Morning After and a New Purpose
"Ugh,"
Samantha woke up, sitting straight in bed. She looked around the unfamiliar room. Her expression immediately changed, and she looked down at her body, pulling her shirt to see her chest.
"So yesterday wasn't a dream, huh? But this is the first time I've ever slept so soundly," she thought to herself.
[Of course not, sir.]
"Grrrrr... If I don't tell you to talk, don't talk," Samantha muttered.
[Understood, sir.]
Samantha turned to the window. Sunlight streamed into her room through the gap in the curtains. She stood up, walked to the curtain, and with a "Shreeek," she opened it, then opened the window. She took in the morning atmosphere of her new neighborhood. Many people were already out and about. Samantha mused, enjoying the sunlight bathing her.
"What should I do now? No need to worry about money; with what I have, I can live comfortably (she thought about yesterday's events). Ugh... thinking about it again, damn it. I guess I need to start therapy... but I'd be so embarrassed to tell the story. Like, 'Hi, I used to be a guy, then I became a girl and died from assault...' Ugh, it's confusing and humiliating," she mumbled to herself.
With great difficulty, she tried to clear her mind, but everything that happened yesterday kept replaying in her head, from her father cutting her out of the will, to her sister deliberately touching her even though she knew about her illness, to the incident where she was assaulted in the warehouse. "Grit," both her hands clenched into fists until her knuckles turned white, and her body trembled violently. Something snapped in her head,
"Aaaaaargggh... screw it all! I want to be happy, and that's what I'm going to pursue now (she remembered helping Emma). Speaking of which, what happened to Emma and her mother, Sophia? I feel really bad about it. I died falling from their apartment unit, right? Should I go there?" Samantha thought to herself.
After much deliberation, she finally decided to visit Emma and her mother, Sophia, who had often helped her and given her chocolate chip cookies. She went into the bathroom in her room to take a shower. After taking off all her clothes and seeing herself in the porcelain reflection of the bathroom, she suddenly realized something.
"Wait a minute, if I go there and say I'm Samuel but I look like this... hmm, no can do (she thought). Sister Sophia doesn't know about my family, right? Alright, a little white lie for the greater good isn't a problem, is it?" she mumbled as she showered under the running water.
After showering and getting dressed, Samantha left her dorm room and locked it. She brought her ATM card and her new ID. After that, she rode her motorcycle to her old apartment complex. When she arrived, she saw police tape still in front of her tower, marking the spot where she fell.
She immediately turned away, as seeing the place where she fell was a trauma in itself for her. She ran straight into the lobby and stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to come down. "Ding!" When the elevator reached the twelfth floor and opened, Samantha, wearing a motorcycle jacket and carrying a helmet, stepped out. But her steps stopped when she saw a man standing in front of the unit at the very end, Sophia and Emma's apartment.
"Huh,"
Samantha squinted to see the man's face from a distance, and she recognized him.
"Harold, my dad's lawyer. What's he doing at Emma's place?" Samantha thought to herself.
Feeling something was off, she immediately approached Harold, who was standing in front of the apartment unit. As she got closer, she overheard their conversation.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to neglect my child, I was working and..."
"That's called child neglect, ma'am. You are, to some extent, responsible for something that led to someone's death. May I know where your husband is, ma'am?" Harold asked.
"I-I've been divorced since Emma was born. I'm a single mother. Please don't prolong this issue, sir. I will try my best to meet the Samuel family's compensation demands," Sophia pleaded.
"But your child is in danger with you, ma'am. Isn't there anyone else who can be her guardian?" Harold pressed.
"Mommy," Emma said, looking scared and distressed, hugging a weeping Sophia.
"I-I'm sorry, sir, please don't separate me from Emma. Don't report yesterday's incident to child protective services. As I said, I will meet the Samuel family's demands."
"But you said you don't have money, right? The Samuel family is demanding $150,000 for Samuel's death," Harold stated.
"I'll pay it in installments, sir. Please, I beg you, don't separate me from Emma," Sophia said.
Before Harold could say anything, "Hey!" Samantha called out. Harold, Sophia, and Emma turned to see Samantha, who was unzipping her jacket, walking towards them. As Samantha stood between Harold and Sophia, she immediately looked at Harold with a cynical gaze.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Harold asked.
"I'm Samuel's twin sister. Come with me, I'll pay the demanded amount," Samantha stated firmly.
"T-twin sister? Samuel has a twin sister? I'll have to ask Mr. Robert about this," Harold said.
"Feel free to ask. Now, you'll come with me. We're going to the bank; I'll ask the bank to make a check in my name for you," Samantha said.
"W-what's your name?" Harold asked, speechless.
"Samantha Whitmore. Come on, quickly (she turned to look at Sophia and Emma). Just a moment, okay? (She squatted down and patted Emma's head, smiling) Big sister has to go for a bit, but I'll be back, okay?" Samantha said, winking and smiling.
"O-okay, big sister," Emma replied, confused.
Samantha stood up, then turned to look at Harold. She immediately grabbed Harold's arm and pulled him away from Sophia's apartment unit, leaving Sophia and Emma stunned watching them. Sophia and Emma looked at each other.
"Does big brother Samuel really have a twin sister, Mom?" Emma innocently asked.
"I don't know, maybe. Her face is similar, and she's very pretty," Sophia replied, watching Samantha and Harold walk away.
While in the elevator, Samantha glanced at Harold, who was frantically typing a message without looking at her.
"Huh... there's a reason I chose the name Samantha and Whitmore. My late mother told me I did have a twin sister who died at birth named Samantha, and Dad, of course he knows. As for Whitmore, it's my maternal grandmother's last name, who divorced Grandpa. She was the only one who accepted my illness, and sadly, she's already passed away. They're asking for $150,000? That's the amount I spent on my treatment. Dad's extorting Sophia and Emma by threatening to report them to child protective services? That's outrageous and low. Sophia and Emma are more family to me," Samantha murmured to herself, glancing cynically at the busy Harold.