Sara!" A long voice wailed. The sound was unpleasant and made her ears hurt. She glared darkly at the people that walked in. They shivered as those black eyes fixated on them. The eyes seemed like an abyss to hell. The Zhen father and brothers rubbed their arms.
The Host's mother, Anna didn't care. She rushed to Sara's side. She was a delicate looking woman with light brown hair, a pert nose and small lips. Everything about her was small. Her eyes were a light shade of brown and were staring at Sara with worry. "My baby girl! You're finally awake... Why did you... Why?" Those brown eyes filled with tears as she stared at her daughter.
Those emotions were lost on Sara. Her ears still hurt so her eyes were less than friendly when she stretched out her hand to Anna. "Give me a mirror."
"Huh?"
"Give me a mirror." Sara snapped. Anna fumbled in her bag and hastily brought out a mirror. She handed it over to her.
Sara prepared to look at herself in the mirror. 'If my face is disfigured, I'll kill off your whole family' She swore to the host.
"Hmph!" The host snorted.
Sara closed her eyes as she raised the mirror. She was unaware of the disapproving and disgusted looks her father and brothers were giving her. 'She didn't even bother to acknowledge her mother's care and apologize for making us worried. She only cares about her face. Really vain.' They thought. But it seemed they had forgotten who spoilt her and brought her up to be vain.
Sara opened her eyes gently and stared into the mirror. The face that greeted her sight was red, blue and black. It was bruised and ugly.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
**************************
"I promise your face will return back to normal in a few weeks." The doctor looked at the young girl holding unto him helplessly. He had spent over an hour reassuring her that her face would get back to it's previous state. Speaking of which, it was pity such a perfect face was ruined. He could understand her pain so his gaze on her turned gentle. He knew this was the girl that had been in the news these days. She wasn't as bad as the rumours said and she had even tried to....
He looked at the Zhen parents with blaming eyes. "Make sure one of you accompany her during this period. She mustn't be left alone until her emotions are stable. I say, what could drive such a young girl to attempt to... Sigh."
Anna sobbed. "It's all our fault."
"Just make sure you watch over her." The doctor shook his head, his white hair flailing about. "And keep her off the internet. The news these days.... Sigh." He walked out.
Anna held Sara's hand and sobbed. "It's all our fault. My baby girl." She held her in her arms.
Sara was disgusted but remembered the task the host gave her. Sigh, the price to pay for this body was a little heavy. It was time to display her acting skills again.
She moved away from her mother's embrace, her eyes empty. The frantic girl that was begging the doctor was gone and in it's place was an empty shell.
"What moved you to do such a stupid thing?" Derek asked his daughter.
Sara shrunk in on herself. She gripped the covers of the bed tightly with her trembling fingers. She tried to speak but ended up swallowing her words and bit her lips hard. Her eyes turned red.
"Did you find out that Tara is having a competition and needs our company? Is that why you did this? To get us over to your side?" Yuchen, her second brother scolded.
'That actress is having a competition? Wasn't it the competition that the host was supposed to take part in? So she replaced her. That white lotus is quite smart.'
"No, no!" Sara shook her head wildly. "It's not that! I didn't do it on purpose!" She cried.
"Then why?" First brother, Zhen Yan asked.
Sara rolled her eyes inwardly. Are this people retarded? What did they expect would happen if the host saw the news? Smile and clap?
"I saw the news..." She whispered. She reached out suddenly and held Anna's hand. "Mum, tell me it isn't true. I'm still your daughter, right?" Her obsidian eyes were filled with a clear light. They seemed to be begging for the news to be false.
Anna shook her head and watched the light fade from those eyes. They became bleak. Nothing was there, no pain, no fear, no despair. Anna felt like she had lost her daughter and hurriedly held her.
"No matter what, I'll remain your mother!"
"It'll be different. It'll never be the same." Sara screamed. "People will see me and say that's the girl that stole someone's parents. Why? Why me? What did I do wrong? I didn't ask to be born! I didn't ask my mother to switch me at birth! I didn't intend to steal anyone's parents! I've also lost everything now! I have no identity, I'm just the daughter of a criminal now! But why does nobody see my pain...?" She broke down and cried.
"Enough!" Derek yelled. His heart softened when Sara looked at him with those red eyes. No matter what, this was a daughter he had doted on for seventeen years. If his heart didn't ache, then he was beast. But when he thought of his biological daughter at home and his other daughter still missing... He couldn't help but resent this fake daughter a little. If not for her sake, his daughters would still be with him.
Sara read the emotions of guilt and hate and snorted. Who was this man to hate the queen Sara herself? Don't worry she'll show him!
"Dad, do you hate me?" She asked. She seemed to be grasping at her last straws.
Derek couldn't answer.
"First brother, Second brother, Third brother, do you hate me too?"
The three men shifted uncomfortably and avoided looking at her. They too felt pity for her, but their biological sisters were more important.
"I understand." Sara laughed. Her laughter was gloomy and hopeless. "I want to be alone."
"Sara..." Anna whimpered.
"I don't need your sympathy." She stared coldly at Anna.
"I'm your mother."
"Mother? My mother is that wanted criminal that you guys are probably searching for now. What will happen if you find her? You'll kill her right? Haha, my biological mother died at the hands of my fake parents. This sacrifice is enough to pay for the fact that you raised her daughter for seventeen years, right?"
"Enough!" The pity in Derek's heart was doused.
"I want to be alone." Sara ignored him. She pointed at the door. "Leave."
Derek picked up his wife and left without looking back. The brothers too turned around and left.
Sara heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew... I was getting fed up of acting. Now for the next stage."
She endured the pain and stood up. "Ahhhh! Host, for this sacrifice I'm making, what do I get?"
"You already have my body!" Host yelled.
"This broken piece of trash? If I had a choice I won't have entered the body of an abandoned daughter like you."
"You...you..."
"You...you!" Sara mimicked.
If the host was human, it would have had an heart attack. Silently, it retreated to the back of Sara's mind.
"Tch. Such a weak mentality. No wonder that white lotus could beat you."
Host: I can't hear you!
Having lost her toy, Sara turned back. She dragged her body to the window and looked out. The Zhen family were about leaving. With a grin, she climbed the ledge of the window and sat down.
Anna still felt guilty and looked up to steal a peek at her daughter's window. She almost got a heart attack when she saw her daughter sitting on the window sill.
"Honey!" She dragged her husband.
Derek felt his heart tightened. He shouted at the bodyguards to do something but before anyone could, Sara smiled at them.
It was unknown when, but their daughter seemed to have changed. Gone was the gloomy aura and vicious air that surrounded her. Instead, her whole being seemed to have become soft and delicate. Her black eyes were no longer scheming but bright. She smiled brightly, stunning everyone. This was the smile of their baby girl. The one that made her eyes crinkle and revealed her two dimples. It also made the little space between her teeth more visible. It was a smile they last saw when she was ten. Since then, she worried about the crinkles the smile brought and only gave out a smile she had perfected in front of the mirror. Due to that, her face had long become a mask, devoid of any emotions. Now she looked as vivid as a painting, her every action captivating.
'My mouth freaking hurts!' After smiling at them that way, Sara took a deep breath and raised her hands to cover her face.
Derek instinctively rushed towards the space under the window. As he ran, he felt more presences beside him and saw his sons racing with him. Their heart went to their throats as the figure on the window sill let herself fall.
"Noooooooo!" Anna screamed.