“Okay, class. Don’t forget, we have a test tomorrow,” Destiny announced. “Before you leave, can someone summarize natural selection?” “Is it naturally to select something?” a student asked. “No,” Destiny said. “Anyone else?” Another student raised their hand. “Is it to survive in order to get fit?” “So close,” Destiny sighed. “Anyone else?” Nobody else raised their hands, and Destiny felt her heart get heavy. She had spent three weeks teaching these students natural selection alone, only for none of them to say anything, or for the few students to say something that obviously showed that they didn’t pay attention. “This is a shame,” Destiny said. “Well, you have tonight to study in order to fill some gaps in your knowledge. You have the study guide I made you as well as the numerous quizzes as reference. Dismissed.” As the class filed out of the room, Destiny slumped back into her chair. Teaching was a thankless job. She tried to devote her entire heart and being into teaching these children and none of them seemed to pay attention or care enough. In addition, the pay was low enough almost to undermine all the effort and stress she has to go through on a daily basis. After school was over, she started driving home. Sweat formed on her forehead as her heart started beating faster. She was not excited to return home. She had a lot of papers to grade, and she knew she’d be disheartened at the amount of failing grades she’d have to mark. But the most worrying, was her husband … As she opened the door to her house, she heard sports being played on the TV. The house was dark and the only thing that gave off light was the TV. She tried to walk slowly, so her husband wouldn’t notice, but he noticed anyway. “Destiny, that you?” Ryan called out. “Yes,” Destiny felt her throat get lumpy. “I’m going to wash the dishes soon and then make dinner.” “Hurry it up then,” Ryan cried. “I want to eat.” “You can have some chips in the meantime,” she said. “I’ll try to start cooking as soon as possible, but there are too many dirty dishes for now. Hold your appetite for now.” “Maybe you’d understand appetite if you got pregnant,” Ryan spat. That was it. That was what Destiny hated hearing the most. She and Ryan got married three years ago, and dated for five years. They had a relatively good relationship, until they got married, and Ryan wanted to try for a baby. Turns out, Destiny was infertile so she couldn’t bear Ryan’s child. Ever since they got the news, a year ago, Ryan always gave Destiny the cold shoulder and treated her less than admirably. “For the millionth time,” Destiny said. “I’m sorry I cannot get pregnant. I told you that we could still adopt or you can get us a baby through artificial insemination.” “That's the coward's way out,” Ryan said. “I always wanted to bear a child with me and my wife. Not take some random abandoned child under my wing, or get a random woman pregnant.” At this stage, Destiny was considering divorce. She knew Ryan also considered divorce. The problem was that both of them didn’t want to have to bear the shame of breaking their vows and splitting. So they stayed together. But still, Destiny was in a horrible mood, and she decided to take a walk. “I’ll talk a walk and be back,” Destiny said. “Ryan, if you want to get dinner sooner, clean the dishes yourself.” As she stepped outside into the light, she took a deep breath. The wind felt amazing on her face. She started staring at the clouds. Suddenly, she saw a glimmer in the sky, and just as she realized it was a falling object, it hit her face. “Ouch!” She stared at the object. It seemed to be a ring of sorts. “A ring falling from the sky?” Destiny asked. “What the hell?” She inspected the ring more closely. It had a golden shank and a jewel attached. This jewel was unlike anything she had ever seen, since it seemed to shine every color on the rainbow. From one glance, it shined a beautiful crimson glow. Another glance, it was a sparkling gleam of azure. Without thinking, she slid the ring on her finger, and then all of a sudden she blacked out. Destiny woke up to find herself standing on a cloud, surrounded by clouds. “This must be a dream right,” Destiny sighed. “But I was never a lucid dreamer, so how strange.” “This isn’t a dream, Destiny Abara,” a voice said. “You are in the Dimension of Pathways.” She shuttered and turned around. There was nobody in her vicinity. “I am a woman of science,” Destiny said. “I don’t believe in the supernatural.” But she was just trying to convince herself. “Well,” the voice said. “You can believe me or not, but I’ll explain anyway. The reason you are here when you put the ring on, was because you are deeply dissatisfied with your life. Thus, you have been blessed with the ring. Now, you have the choice of redoing your life, turning the clock back to when you are just leaving high school.” “What?” “You will have a choice of walking on one of two available pathways. According to your destiny card, the two pathways that will grant you the most happiness are the pathway of becoming a surgeon, or the pathway of becoming a pop star.” Destiny blinked. At this point she decided to play along. So, these two choices basically were money or enjoyment. As a surgeon, she’d make much more money, and she wouldn’t need to rely on an abusive man like Ryan. She would self sustain herself. But as a pop star, she’d enjoy her job more, since singing and composing songs was her hobby. It was also her childhood dream. “You will have a