Annalise's POV
"This isn't me" my hands covering my mouth in disbelief. My heart pounded harder and faster as if the body reflecting in the mirror realized the same thing.
A frail looking young girl with dark shades of green eyes and a long thick ginger hair was staring right back at me. My stomach twisted as my anxiety dug into my intestines.
My shocking discovery was cut off pretty quickly by a man bolting through the door of the room I stood in followed by the elderly woman who came in earlier.
The middle aged man had a protruding belly and grey moustache sitting on his upper lip. Two other young ladies in the same dress as the elderly woman walked in as well looking scared.
"Your grace! You mustn't be on your feet now" the elderly woman cried again rushing in my direction and grabbing me gently by the arm.
The young ladies joined her to help me to the bed. My brows squeezed in confusion as I was led to the bed and sat down.
The man who I now realize was the doctor approached me to examine my body.
"Your grace seems to be confused" his husky voice startled me. "Do you remember anything?" he continued
"No…"I responded, my own voice startled me as well. It was softer than my original voice and faint too.
The doctor and the elderly maid exchanged concerned glances before the doctor continued his inspection.
"Do you know where you are your Grace?"
"No" I inhaled sharply
"I know you've been through quite the ordeal…What's the last thing you remember?" his eyes narrowed at me.
I opened my mouth to talk but I stopped myself immediately. "If I'm not who they think I am then it wouldn't be wise to speak carelessly" I thought to myself silently.
"I don't remember anything" I replied shifting my gaze to the rest of the crowd whose eyes were almost stabbing me.
"What about your name, your grace?" the doctor's hands reached for my hand to check my pulse. I flinched.
"I don't remember" my muscles tensed up. The elderly woman and doctor exchanged glances again. The lady looked back at me stretching her hand to hold mine.
The young maids at the further back watched me with careful eyes, their brows scrunched in worry.
She looked back at the doctor who is now checking my head and face for any injury. Her mouth parted as if to say something but she changed her mind.
"do you remember this woman?" the doctor points at the elderly woman after letting go of my head. Her face seemed like she was about to break into tears. Her eyes widened with anticipation at my response.
She looked like she cared a great deal about me…no…the owner of this body. Saying no seemed like it would hurt her but I genuinely had no idea what was happening or who she was.
I bit my lower lips nervously as I subtly avoided her gaze and looked down. She read my expression and got the message.
"It's okay your grace, I'm your lady-in-waiting…I used to be your nanny too, My name is Hannah" she spoke calmly gently squeezing my hands. Her warm hands cupping mine, I immediately felt at ease and a calm deep breath escaped my nostrils.
I looked back up to a gentle smile plastered on her face. My blood ran cold with guilt. A series of questions began popping up in my mind again.
"Where am I? Whose body was this? How did I end up here? What about my body?. My wandering mind jolted back to the present by the doctor who cleared his throat and spoke.
"it seems her grace has lost some of her memory" his eyes focused on Hannah. "She should rest and take her medication…I'll come back in a few days to check up on her again" He stood up slowly packing his suitcase.
"But what about her memory? Will she get it back?" Hannah inquired stranding up with him.
"I can't say, we'll just have to watch her and pray to the moon goddess she does" the doctor responded with a sigh and began walking towards the door. "The moon goddess?" his expression puzzled me.
I watched him leave, the door clicking shut behind him. For the rest of the day, Hanna and the other maids clung to me like shadows, attending to my every need, every gesture. Their presence felt suffocating, as if they were trying to keep me from even lifting a finger.
By nightfall, I was finally left alone. The room was silent, save for the crickets singing somewhere in the darkness.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my muscles stiff and wary, and stood on shaky legs.
My pulse thudded in my ears as I crossed the room, my bare feet making soft sounds against the hard floor.
The space seemed too quiet, too still, like the air itself was watching me.
I reached the window, pulling the heavy drapes aside, and what I saw made my breath catch in my throat. The moon was enormous, a glowing orb hanging low in the sky, casting a silver glow over everything. But it wasn't the moon itself that shocked me, it was the world beyond.
Instead of the towering skyscrapers and bustling city streets I knew, there were small, quaint buildings that looked like they'd been plucked from a different era, nestled beneath towering mountains that loomed in the distance.
The chill of dread crawled up my spine, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
My fingers gripped the silky fabric of my nightgown as I stumbled back, my heartbeat a frantic drum against my ribs. "This isn't right"
I felt lightheaded, my knees weakening beneath me, but I forced myself to stay upright, digging my nails into my palm.
"Annalise, calm down," I whispered to myself, sucking in a deep, shaky breath. My mind raced, wild with questions I couldn't even begin to answer.
"I need to get to the bottom of this," I muttered, steeling my resolve. There had to be an explanation, a reason for why I was suddenly in a place that didn't belong to the world I knew.