Between Life

Chapter 14: Same Look, Not Twins

I couldn't stop thinking about the incident; it was too strange to dismiss as just a dream. Yet, days passed, and the occurrence never repeated itself. Was it truly just a figment of my imagination? But what if it was indeed the real Seraphina? Ah no, I mean the real Seraphina inhabiting this body, in this life... Hold on, does that mean I've taken over her life, her body, but she still exists within this vessel? How is that even possible? Argh, it's giving me a headache just thinking about it. And I can't tell anyone because who would understand? They'd think I'm crazy if I told them about this seriously.

"Hey, you've seemed troubled these past few days. Like you have a lot on your mind. Is something going on? Maybe I can help, if you don't mind, that is," Lior said, appearing beside me out of nowhere. Oh yeah, I didn't realize I was in the school library now. I was lost in thought.

"Hm? Oh no, I'm fine, really. Just some trivial issues. Besides, you'd probably think I'm crazy if I told you about it," I replied, smiling at him.

He nodded slowly. "Alright, but if you need a friend to talk to, you can always find me. Don't worry, no matter how crazy your problem may seem, I won't think you're crazy," he said.

"Hmm... Well then, listen to this. I have this friend lately, she's quite out there. She says that the 'her' now isn't actually her, because she's from the future, more precisely, the year 2024. Now, it's 2017, so about 8 years ahead. So, my friend says she actually died in 2024, but suddenly she's back in 2017. You know what's even weirder? She says everything has changed, from her surroundings to her parents, the only thing that remains the same is her body," I explained, glancing at him. Of course, we had to keep our voices down since we were in the library.

"Oh? Can that really happen? It's so unique, like something out of a time travel story. But what do you mean everything has changed? So, she was born in a different place but with the same appearance?" Lior replied.

I nodded quickly. "And you know what's even crazier? My friend said a few days ago she suddenly experienced an intense headache, and when she woke up, she was in a completely white room. Do you know who was there? She said she saw someone who looked just like her, but that person was furious because my friend took over her life. Apparently, that person is the original owner of the body, and she lost control of it. So, she could only watch, maybe feel, but couldn't move," I explained.

He tilted his head in confusion. "Wow, that's getting even creepier now. Shouldn't your friend try some sort of exorcism? What if that's a demon?" Lior suggested.

"Ah, maybe... yeah, that's possible. But what if it's actually real? What if what my friend said is true? Like, if she's already dead but somehow went back to the past but in a completely different world, a different universe. And then, just when she's adapted and comfortable with her current life, the original body owner shows up. If you were in that position, what would you do?" I asked.

Lior fell silent for a moment, visibly deep in thought as he stroked his chin. Then, he looked at me. "If I were in that position, I'd probably feel torn? I mean, when I'm already comfortable with my second life, which I thought was surely a gift from God, but then if the original body owner suddenly appears like that, I'd definitely feel incredibly guilty. Like, am I a murderer? I don't know, but I'd definitely feel sorry for the original body owner. Can you imagine how suffocating it must be to only watch or feel but completely lose control over your own body?" he said.

"Shh!! You've been chatting non-stop, so loud! Get outta here, this is a library, not a therapy room!" a student nearby interrupted us. "Sorry..." Lior muttered quietly.

"Let's find another place," I suggested, and then we left the library.

As we walked down the school hallway, "You said you felt sorry for the original body owner. But what about my friend? She didn't ask to be given this life; she was just suddenly destined to go back to 2017, even though the environment was completely different. She also couldn't do anything because she genuinely didn't know anything," I said.

"Yeah, that's true... Your friend isn't at fault, and neither is the body owner. But isn't it strange? Why would someone return to a different time dimension in a different universe? In movies, usually, the person has a specific mission they're unaware of, like solving a problem or fixing something," Lior replied.

I nodded slowly; his answer made sense. "Do you think I'm different from who I was before?" I asked.

We finally settled on one of the empty benches we found while walking down the school hallway. "I'm not sure, because I wasn't really close to you before. I just used to see you around because we both took psychology classes. You're definitely sociable, but when you speak, you're always straightforward. Sometimes, you don't even think about whether what you're saying is appropriate or not... uhhh... I didn't mean to offend you," he said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

I chuckled softly. "It's okay. I asked, and that's your answer. What else?" I asked again.

"Hmm, what else? Oh yeah, you used to have this really sharp way of talking, like stabbing, you know? You're the friendly type but moody. And also, you used to get angry and strict a lot, really intense. Hmm, after thinking about it, maybe that's why I was a bit scared to be friends with you before. I was even afraid to look into your eyes," he said, laughing awkwardly.

"Is that so? What do you think of me now?" I asked him back.

Suddenly, Lior cleared his throat. "What's up? Is it really that bad that you have to clear your throat like that?" I said, sounding a bit glum.

Lior's eyes widened. "Eh?! No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Oh gosh, I don't know," he said, trying to appease me, which made me laugh.

"Alright, just answer," I replied. But then, the school bell rang, signaling that class would start soon.

"Oh? The bell already rang. We'll talk later then, bye~" he said, then dashed off. Even though we could've walked together, why did he have to run off like that...

I headed to my class, spending half of my day at school like usual. After school ended for the day, my friends and I went home. We rarely hung out after school, usually saving our gatherings for the weekend. Once home, I helped my mom with cooking, or just relaxed at home, waiting for tomorrow to come. Ah, I miss having holidays again, so I can relax even longer...

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