Odd as it was, birds could be heard chirping from the outside—a promise of a brighter day.
But was it really?
My eyes fluttered open, allowing me to faintly see a white curtain flapping against the wind's gentle caress whispering its song. The birds hummed along, making me blink more than once.
A sharp pain had me hissing, forcing my eyes to shut before reopening them to the bright morning light.
I could hardly recall what happened, but something felt off.
Something was different.
With a gasp, I remembered bits and pieces of what happened, my natural instinct to panic had me sitting upright.
The pain in my skull doubled. It felt like someone had punched me in the gut and had knocked me out cold.
Briefly scanning the surroundings, I think the most important question right now was where was I?
This didn't look like Exo's old room.
The ceiling looked different, not only that the entire room looked and felt different.
On one side of the wall were posters of people I didn't recognize, and there was a work desk with a desktop computer set up.
The previous one didn't have that.
My memory was sharp. Which was weird, mind you. Because I could identify every item that wasn't there before, but I couldn't remember everything that happened.
I only recall talking with Nichen. What it was about, I no longer had any idea. But something told me I agreed to something again.
It was a terrible feeling not being able to remember what we had talked about. I knew it was necessary. Else, I wouldn't be where I was.
Pushing myself to get out of bed, I kept my balance steady. But that was only for a few seconds before I stumbled.
My head was aching almost unbearably, and breathing became difficult to handle.
I placed a hand over my heart, trying to calm myself down.
"Calm down, Elijah," I coaxed, my heart hammering inside my chest and my mind swirling in confusion. "Calm down."
I forced my eyes shut, shaking my head as if that would take away the bloody pain from my skull.
"Inhale," I sucked in a mouthful of air, readying to release it. "Ex—aahhhh! Who are you?!"
Upon reopening my eyes, I found myself locked in a staring contest with a little girl who resembled Fifi.
Her blonde hair dangled messily around her small face. But instead of animated eyes, she had real ones this time.
Putting my hands in a cross, I shook my head in disbelief.
It couldn't be Fifi.
Could it?
She was wearing pink pajamas with little panda heads all over them. She looked like she had just come out of bed, rubbing her eyes as she blinked at me.
"Why do you look so surprised?"
The little girl whined.
I gasped, a hand flying over my mouth.
"No way," I watched the little girl fold her arms over her chest. She eyed me up and down, raising a brow.
"Really, Exo? Ugh," she clicked her tongue. "After what you have done, I should be the one to be mad at you."
She stomped her tiny feet, trying to look intimidating. But her cute size and face made it impossible.
"I'm not mad," I clarified. "I'm confused."
She narrowed her gaze further, not buying my excuse.
Wait.
I blinked in Fifi's direction, my brain registering something that wasn't right.
"You called me Exo?"
A clear smug expression flashed on Fifi's face. She stomped her little foot again, uttering one harrumph before muttering some indiscernible words.
"I see," she murmured, approaching me with confident steps. Before I could ask what she was doing, the latter held a hand, palms out, to me.
She looked tiny, and I didn't know what she expected me to do.
"Give me your hand," she said flatly.
I had an eternal debate about whether to follow as she instructed or ask her what was going on. The little girl narrowed her gaze at me.
It reminded me of a possessed child, someone who would suddenly think that it was right to attack an adult for no reason. The thought made me shiver.
Hence, I gulped back my inner protest and touched her hand.
The minute our skin met, my vision flashed white, images played inside my head, and then it was gone for the next minute.
I had to gasp, a sudden numbing pain pulsing on my forehead. It replaced the then pounding inside my skull.
Bits and pieces of what happened came back to me slowly.
I talked to Nichen before I woke up here—wherever here was.
"Esther, darling?" an adult woman's voice cut through the rising lump of panic in my throat. When I looked in the direction where it came from, my eyes bulged out.
The little girl standing before me a while ago had crossed the space between them and ran to the woman who walked through the ajar door.
"Mommy!" Fifi called, switching to her child-like voice. It made me understand one thing.
Esther and Fifi were the same person; therefore, this little girl who just called Priscilla' mommy' became my sister.
"My love," the woman smothered the little girl with kisses before she turned her attention to me, her expression becoming sour.
"Were you trying to hurt your sister, you brat?!"
I shook my head vehemently.
"I—"
I didn't know how to finish that sentence. What was I doing? What on Nirvana happened?
I could clearly recall the choice I made.
But why am I here?
Why am I still…
Wait.
I gave my body another glance, leaving the mother who looked at me with worry now, as it left her question verbally unanswered.
I was desperate to find a mirror, rushing to open one door and another, searching for the bathroom.
When I found one, I stared at my reflection, my mouth opening in a wide O.
The lanky body I complained so much about was no longer present. I almost thought they had resurrected me myself.
Despite not being good-looking in my former life, I made it up with a fit body. I worked on it for years.
I leaned closer to the mirror. My eyes couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Nirvana himself has blessed this Exo kid.
"Damn."
I almost allowed myself to smile. For once in my life, I could actually have everything a man could ask for in physical perfection.
However, one minor detail didn't sit right about this.
I opened the door quite harshly, surprising Priscilla.
She looked at me up and down before narrowing her gaze and bonking me with her fist.
"You brat! You scared me for nothing!"
Esther giggled in the side. I glared in her direction while she stuck her tongue out in my direction.
[I'll be enjoying this show for a while, Exo]