Someone I'm Not

23| The Great Separation

"Soroya? What the f**k is happening!?"

"Hh-help-" Soroya tries to make the word, but the situation she's dealing with makes it hard.

"Are you going to separate with the body again, Phoenix? For f**k's sake, stop making the situation worse!" Eduardus shouts, not knowing who he's talking to. Was it the Soroya that was his client, or was it the Soroya who owned the body? "Phoenix—"

"LET ME GO!" The deafening scream of despair immediately pulled the clouds together as their bright blue colors quickly splashed with gray. The dried dead leaves rise, carried by the howling winds, blending with the situation.

"Oh, no, no, this cannot be good!" Eduardus took a step back as the scene before him seemed unfamiliar. Soroya's body starts to rise as glitching colors appear around the body. Noises from Phoenix's past and Soroya's plead for freedom scatter the area. Just then, what surprised him was to see Houdini from a reasonable distance, standing idly confident, as if he'd been expecting the situation beforehand. He had his hands in his pockets, eyes directly, intently watching his reaction. As they stared into each other's gaze, he noticed Houdini switching his attention from across the area. And just before he could even trace Houdini's gaze, a surprisingly high-pitched, trembling, intimate voice echoed, enough reason for Eduardus to figure out the person on the other side of the room.

"SOROYA, NO!"

It was as if, in one second, a lot had happened. And we're all overwhelmed.

Vianne rushed her way, trying to surpass the attack of the strong wave of wind. Eduardus watched how she tried to save her sister from an unexplainable phenomenon, how a man in uniform pulled her away, logically thinking that getting close might not be the best idea, and how Houdini stood still as if he was enjoying the scenario, subtracting the popcorn.

"LET HIM OUT, LET ME FREE, LET ME LIVE. HE'S NOT ME!" A voice with a hint of pain chants these words as if poetry had entered the scene. It was repetitive, it was noisy, but it was also pitiful.

"NO, NO, NO!" He could hear how Phoenix tried to fight it, but the more he did, the strong power of the grieving woman pushed him away. He was an impostor in the first place.

"WHAT THE f**k ARE YOU DOING!? HELP ME OUT OF HERE, YOU PRICK!" Eduardus cursed Houdini as he put his open hand behind his ear.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" he shouts back to mock his patience.

"You know what!? Never mind!" he mouthed, disappointment spelled in his face. He looks at where Vianne is standing and only thinks of one word in his head— Sorry", before seeing his hands with poise, making everything seem weightless. Eduardus starts to chant, calling upon his ability, hoping it would somehow work. He looks up like the remaining threads that hold the soul, and the body becomes fragile and, soon, untangled.

'Come on, work! Work!' Eduardus thought to himself. A ball of white crystals starts to grow between his swing hands, and before he knows it, he pushes the ball upward, targeting where the separation is happening. A loud bang echoed as the crystal ball collided with the situation. A solid yellow light hugged the area, forcing the four people to cover their eyes.

And when it died down, they all placed their hands down, only to see a woman lying on the grass. Sweat drips on all of their foreheads, and so does the cloud starting to bless them with rain.

•••

"Phoenix, Phoenix!" Phoenix opened his eyes when he heard his name being called by someone he was somewhat familiar with. But as his eyes open, his sight meets the tall Ferris wheel- he's back at the carnival.

"Phoenix, over here!" He turned to his left to see Soroya standing at least ten steps away from him. Panic rises as he realizes that he no longer possesses Soroya's body, but Soroya doesn't seem bothered.

"Soroya?"

"You're running out of time, Phoenix." she reminded him, making Phoenix feel more insecure and regretful about his past choices.

"Soroya, what- how- what are you talking about, Soroya?"

"What Eduardus told you was a lie. You're not actually wasting your time. In fact, I can see the efforts you take from your small steps. But you realize that it's taking a bit too long, right?"

"Soroya, I can explain—"

"Goddess Dyke gave you a short time because he knows that, in your case, it was so damn easy to c***k if you were to pay close attention. . . but maybe, she has expected too much." she sighs in disbelief and turns her back on him. Soroya was just about to walk away when Phoenix inhaled sharply and took the step to keep her pace. When he reached for her hand and turned her to face him, he spoke.

"How did you know all of this?" It was rational to ask her about his concerns, but what made him more confused was to see Soroya smile.

"I don't. Because I'm just a part of your imagination." Soroya replies, making him furrow his brows.

"I still don't understand—"

"You're dead, and I know you wanted to recall what being alive feels like, but you can't be like that for long. And you're taking too much of your time without progress. The body was not yours at first, and the real owner of it is now starting to fight and wants to take control. . ." she explains further. "I guess it's time you remembered the purpose of your temporary stay. "

And with that, Soroya reaches for Phoenix's head and tilts it downwards. She then pressed her right thumb into his forehead, and before he could even react or ask what was going to happen next, Soroya mouthed some words.

"Go find that clue and find your killer."

"A-and what if I won't?" Phoenix asks with a trembling voice, now that he has just realized how many days are left for him to stay. But then, instead of showing pity, Soroya's expression darkened.

"Then I'll take back what's mine, and you'll never be at peace. . . ever."