chance to spend 10 minutes in each pathway, just to have a more informed decision,” the voice said. Suddenly, the scenery around Destiny changed as she found herself sitting on a chair in a hospital room. She saw her surgeon self, who was a part of a group of people operating on a man. “So what are you going to do on your vacation?” a surgeon asked Surgeon-Destiny. “I will be going on a week-long cruise,” S-Destiny said. “Visiting the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, and Jamaica.” “Man, you always go on cruises,” another surgeon said. Destiny’s eyes sparkled. She always wanted to go on a cruise, and apparently, this was normal for her Surgeon self to do? “Anyways,” S-Destiny said. “We’re reaching delicate tissue here. We must focus now.” The scene shifted. Destiny found herself among the audience, staring at a large stage. On the center of the stage was … herself, but dressed in a pop star outfit. She was singing. As she was singing, Destiny saw the audience singing along with Destiny. Tears formed in Destiny's eyes. She always wanted to gain respect and admiration from the masses - for indulging in her hobby no less. The scene shifted again, and Destiny was back in the clouds. “You may have a day to make your decision,” the voice said. “Warning, you can never return to this timeline if you choose a pathway.” The scene shifted around her, and she found herself on a hospital bed. There was a female doctor next to her. “What happened?” she asked the doctor. “You were unconscious on the streets and had irregular breathing,” she said. “A random person found you and called 9-1-1.” “Oh,” she said. “How long ago did this happen?” “For two weeks, you were unconscious but breathing irregularly.” Destiny was horrified. The twenty minutes she spent in the Dimension of Pathways equated to 2 weeks in real time. But if she made her choice, she’d be going far back into the past anyway. “Wait, two days?” Destiny asked. “Did my husband visit me?” “No,” the doctor said. “We called him two weeks ago, and he said he would come, but he never did.” Destiny sighed. “Can I have a phone on me?” “Sure,” the doctor said. Destiny started calling the number to the school. After a while, someone picked up. “My name is Destiny Abara, or Mrs. Abara. I’m a ninth grade Biology teacher at the school.” “Oh, yes,” the person said. “Due to being missing for two weeks without any notice, the school deemed that you quit, and made plans accordingly.” “No, no,” Destiny cried. “No! I was sick! I didn’t mean for this to happen.” I “We are already in the process of selecting another teacher,” the person said. “For now, I’d consider applying to another school.” The person then hung up, and Destiny started wailing. After putting on her ring, her life was messed up. She remembered what the voice said. “You may have a day to make your decision,” the voice said. “Warning, you can never return to this timeline if you choose a pathway.” Her life in this timeline, in the now, was effectively ruined. She had no reason to stay with this life now … and it was all because of the ring. Destiny glanced down, and saw her ring on her finger. She touched the jewel, and then the scenery started changing. As it changed, she saw the doctor beside her look at her in horror. “Patient is falling unconscious! Patient is-” She found herself back in the clouds. “So, have you made your decision?” the voice asked. “WHY?” she screamed. “Why did time pass for two weeks while I was here? Why did my life now get ruined? I lost my job, and I’m long overdue for a divorce with my husband!” “No,” the voice said. “All this experience did was expose how awful your life was right now. You did nothing but be unconscious the entire time, and everything crumbled around you. What kind of life is that? A life of complete instability? At a moment's notice, it can all crumble around you?” Destiny fell to her knees, and started crying. The voice was right. She was feeling unhappy and unstable for a while. Her teaching job was soulless and paid very little, while she feared coming home to a husband that didn’t care about her at all, except as a birth machine. “Fine,” Destiny said. “I will do it. I will pick a pathway.” “Good,” the voice said. “What pathway is it?” Destiny thought about it for a moment. The first pathway provided her money and stability. She could afford to pay for all the stuff she wished she could have, like a cruise vacation, and she’d likely be able to pay for her own home and manage her own finances. The second pathway provided her with the chance to live out her childhood dreams. Ever since she was a young child, she wanted to mesmerize an audience with her singing. Destiny had no doubt that the career would bring her happiness. But … “I picked the Surgeon pathway,” Destiny said. “Why?” the voice said. “The surgeon pathway provides me with the most money and stability. All my life, I suffered from instability. My low paying job and my husband. While being a pop star would be amazing, it is an unstable job. The music industry constantly changes, and I may lose my relevance quickly. Besides, as a surgeon I could still indulge in my hobby a little bit.” “Very well,” the voice said. “Good job on making your decision. You will keep your memories, and my voice shall ring in your head, guiding you to your new fate. Good luck, Destiny Abara.” The scene changed around her, and Destiny found herself on her bed. She got up and stared in the mirror. It was her high school self.