Everything in here felt strange to her, a life she never imagined she would live in years to come. She had once thought that even in her next life, she would still be paying debts she couldn't finish in this one before she died.
But now, even this luxury felt too expensive for her to afford. Like it was too hard, and had always been hard for her.
She must have offended the gods in her past life—or perhaps her ancestors had. Because what she was being punished for now couldn't possibly be just her own wrongdoings. It had to be a punishment for the whole country, and she had been chosen as the one to bear it all.
She looked at herself in the mirror once more.
Raya Calder? Not quite.
Seraphina Hart? Not really.
If not for the gray eyeballs staring back at her, she might not have believed this was still her.
Now she looked a little Raya, a little Seraphina.
