What's keeping you?" the woman shouted. Her voice was harsh, sharp, and commanding—but somehow familiar. My stomach twisted, and a strange heat ran through me. My heart thumped faster. There was something about her I knew, though I couldn't place it. Then, flashes of memory hit me—hundreds of small images, smells, sounds, feelings—but they weren't mine. They felt foreign and yet familiar, like my mind was trying to catch on to someone else's life.
My knees gave out. I hit the floor with a thud. My vision blurred, and a strange tingling ran through my whole body. I felt… different." Not weak. Not myself, yet alive in ways I couldn't explain. My heartbeat thudded in my ears. My hands felt strange—sometimes heavy, sometimes light. My thoughts scattered, and a rush of warmth, energy, and confusion surged through me. I tried to fight it to stay conscious, but it was like my very being was being rewritten. I could feel a presence coming in, stronger than me, taking control, shaping my body, my mind. And then… nothing.
Annabel POV
*****
"Hi, madam!" I shouted instinctively as I pushed myself off the floor. I wrapped my arms around my mistress, laughing nervously. Something about my body felt… off. Strange, unfamiliar, but natural at the same time. Why was I on the floor? I had no idea. Probably just fainted from drinking, I told myself.
"Hurry up, Annabel! The guests are waiting!" the woman called again, her voice sharp.
"I heard you passed out earlier, and now again. What's happening to you?" my madam asked, worry written all over her face.
"I don't know," I said, shrugging, my mind still spinning. "For now… let's go to the party."
I ran out with energy that felt strange but exciting. My legs carried me easily. Of course, they already knew what to do. I climbed onto the stage, feeling the eyes of the crowd on me. Every movement, every shake of my hips, came naturally. The crowd roared: "Annabel! Annabel!" Their voices wrapped around me like a wave. I smiled, but a strange unease gnawed at me from the inside. Something was… different.
Keeping the reputation of the "baddest bitch" in the club had always been hard. Every smile, every wink, every move carefully measured. I could see the pride in my madam's eyes as I performed, but beneath that, a strange emptiness tugged at me.
I finished my performance quickly and waved at the crowd, then hurried backstage. I wanted to hide the cracks in my smile, the unease curling in my chest.
A familiar hand grabbed mine. My heart jumped. Mark. My boyfriend since high school. His presence grounded me, but a strange confusion lingered beneath the surface.
"You did so well tonight," he said, pressing me against the wall. His lips met mine, and instinctively, I kissed him back. His warm smile, the familiar pressure of his body, that was all I needed to ground me.
"I heard you fell sick," he said, concern clear in his eyes. He lay beside me, gazing at me with love, and I felt the tug of something I had never experienced before. It was like watching someone else live my life.
"Yes… probably one of my sleeping episodes," I said quickly, waving it off.
"The bracelet?" he asked, frowning.
"It's in the cupboard," I said, pointing.
He scowled. "The woman said to always put it on, Ana. You can't be reckless."
"Those are just superstitions!" I snapped, though my pulse thrummed strangely.
Instead of arguing, I pulled him by his shirt, bit my lip, and let myself get lost in him. His resistance melted immediately; he always did when I looked at him like that. Pleasure, danger, and comfort collided in a dizzying mix.
As the night went on, something deep inside me churned. My chest tightened, my stomach roiled. Not from drinking, not from stress, but something far stronger. I felt… invaded. My consciousness felt like it was shifting, being replaced, as though a force far beyond me was entering, taking control of my body. I tried to fight it, tried to hold onto myself—but it was no use.
Luciana POV
*****
Sunlight hit me like a hammer. My head throbbed with pain. I yawned, stretched, and swung my legs off the bed. Something was wrong. Everything felt wrong.
The last thing I remembered was standing in front of a strange woman. Then now, I felt a soft, unfamiliar kiss placed on my cheeks.
"Good morning, beautiful."
I snapped my head toward the sound and froze.
A man. Blonde hair, warm brown eyes, lying beside me, watching me. My chest tightened. My hands shook. "Ahhhhhh! Who are you?" I screamed, panic rising. My voice cracked. My hands flew in front of me, trying to push him away. I didn't recognize him at all.
He reached for me gently. "Are you okay, Ana?" he asked, confusion in his tone.
I recoiled, almost hitting him. "Get away! Who are you?" I shouted, hysterical. My heart pounded like it wanted to escape. I didn't understand. Everything was strange.
"Your boyfriend, Mark. Come on, stop the drama," he said calmly.
"I'm not acting!" I shouted, my voice raw. "I don't know you!"
"Okay, okay… Just calm down," he said, taking a careful step back. "Sit down. Let's talk."
I hesitated but obeyed, sitting far from him. My heart pounded. My head spun.
As he spoke, the room blurred into focus. I realized this was Annabel's boyfriend—the one whose life I had just been living. My mind reeled. The confusion, the fear, the lingering sensations from the body I had just inhabited—they all collided. My chest tightened, and a cold wave of panic ran through me.
I had spent the night in someone else's life, someone else's body, yet now I was here. Alive, yet shaken. And the man… he knew things I didn't. And I had just been with him.
The horror of the realization hit me. My own body, my own life, and my own mind—it all felt so fragile. And as I looked at him, my stomach twisted.
Who was in control? Who had I been? Who was I now?
Everything I thought I knew was gone. The soul shift had completed, leaving confusion, fear, and questions that had no answers. And the man… the one who had known Annabel… was now staring at me, expecting an answer I couldn't give.
"Who… are you?" I whispered, the words barely audible.