1:03 AM
Akondo, still in Freddy's body, lay on the bed inside Freddy's house. Beside him, Freddy's girlfriend was asleep.
He opened his eyes and sat up, feeling a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"Did I… did I really just have… did I actually just have sex with her? I didn't mean to, but she practically pushed me into it. I had to act like him, right?" Akondo thought, feeling the weight of his actions. He still couldn't believe he'd gone through with it. "What am I even doing? I'm not myself… literally." He put his hand to his forehead, overwhelmed.
The woman stirred, sat up beside him, and looked at him with sleepy confusion. "What's wrong with you, babe? Why were you acting so weird?"
Akondo looked at her, still dazed. "Huh?"
She frowned. "Since when do you say 'huh'? Say what's wrong with you, clearly."
"What should I even say? I wasn't exactly in control here. I've never done something like that, but this guy clearly has. Of course, she'd notice something off." Akondo thought. He stood up, scrambling to find a response.
Finally, he said, "I just… wasn't feeling well after I went out to check where that scream was coming from."
"Yeah, yeah, that's why I told you not to go out," she muttered, yawning. "Now come back to bed."
"Uh, I'm just gonna get some water," he replied, heading out of the room.
In the kitchen, he poured himself a glass and took a long drink, thinking hard. "I need a way to stay safe if things go south… can't let anyone catch on."
---
The Next Day – 7:01 AM
At Seren's house, her alarm buzzed, and she groggily reached for her phone. She noticed a message from Akondo and felt a flutter of hope. "Maybe he's apologizing," she thought, a small smile on her face.
But as she opened the message, her heart sank. The text read: "Never come in front of me again. Live your own life."
Her smile faded, and in frustration, she threw her phone down. "Fine then, if that's what he wants! Let's see how well he does without me."
Later, during breakfast with her family, her father, mother, and older sister noticed her quiet mood.
"Seren? You look a bit down," her sister asked, concerned.
"No, it's nothing… Hey, could you drop me at school today?" Seren asked her sister.
"Why? Aren't you going with Akondo?" her sister replied, surprised.
"His mom passed away two days ago, so he might not be going to school," her father chimed in.
"Oh… I didn't know that," her sister said, looking a little taken aback.
"You're rarely home after work, so you probably missed the news," their mother said.
"Right… makes sense. Sure, I'll drop you," her sister replied, giving Seren a reassuring look.
---
In the car, Seren sat quietly, gazing out the window. Her sister glanced at her and asked, "What's really going on?"
Seren sighed. "Ever since Akondo's mom died, he's been acting strange. Now he's even told me not to show my face to him ever again."
Her sister gripped the steering wheel, her eyes narrowing. "He told you that? Alright, I'll go kick his ass for breaking my little sister's heart."
"No, don't… I think I should respect his wishes. If he doesn't want me around, I'll just… keep my distance," Seren replied, trying to sound calm.
Her sister smiled softly. "Look, things like this happen in relationships. Don't stress too much. If you think he doesn't want you, maybe try to be sure first. But if it's clear he's shutting you out, remember you deserve someone who appreciates you."
The car pulled up in front of the school, and Seren gave her sister a small nod, grabbing her bag and heading inside.
Once in class, she found a spot in the middle row, rested her head on her bag, and tried to drown out her thoughts.
Time passed. Suddenly, the classroom door opened, and a teacher entered before the bell rang, calling out, "Attention, students!"
Seren looked up, noticing the person standing beside the teacher. It was Ren, dressed in the school uniform.
"Wait… is that the Prince of Valloria? What is he doing here?" Seren thought, her eyes widening in shock.
The teacher addressed the class. "He'll be joining us for the year. Please introduce yourself."
Ren stood with perfect posture, his presence calm yet commanding. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ren Alfray, but feel free to call me Ren. I'll be completing my senior year here with all of you. I know it's a bit late to be transferring in the final year, but I hope we can all be friends."
A murmur swept through the room, students whispering excitedly.
"He's so handsome!" one girl gushed.
"Way more handsome than Akondo," another agreed.
"Seriously, he looks better than anyone we've ever seen—even movie stars!" a third chimed in.
One of the boys, pushing up his glasses, spoke up hesitantly. "Are… are you the prince of Valloria? I think I read about you in an article."
Ren smiled politely. "Yes, I am the prince. But please, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that. I left my country to get away from all the royal treatment. I just want to be treated like everyone else here."
"Wow, he's really the prince? Unbelievable," a girl said, awestruck.
