I Am Back

Natalie Lancaster couldn't breathe. Her chest was trapped beneath the seat belt, and every attempt to take a full breath ended in a sharp pain that spread through her body. Smoke filled the car, making her eyes sting as she tried to see through the cracked windshield. The front of the car was completely crushed. She tried to move her legs, but pain shot through them. "Help!" Her voice came out weak. She swallowed and tried again. "Somebody help me." People had gathered outside the car. She could see them through the broken windshield. A man was speaking urgently on his phone while another person stood near the wreck, looking around for a way to reach her. "She's still alive!" "Call an ambulance!" Natalie tried to reach for her phone. It was somewhere near the passenger seat, but she couldn't move far enough to grab it. Her hands were shaking. No. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't die. Not now. Her mind immediately went to Lucas. Her husband. They had only been married for a few days. She remembered his face that morning, the way he had smiled before she left, the kiss he had placed on her forehead and the way he had told her to call him when she arrived. Natalie's eyes filled with tears. "I miss my husband." She didn't even know why she said it aloud. She just wanted to see him. She wanted to go home, sit beside him at dinner, tell him about her day and listen to him talk about his. She wanted to wake up beside him the next morning and continue the life they had just begun. They had barely started their marriage. She couldn't leave him. "I can't die." Her fingers tightened around the seat belt. She pulled at it again, but it wouldn't move. Outside, someone was shouting. "Don't try to move!" "She's trapped!" "Where is the ambulance?" Natalie closed her eyes for a moment. Her parents came to mind. Her father and her mother. She could see them standing together at home, probably still talking about her as they always did. Her mother had called her that morning, reminding her about the family dinner. Natalie had promised she wouldn't forget. She had so many things left to do. Her career was finally reaching another level. She had spent years building her name, growing her brand and working with major companies. She had an important ambassador contract waiting for her signature. She was supposed to finalize it soon. She couldn't disappear now. And then there was the inheritance. Only two days earlier, her father had given her one hundred million dollars and a valuable estate. Natalie still couldn't believe it. She had hugged him so tightly that he had laughed and complained that she was going to crush him. She smiled faintly at the memory. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to see her mother. She wanted to go home. "Please hurry," she whispered. A man moved closer to the car. "Ma'am, stay awake. The ambulance is coming." Natalie looked at him. "I can't breathe." "Just keep your eyes open." She tried. But everything around her was beginning to blur. The voices became distant. The smoke seemed thicker. Her body felt heavier. She could hear the sirens now. They were getting closer. Natalie fought to keep her eyes open. She wanted to survive. She wanted her husband. She wanted her parents. She wanted her life. Her fingers slowly loosened. "Lucas..." His name left her lips in a whisper. Then everything went black. Natalie opened her eyes. She gasped and sat upright. For a few seconds, she didn't understand where she was. She touched her chest. She was breathing. Her eyes moved around the room. This wasn't a hospital. It wasn't her bedroom. It wasn't anywhere she recognized. She was lying on a narrow bed with an old blanket covering her. A small wooden table stood beside the bed, and faded curtains covered a window. The walls looked worn, and there was very little furniture in the room. Natalie stared around in confusion. Where was she? She remembered the accident. The broken windshield. The smoke. The people outside. The sirens. Lucas. She looked down at herself. Her breathing stopped. These weren't her hands. She lifted them slowly and stared at her fingers. They were thinner. Her nails were different. There was a small scar near her wrist that she had never seen before. Natalie pulled the blanket away. She wasn't wearing the clothes she had worn before the accident. "What happened?" Her voice sounded strange. She froze. That wasn't her voice. She touched her throat. "What's going on?" The unfamiliar voice came again. Fear rushed through her. She immediately looked around the room. Her handbag was gone. Her phone was gone. Her jewelry was gone. Natalie looked at her left hand. Her wedding ring was missing. Her eyes widened. "No." She climbed out of bed. Her legs felt weak, but they held her. She took a few steps toward the door. She needed to find someone. Someone had to explain what had happened. She reached for the door handle, then stopped. What if she was in danger? What if someone had taken her from the accident and kidnapped her? Her heart began pounding. She turned around. That was when she noticed the mirror. It was a small mirror hanging on the wall near the window. Natalie walked toward it slowly. She wasn't thinking clearly. Maybe she wanted to see if she had been badly injured. Maybe she simply wanted to see herself. She stopped in front of the mirror. A young woman stared back at her. Natalie stared at the reflection. The woman stared back. She didn't recognize her. Natalie frowned. She raised her right hand. The woman in the mirror raised hers. Natalie lowered it. The reflection lowered hers. Her heart began beating faster. She stepped closer. The face was unfamiliar. Dark hair. Different eyes. Different features. Natalie slowly lifted her hand and touched her cheek. The woman in the mirror touched her cheek too. She pulled her hand away. "No." Her voice shook. She leaned closer to the mirror, studying the face. There had to be an explanation. Maybe the accident had damaged her memory. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe this wasn't real. Natalie closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. Then she opened them. The stranger was still there. She quickly turned away from the mirror. Her heart was pounding. "No. No, no." She took two steps toward the door. Then she stopped. Slowly, she turned back. The woman was still looking back at her in the mirror. Natalie stared at her. She moved to the side. The reflection moved with her. She stepped backward. It stepped backward too. She suddenly raised both hands. The woman did the same. Natalie's breathing became faster. She reached toward the mirror and pressed her palm against the glass. The reflection did the same. She pulled her hand back and looked at it. Then she looked at the stranger again. "This isn't me." Her voice cracked. She touched her face. The unfamiliar skin felt real beneath her fingers. She pinched her cheek. Pain shot through it. Natalie gasped and immediately let go. She stared at herself in disbelief. It hurt. She was awake. This was real. She stepped closer to the mirror again. Her eyes moved over every unfamiliar feature, desperately searching for something that belonged to her. There was nothing. She looked at her hair. Her eyes. Her nose. Her lips. Everything was different. Natalie shook her head. "This can't be happening." She backed away from the mirror. Her legs suddenly felt weak. She grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself. She looked toward the door. Then back at the mirror. Her mind returned to the accident. She remembered the smoke. She remembered the pain. She remembered calling for help. She remembered Lucas. She remembered closing her eyes. A terrible thought entered her mind. Natalie swallowed. "What happened to me?" No one answered. The room remained silent. She looked at the stranger in the mirror one more time. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I am Natalie Lancaster." Natalie's eyes filled with tears. She stared at the face that wasn't hers. Then the question that frightened her most finally escaped her lips. "If I'm Natalie..." She swallowed hard. "Who is she?"