•••

Phoenix gasps for air as he hears the sound of a woman. He looks at his hands as quickly as possible, relieved that he's back in Soroya's body. But that's not it. The door to her left slides open, catching his attention. He then turned his eyes to meet the gaze of a man in a lab coat as two nurses followed him closely. They headed in her direction and checked him out, and she couldn't do anything other than observe. When they're done, Soroya's sister comes into the picture, talking to the doctor a second later.

Their mouths were moving, but from Soroya's perspective, they weren't even making a sound. All she did was stare at them and try to read their lips. It wasn't even a faint sound they were making which concerned her.

"Are you alright?" Soroya flinches and turns to face the nurse beside her. "You seemed curious and shocked. It's normal to feel that way, though, so don't feel so negative—"

"What are they talking about?" Soroya took the opportunity to ask, but the nurse shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, kid. I don't have that kind of ability to hear people at a great distance." the nurse joked, but Soroya couldn't find the means to laugh, sending a hint to the nurse, making her smile at her. "Besides, it's not our job to meddle with the affairs between the doctor and his patients."

"Do you think it sounds bad?" Soroya threw another question as she still focused on their lips, only to get frustrated trying so hard to figure out what they were talking about. "I mean, the conversation they're in right now. Do you think it's bad news?"

The nurse then glanced in the doctor and the patient's direction before looking back at Soroya, still consistently wearing the smile.

"If it is, Doctor Well would try to give you the best care our hospital can provide while you stay." After hearing the nurse's statement, her eyes widened.

"S-stay?" The nurse walked away before the conversation prolonged and stood still on the side when Doctor Well and Vianne approached. They started explaining everything to her, but she could hear that she had to stay in the hospital for further examination.

"Thank you, doc." As they exited the room, Vianne turned her attention to Soroya and heaved a breath. Soroya stared into her sister's eyes as she could feel the confusion and shock, same as what the nurse had said to her a while back. Soroya waited for her sermon, hoping it would end up as peroration instead. But, all Vianne did was look at her sister with that kind of expression she somehow expected to see.

"Weren't you supposed to be at home attending your job— whoa!" Soroya couldn't finish her sentence when Vianne rushed to her side, threw her arms forward, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. . . I'm sorry if all I can do now is just hope Phoenix will get what he deserved and that I am grateful you're both safe—" those words flew out into Vianne's mouth, making Soroya realize what she meant.

"You knew?" she asks, and Vianne breaks the hug. She sat comfortably at her side and gave her a weak smile. "But how could it be possible? I never told you— wait. Did Eduardus or Houdini somewhat reveal it to you?"

"Well, they kinda did—"

"Traitors!"

"They technically didn't have a choice but to tell me."

"Of course they had! Unless this was their plan, so things could get complicated and—"

"Listen to me, Soroya." Vianne then reaches for her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "The truth is, they didn't have a choice because I witnessed it." Soroya kept her mouth shut as her eyes widened while waiting for Vianne to continue. "I was there when Phoenix 's soul got separated from you," she revealed, and Soroya couldn't say anything. "So, does that mean I'm talking to Phoenix, right?"

[Flashback]

"Soroya, no!" Vianne shouts as she gets back on her feet and tries to run towards her sister, but fails miserably as her strength doesn't match how powerful the tornado colors have become.

"Don't! You'll only hurt yourself!" Philip shouts as he grips Vianne's elbow tightly, keeping her in place. Vianne shoots her a glare.

"Let go of me, you prick! I have to save my sister!" Vianne continued to move away to help her loosen the man's grip.

"You are what? Soroya is the sister you are talking about!?" Philip couldn't believe his ears. He spent most of his time between his friends and classes, a little with Soroya, making the revelation shocking. Seeming distracted by his thoughts, Vianne took the opportunity to forcefully pull her arm away and push Philip through his chest so she could have an advantage. Now that Philip had snapped back to reality, he tried to pull his weight up as quickly as possible, but Vianne was already on the run.

As Vianne attempts to run towards her sister's floating body, her eyes are caught by a presence, not from afar. It was Houdini. Her blood started to boil as she could feel him relax, something that wasn't supposed to be handled.

"Vianne!" There was no time to think everything through; she looked on the other side to see Eduardus. He had an expression she could easily comprehend, making her want to stop for an instant. Her heart started to beat faster, not because of a palpitation or an adrenaline rush from the situation before her, but because she felt something that she was somewhat familiar with. But, instead of focusing on her unspoken feeling, she decided to shake her head and continue her walk. But before she would even dare, a hand once again stopped her. But before she could quickly mention Philip's name, she was surprised to see

"Eduardus! Let me go—"

"I can't! It's too dangerous!"

"But she's my sister!"

"She's not!" When those words slipped out of Eduardus's mouth, a moment of silence hugged their surroundings. It was so quick, shocking, and almost heartbreaking if you're easily pleased. But rather than believing quickly, Vianne did the same by forcing her hand away from Eduardus's grip and turning around. Taking another step forward and extending her arm, her fingertips were just an inch closer when, suddenly, all she could remember was feeling herself flying away; gravity had utterly gone for a quick second. But as she prepared herself for the impact, no pain came in collision with her muscles.

Opening her eyes, her gaze met beautiful pupils that she could have noticed the details from up close.

"I told you. . . It's too dangerous."