't you tell me that you were still alive? I looked and looked everywhere for you. Don't worry about our promise. It has already ended."

Lily answered Maya,

The truth is I already knew you liked Lucas, too. But I waited and hoped for you to tell me the truth. You betrayed our friendship. Anyway, that's all in the past. Can we start over?

Maya lost her pride and tried to remain strong. Lily hugged Maya again. Suddenly, Lily asked,

"How about this, Maya, shall we play a new game of Promise?"

Maya responded,

"What is there to promise this time? Let's end everything for good."

Lily and Maya both know the rules. It's to be fully honest, hoping the new promise doesn't last a lifetime.

The next day, Maya woke up feeling strange. Her body felt weak, and she thought she had a nightmare. Looking around, she noticed her bedroom had changed. Something suddenly felt unfair.

She heard a knock on the door. The person said it was her sister, and Maya didn't have a sister. She was relying on her memories to reveal the truth. As she quickly got up, her body dropped in pain and felt stiffer.

As she entered the room, the girl rushed to help Maya up. Maya recognized the girl and called out in surprise,

Lily?

The girl's expression turned gloomy. She said,

"I'm Lily's twin sister that she never told you about. My name is Becky Anderson. I was the one you made a new promise with. Nice to meet you."

Becky asked,

"My dear Maya, or my dear sister, do you remember?"

Maya had a headache but remembered the promises she had made. She knew it wasn't a nightmare after all.

Becky promised Maya to forget everything and let everything return to how it was without feeling dismayed.

Maya promised Becky that she would switch lives with Lily until she remembered everything again.

Maya is now living as Lily, who was trying to recover from a car accident a few years ago.

Lily lives as Maya, who has become the most cheerful girl and is dating the most popular guy, Lucas.

To this day, Lily can't remember anything. Maya is stuck being Becky's sister now.