"Come back," the girl whispered.
The water bubbled up and then light broke.
Aria screamed but it was a silent scream. She was pulled backward, tumbling through liquid and light and cold that wasn't really cold, the water peeled away, layer by layer, until her skin felt with the sensation of being just again, not floating or anything like that, But inside of herself
She opened her eyes and nothing at all was familiar. The ceilings first looked odd not at all like the ones in her room, colored pale green and old fan turned slowly above her, its blades covering the light from a single dangling bulb. The room smelled of alcohol and rusted and maybe bleach?
Aria's mouth felt dry and her lips felt were chapped as she slowly sat up. Her body slowly obeyed but not in the way it used to. Her arms felt way thinner. The sheets that fell away from her were pale blue, the hospital grade type Her hair, as it moved forward into view, was not her usual thick, dark curls. It was Straight, almost blonde, she reached up and touched it, trembling abit, her hands looked wrong. The fingers were long, nails well manicured and painted a faint pink color. Her wrists delicate, she felt the slope of her neck, the line of her jaw , she slid off the bed and staggered to a m mirror hung above a sink.
And she just stared but not at Aria Monroe.
But someone else. A woman tall and ethereal looking, bruised up too but very beautiful in a an strange way. Eyes puffy and a bit dark eye bags, pupils too a bit too large . Hair down to her shoulders in fine blonde waves. Her lips were full.
Aria stumbled back in shock
"No," she whispered. But it wasn't her voice. It was a little higher, a stranger's voice in her own ears.
She grabbed the sink and she just stared again.
The woman in the mirror stared right back.
"…what the hell is this," she breathed. Who the hell is this?""
And just as her knees threatened to give out on her a knock sounded at the door, followed by a voice it sounded masculine, low, and almost careful:
"Lena? Are you awake?"
Aria didn't move. She couldn't. Her breath stayed in her throat. The man on the other side waited
Then spoke again
"Lena. Open the door. We need to talk. it's kinda important."
The name hung in the air.
Lena.
She turned toward the mirror again, and whispered it to herself.
"Lena."
The face didn't change, it was still the same person looking back. She stood, frozen, her bare feet just brushing cold tiled.
The doorknob twisted .
And there he wa,tall and handsome,hair slicke back, wearing a charcoal sweater with the sleeves rolled up just past his elbow. He was handsome in a sharp way,cheekbones and jaw well cut . His expression was soft, but there was an edge like way behind it
He didn't come in, he just looked at her
"You're awake."
She stared at him.
Then took two stumbling steps forward.
"Where am I?" Her voice cracked up abit but not with emotion, but from unfamiliarity because it didn't sound like her at all.
Marcus tilted his head slightly. That suspicion deepened, but his tone stayed level. "You're at the estate. The west compound."
She blinked at him. "Estate?"
"You're safe." His voice was careful. "You… fell into the lake. On the east side. The current's strong there, luckily we found you on time".
He stepped closer, hesitated, then handed her a glass of water from the table near by.
"How do you feel?"
She took it more to stall than to drink from the glass.
"I… I'm okay," she said. "Just… confused."
Marcus watched her drink. Or pretended to.
"I'll let Lucien know you're awake. He's been concerned."
She looked up. "Lucien?"
"Yes," Marcus said carefully. "Do you remember what happened? How you fell in?"
She looked confused for a while before remembering he made mention of her falling into a lake nearby
"Oh no I don't remember much of anything at all"
He took a step back.
"If you remember anything more clearly," he said, "let us know. For now you should rest up"
He didn't smile, didn't say any goodbyes just turned and closed the door behind him.
Silence.
Aria slowly turned toward the mirror again, heart climbing her ribs, her own reflection met her halfway. Not her reflection though someone elses
Lena.
She moved toward it like she was approaching a wounded Amin
The woman in the mirror just watched,her lips were full and barely pink. A faint scar on her neck.
Aria leaned in closer, she touched her own cheek.
It was softer than she remembered, not the face of someone who worked twelve hour kitchen shifts. This face belonged to someone who was kept, not burdened by many thing
Her fingers trailed down the slope of her nose. The line of her throat, she opened her mouth.
"I'm Aria Monroe," she whispered.
The sound startled her.
She tried again. "I'm Aria."
She didn't sound convinced, she went back to the bed and she sat slowly, trying to remember how to breathe. Her arms were thinner. Her shoulders narrower. She touched the curve of her waist, the flat on her stomach.
This wasn't a hallucination, it wasn't any dream.
She remembered everything. The alley. The chase, the flash of silver eyes, the gun, her getting shot. The blood, her floating, then the weird dream with the girl and now this.
"What the fuck happened to me?" she whispered. She buried her face in her hands
"Am I dead?" she murmured. "Is this reincarnation? Am I a ghost? Am I in someone's head? Did I lose my mind?
She paused.
"No… I remember. I remember everything."
She stood again, restless. The room was small, bare. The window was barred not like a prison, but like a place that didn't quite trust the outside, light spilled through the room.
Then she heard another knoc
"Come in," she said automatically, startled by the way the words just slipped out in Lena's voice
The door swung open with a little
And a girl came through.
Slim, short, delicate bones thick black hair that looked very soft. Her eyes were wide She moved fast very fast and threw her arms around Aria.
"Oh thank god," the girl breathed, hugging her tightly. "You're awake. You're awake."
Aria went stiff.
She pulled back and cupped Aria's face.
"You had us worried, Lena," she said softly. "Two days. I thought I thought maybe you were going to stay under. Lucien said it might happen. But I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't."
Aria flinched slightly. "I—"
She stepped back, giving herself space. The girl watched her carefully, the smile fading just a little.
"I'm sorry," Aria said. "I… don't think I know your name."
Something passed across the girl fac
"I'm Sophia," she said slowly. "You know that."
"I… hit my head," Aria said quickly. "It's all a little hazy."
Sophia tilted her head, ahit
"I've been assigned to you since birth," she said.
Assigned since birth? Ari swallowed.
Sophia's smile returned, though dimmer now.
"You really don't remember anything?"
"I remember…" Aria paused. "Falling but nothing after or before that".
Sophia studied her. "You don't usually fall."
"I know."
"I'll stay with you," she said. "Until you feel right again."
Aria nodded, trying not to look as horrified as she felt.
Sophia turned, picking up the discarded water glass from the sink.
"Lucien will want to talk to you. But I think… maybe not yet."
"Who is this Lucien?
"You really don't remember anything? Lucien is your betrothed and you were to be married the day before you fell into the lake.
Aria froze then stepped forward.
"Sophia," she said carefully. "Who was Lena?"
Sophia blinked, then smiled a little
"But you're Lena.