Chapter 21 The Body That Wasn't Hers
801 Words
"Rising indie star Vivienne Reyes, who regained consciousness today after leaving the ICU, is reportedly..."
The TV was still running that segment when Vivienne woke up in the hospital bed.
Her head was pounding, a dull ache behind her eyes. Before she could even process it, The Witness spoke again in her mind.
"The original owner of this body shared your name — Vivienne. She fell from a height on a film set a few days ago, was pronounced dead at the hospital, and now you've taken over her body."
"Vivienne Reyes. Female. Twenty-four. Aged out of the foster care system. Recently broke out with a small Tribeca indie film. National heat on her is solid right now."
"You can use her reach and her resources to do whatever you want. Or you can finish her wish — win the Academy Award for Best Actress."
After that, The Witness fed her the original owner's memories and went quiet, leaving Vivienne alone with herself.
Vivienne sat in the bed, thinking through what The Witness had said.
The Witness wasn't forcing her to do anything. But she'd borrowed someone else's body — how could she hear the woman's last wish and not respond?
The identity of this body's owner reminded her of who she used to be, before The Witness came along.
Back then, she'd wanted the stage too. As a dancer.
Now she didn't see why the two had to be at odds. She'd chase her own dream and the original's dream at the same time.
Once she made peace with that, she told The Witness.
Then she asked, "Where's Emma right now?"
No matter what else happened, Emma was still the most important thing in her heart.
The Witness answered, "She's with Edward. She won't be in any danger. You'll see her soon."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes.
Emma was a shade now. She wasn't worried about danger — she was worried Edward would say something stupid and upset Emma.
And that woman, Genevieve.
Vivienne sighed, long and slow. She forced herself to focus on what was right in front of her.
The sooner she settled into this identity, the higher she climbed, the sooner she'd get to see Emma.
Vivienne picked up the mirror from the bedside table and studied her new face carefully.
The first second, she froze. The original owner looked nothing like her.
The woman in the mirror had features like a painting, skin like snow. On her pale cheek was a deep scar — old, faded, but it didn't take away from the face. It gave it something extra.
Where Vivienne's old face had been gentle, this one was bolder, sharper, more vivid.
The first thing that came to mind was — when Emma sees this face, will she recognize her?
She touched her cheek, soft. "From now on, we're one."
She said it again, and this time there was something firm in her eyes.
Right then, the hospital door pushed open.
It was the original owner's agent.
The agent rushed over, eyes full of concern and worry.
She grabbed Vivienne's hand, her voice shaking a little. "You're awake. You scared the hell out of us. How do you feel? Anything hurt?"
The agent's face was all worry, studying Vivienne's face close, like she was afraid to miss anything.
She touched Vivienne's forehead, smoothed her messy hair back, soft. "Everyone's been so worried. You gotta get better fast."
Vivienne was a little lost. It had been years since anyone had shown her this kind of care.
"Rae. I'm okay." Leaning on the memories The Witness had given her, she called the woman in front of her by name, voice gentle.
Hearing it, Rae sat up a little straighter.
"Definitely not recovered — you're actually being nice." Rae's tone had a little tease in it, which loosened Vivienne up some.
Vivienne smiled. "Yeah, not a hundred percent. Still dizzy."
Rae quickly helped Vivienne lie back down, rambling about what to watch out for.
Then she fussed at her for not taking better care of herself.
Vivienne knew it wasn't malicious, so she just smiled and listened.
Even though she knew all this affection was for the original owner, she couldn't help but feel warm.
After the fussing, Rae got down to business.
She said, "A lot of collabs got cancelled while you were out. You gotta rest up and get back in front of the camera."
"New faces pop up like weeds out here, one crop after another. You gotta keep your edge."
She sighed, scrolling through her phone.
Rae said, "There was a Hale Enterprises ad spot scheduled for this month — I've been holding them off. Take a look, see if you can make it."
Vivienne's heart jumped.
Hale Enterprises?
As in Edward Hale's Hale Enterprises?
- Writer
