Chapter 2

She stared blankly at the "girl" in the mirror, moving like a robot-lifting her left hand, and the reflection did the same. She tugged lightly at her ear, and the girl in the mirror mirrored the motion. Freya sat in front of the mirror, already staring at the reflection for an hour, yet couldn't get enough of it. This girl-what, eighteen or nineteen tops-had skin as smooth as porcelain, features that looked like they were drawn by hand, and a figure so graceful it was almost unreal. Honestly, she could keep staring forever. Even if all this felt straight out of a sci-fi novel, the truth was right there-she'd been reborn. Knock knock knock- A sharp knock on the bedroom door broke her trance. Snapping back to reality, Freya's heart, which had just started calming down, skipped into chaos again. Her mind was blank-nothing about this body's past came to her. How the heck was she supposed to deal with what was coming? The knocking grew louder. A gentle female voice called from outside, "Vanessa, Auntie brought you some tonic. Are you up yet?" "Yeah... I'm up, coming now." Freya shoved her messy thoughts aside and decided to just roll with it. She moved quickly to the door, opened it, and standing there was a graceful, well-dressed woman holding a bowl of herbal medicine. Her warm smile deepened when she saw Freya standing fine. You could tell she let out a breath of relief. "Vanessa, are you feeling okay? Drink this tonic, sweetie. You were seriously ill-don't take your recovery lightly." She placed the bowl on the nightstand, turned to take Freya's hand, and patted it gently with teary eyes. "Vanessa, I nearly passed out when I heard you fell in the water yesterday. Thank God you're alright. If something had happened to you, how would I ever face your parents in heaven..." Her voice trembled as she started sobbing. After what Victor did to her, this kind of soft concern hit Freya right in the feels. Just as she was about to say something, the woman picked up the bowl again, blew on it, and said urgently, "Sweetie, you gotta drink it while it's hot. Once it cools, it won't work as well. Go on, drink up..." "Okay." Freya took the bowl and brought it to her lips. But right then, the dark liquid reflected a strange image-like a flashback. She saw this elegantly dressed woman secretly adding some powder to the bowl, stirring it for a bit, and giving a chilling smile. "What's wrong? Why haven't you drunk it yet? It's getting cold," the woman urged, a bit of edge slipping into her gentle voice. Freya's eyes shot up. The warm concern on the woman's face now fused with that icy image from earlier. Whatever warmth Freya had felt vanished in an instant. In that moment, she caught a glimpse of something cold and calculating behind those concerned eyes. "Ugh-" Freya suddenly shoved the bowl aside and ran for the bathroom, retching for a long while. When she came out, she was pale and covered her mouth weakly. "Auntie, the smell... I really can't stomach it." "You have to take your medicine," the woman pressed, then paused, coughed lightly, and smiled as if nothing was wrong. "Vanessa, I know it tastes bad, but your health comes first." "...Could you maybe grab me some candies? To help with the taste?" Freya frowned, looking pained. "Of course. Try and keep it down. I'll get them now," the woman said, fussing even as she walked away. Freya nodded sweetly, and the moment the door clicked shut, she grabbed the bowl and dashed into the bathroom. She poured it down the toilet, flushed, then dabbed a bit of the remaining liquid on her clothes, the strong medicinal smell clinging instantly. The woman returned pretty fast, walking in just in time to see Freya holding her stomach and glaring at the now-empty bowl like it was a mortal enemy.