5: Body
1168 Words
CHAPTER 5 Body
*Present Time, ARIA’S POV*
I had just left the hospital, headed for my apartment, and I felt more alone than ever. I was at a loss for what to do. I had spent all the money I got from Victor on my medication so far and on that dingy apartment.
“When did this go so wrong”.
I walked through the eerie alley that led to my apartment paying little to no attention to my surroundings. It had gotten quite late. Though I’ve been walking through these parts for the past months, I still could never get used to it or overcome the fear that washed over me every time.
The dim streetlights cast long shadows, and the distant sounds of the city seemed muted in the heavy silence of the night. The weight of my impending doom pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe.
I didn’t notice the figure lurking in the shadows until it was too late. A hand clamped over my mouth, and I was dragged into a dark corner. Fear surged through me as I tried struggling, but in my weakened state, resistance was a futile attempt.
The man’s grip was ironclad, and I felt the painful impact of the man’s rough hand across my face, the hit sent me rolling to the ground, and my ears rang with the force of it. He yanked my bag from my shoulder, ripping it away. He quickly rifled through my bag, his hands moving with practiced efficiency as he grabbed my valuables. I begged him to stop but that just made him angry. My cries were muffled and my pleas for help were unheard. The pain was excruciating, and the sting of the loss of my only possessions added to my distress.
‘I must be cursed by the gods’
The thief’s actions were swift and brutal, and the violation of my personal space left me feeling helpless. I was left crumpled on the ground in a state of misery. The pain I was in was excruciating and I couldn’t move my limbs. I lay on the cold tar regretting my past choices and how my life turned out.
“I WANT A DO OVER, please” I whispered as tears trailed down the side of my face.
The world around me blurred as I fought to stay conscious.
***
“Doctor, how is my daughter?”A worried voice penetrated the haze.
“Madam Joyce, your daughter would be fine all she needs now is rest”
“where am I? And where is all this noise coming from? I can’t see a thing, everywhere is pitch black.”
“Thank you, doctor,” the voice said with relief.
“You can go in to see her”
I heard a door creak open, and footsteps approached my bed.
“My dear child, how could you do this to yourself?” A lady’s voice said and I felt the warmth from someone’s hand.
“I could have sworn I had died not long ago, Was this the afterlife?”
I could sense the other parts of my body as the hand touched me. I opened my eyes to see a place I had never been in before. My eyes scanned the room, I was in a hospital. “How did I get here? Was I saved by a passerby?”
I was left in shock as I took a look at my hands. My skin color had darkened.
“Ruby you’re awake,” a lady’s voice beside me said in excitement.
She was a beautiful woman who looked like she was in her early forties, she had a tan skin tone, brown eyes, and silver hair.
“Don’t scare your mom like that anymore” she said while hugging me tightly.
This confused me as I knew I was an orphan. “Could my birth parents have found me? But why would she refer to me as Ruby’, and it’s obvious this isn’t my body.”
“Your dad should be back from his business trip. He rushed back when he heard the news of what happened to you.”
“Do you want to go home?” She asked. Before I could respond, she continued speaking.
“You don’t have to worry about your treatment, the doctor will come perform any check-up you need at home.”
I couldn’t get words out of my mouth so I just nodded. She made the appropriate arrangements with the doctor and helped me get out of the hospital bed. Her hands locked in with mine, she aided my walk out of the hospital and into the car.
The drive was long and filled with my supposed mother clinging to me. We arrived at a grand mansion. The place felt unknown but yet so familiar.
We entered the mansion and my eyes were met by a middle-aged man. He was a tall dark-skinned man with long black dreads and blue eyes.
“Joyce,” he called her.
“Eric, my love, our daughter will be fine.”She replied with a smile.
He walked up to me and gave me a hug “Your mom and I can’t live without you. If it wasn’t for our family bloodline you wouldn’t have survived.”
‘what did he mean by that?’ I thought to myself.
“Don’t ever try killing yourself again” he said giving me a peck on the forehead.
“To commemorate your survival, I bought you the limited edition bag you wanted. It’s up in your room”
I nodded and gave him a light smile.
He then called out for a maid to help me up to my room. The room was splendid. It was like a work of art, which had a historical feel to it. I was now alone, I Immediately located the mirror in the room.
“My god,” I was left in shock.
The person I saw standing in the mirror looked nothing like me. I was around 5,7 in height, with silver hair and blue eyes. ‘what happened to me’. I tried processing my thoughts. I now had parents and was in a different body! And not just any body but the body of the lady I met under the rain in the park.
“Fate has to be playing pranks on me.”
I went through the items in the room and I stumbled upon a diary ‘This must belong to Ruby’. I opened a random page and the first words my eyes fell on were “WHY AM I DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE?”
At that moment a surge of pain ran through my head. ”Ahh”, I held my head with both my hands.
“what are all these images? Werewolves, Mysticmoon pack, outcast, I reject you, arranged marriage. These are not my memories”. I blacked out and fell to the floor.
- Writer