In the back, a group of boys whispered among themselves. "Maybe we can befriend him and, you know… make use of those royal connections," one of them chuckled.
The teacher cleared his throat and pointed to an empty desk near the window. "Ren, you can take the last seat by the window."
"Thank you, sir," Ren replied graciously as the teacher left.
As Ren walked to his seat, he passed Seren's desk. She glanced at him, thinking, "That explains everything…"
Ren caught her gaze for a moment and thought, "What a coincidence. That boy with her that night had a black soul… This might be more interesting than I expected."
As he settled into his seat, a few students eagerly gathered around him, striking up conversation. Ren responded warmly, his composed demeanor only fueling their fascination.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, A car sped down the road, carrying Freddy's body but with Akondo's soul inside. Akondo leaned back in the driver's seat, his mind racing. "I still haven't returned to my body… I have no idea how or when it'll happen, but I'm sticking to my plan."
He glanced at Freddy's phone resting on the passenger seat. "I'm not sure if leaving this body would kill him or not. But if Freddy does make it back to his body, I'll set up a message telling him to 'Go back home.' Hopefully, he'll just go there, none the wiser. If he doesn't… well, he'll die, and no one will connect it to me."
Akondo thought through his plan carefully. "I'm far enough from my own house now that no one should suspect any connection to me…" He eyed the phone again, considering, "But if I set anything incriminating, like a suspicious wallpaper, it could leave a clue. If the police find his phone, they might trace it back to me. No, that's too risky…"
Following the GPS, Akondo focused on avoiding mistakes. "I need to keep all possibilities in mind. Two deaths have already been indirectly linked to me—my mother, right in front of me, and the hot dog seller after he drove me to the hospital. If Freddy dies, people might start connecting dots. They'll want to know what he was doing last night, and that could lead them to me… I can't let that happen. I have to survive this."
Eventually, he approached a busy highway. "Perfect," he thought. "If I end up back in my own body here, Freddy's car might crash, and it'll just look like an accident. But… can I really control this body swap?"
Just then, an intense pain shot through his chest. He gasped. "Wait… am I actually switching back?"
His vision blurred, and then, as if he'd blinked, Akondo found himself back in his own bed at home. He looked around, disoriented but relieved. "What the hell… I'm really back."
Meanwhile, with Akondo's soul no longer in control, Freddy's body became vacant. The car veered off course, slamming into a roadside barrier. The impact was brutal—the barrier tore through the vehicle, piercing right through Freddy's body before the car came to a twisted halt, surrounded by shocked onlookers.
.
.
.
It was noon at school, and Seren sat by the playground, where some students played badminton. She leaned against a tree in the shade, earbuds in, scrolling through her phone.
From a distance, Ren noticed her and walked over. He stopped beside her and cleared his throat softly. "Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Mind if I sit here?"
Seren looked up, momentarily surprised to see Ren. "Oh… sure, go ahead," she replied, smiling as she gestured to the spot next to her.
Ren took a seat beside her and glanced around before speaking. "You're the girl from the hospital, aren't you? Sorry, I just wanted to check."
"Yes, that's me," Seren answered, giving him a friendly smile.
"Glad to see you remember," Ren said with a faint smile. "I wasn't sure if you would."
"Of course, I remember. Thank you for helping us back then," Seren replied.
"Oh, I didn't do much," Ren said humbly. "You and your… brother, right? You seemed to be in some trouble, so I thought I'd lend a hand."
Seren shook her head gently. "No, that's actually Akon, my boyfriend."
"Ah… I'm sorry, I assumed…" Ren said, trailing off, a little taken aback.
"It's fine," Seren said, standing up.
Ren glanced up at her, sensing a bit of tension. "How's your boyfriend now?" he asked cautiously.
She paused, then responded with a trace of sadness in her voice. "He's… fine. Perfectly fine, without me."
Ren nodded slowly, choosing his next words carefully. "I don't mean to pry, but… if you're comfortable sharing, what happened?"
Seren raised an eyebrow, wondering about his interest. After a moment, she turned to him. "His mother died recently, so he was going through a tough time. He's been… distant. If you're really curious, you can ask him yourself once he's back at school," she said coolly. "But please, don't ask me anything more about him."
Ren quickly nodded. "Right, of course. I didn't mean to overstep," he apologized.
Without another word, Seren walked away, leaving Ren to watch her retreating figure.
Once she was out of earshot, he muttered under his breath, his voice dropping to a low tone. "Fine. I'll just find out myself anyways "
[ To be continued ]