Chapter 4: New World

“Ofelia! Ofelia! Wake up!”

A slim silhouette is all I see the moment I opened my eyes. After I adjusted my eyesight, I quickly noticed the small girl beside me. She’s probably the one who woke me up.

“You’re finally awake! Let’s go see Samira now! Quick! Quick!”

Child, stop tugging my shirt.

Ow!

“My head is throbbing. Wait.” Gah, I also have a sore throat!

I haven’t processed what happened yet. Did the developers succeed in eradicating that malfunction-which is me by the way, in their game? Probably. What else am I doing in this tiny body if they didn’t? Ah, that was rather short lived.

I glanced at the girl who is eagerly looking at me. I sighed. “Let’s go see her.” That Samira she mentioned earlier.

She smiled widely and goes running around the room.

“Yay! I thought you’d disagree again!”

Not that I can. I need to know whose body I am in so I’ll have no complications blending around the people she knows.

“Let’s fix your hair first!” She said as she pulled me to a gold dressing table mirror. Wow, fancy. This kid’s parents are definitely wealthy.

I almost shrieked in horror when I saw my reflection. What the heck is that?! Those eye bags are so big that a coin can fit in there! And the hair looked like a bird’s nest! Also, is that dried saliva on the side of my mouth?

“Before that, let me wash my face first.” or maybe take a bath.

After going through all that ordeal on fixing my messy hair, we finally went outside to go see ‘Samira’.

“Sister, I know you hate Samira and probably mom and dad, but I’m glad you are willing to put up with it just for today! You even let me fix your hair!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

What’s with all the bruises I saw on my neck earlier?

“And you’re even talking to me!”

“I am not; you’re probably imagining I am.” Just please stop talking for a while, my head’s still throbbing.

“Hmm… Well, I guess that’s true! I can see images and hear voices in my head all the time, hehe! I even talk to them occasionally.”

My face crumpled. Congratulations kid, you just unlocked Schizophrenia! She looks too young to have it though.

“Can I hold your hand, Ofelia? Just so I can truly tell if you are walking with me or not. Last time I thought you were with me on the way to see mom and dad but I was wrong.”

Definitely schizophrenic. Ah.

“Have it your way.”

She wasted no second grabbing my hand.

“Hehe, let’s go this way. Samira said she will be waiting there.”

Yeah, yeah.

“Samira said her parents bought new toys! I wonder what is it?”

Probably just some Barbie dolls.

“Last time she showed us some interesting files that NOIR has found!” She leaned and whispered, “secret files!”

Sure.

This is only the 3rd time I possessed a child’s body as I am frequent on either in an animal or to a human adult and strangely enough, most of the children I possessed are weak. I can tell that the current body I am in is no different.

[clattering noise]

“We’re here!” She let my hand go and ran towards the kid sitting on a sofa. “Sami!!!!!!!!”

I stopped on my track to check the surroundings. This place looks like a factory of something. Are we even allowed here?

“Go put that back to where you took it, the kids are here. We’ll continue later.”

The men who were dragging some metals turned around and exited the area. Look at that, why are they the ones excusing themselves for some kids? This isn’t even a good place to hang out.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I took a few steps and sat in front of them.

“Huh? Why are you sitting there, Ofelia? Come sit beside us!” The kid who dragged me here immediately asked.

“I prefer it here,” I answered. “I need some distance to think.” I mean, not to be paranoid but this whole situation is giving me ominous vibes. Something is telling me this whole situation is wrong.

“Think? What do you have in mind then?”

“Nothing? My head is aching that’s why.” My insides are screaming that I need to get out of this place quickly and I can barely tell why. Let’s stay still until my head gets clearer.

“Just let her be. Ofelia does look sick.” The girl, Samira, shrugged as she says that and pulled something out of her pocket.

“Ehhhhhh! Okay then. Soooo what do you have for us today, Sami?”

“Oh, I found an unused PCB from mom’s bedroom last week. I thought it looked nice so I made 3 rings out of it. Here, I made it with your favorite color.” She then handed me a ring.

It’s a black ring with PCB in the center. The first thought that I had when she mentioned PCB is polychlorinated biphenyls–something that can’t be found in the bedroom actually–and not printed circuit board–­also something that can’t be found in the bedroom–so this is a bit of a surprise. Unless her mother is an electrician, it is rather questionable why she had these lying around.

“Is your mom an electrician?” My question would definitely raise suspicions but I need to know.

She squinted her eye before answering. “No, she’s a professor. Have you forgotten?”

Then why does she have those things around? Perhaps she’s an electrical engineering professor? Could be. Ah, whatever.

I put it on my thumb and raised my hand. It does look good. She got an eye for these things.

“Thanks.” I quietly said.

They both looked at me in shock. I guess the kid I possess doesn’t know how to say thanks.

“You’ve been acting strange since earlier Ofelia.” The kid whose name I still don’t know said. It’s not like I can just ask her for her name, isn’t it?

“Ofelia is always a strange one, why are you still surprised?” Samira took a cup of tea from the table. I didn’t even notice it was there.

“Maybe the shot last week worked on her? Have a drink, it’s a new tea my mother bought from India.” India? So this world is the one I originated from?

She gave the teacup to Poliosis girl-because I still don’t know her name and she has a streak of white hair on her bangs-and sat properly. She looked at me in the eye and boy, anyone could tell those looks bring trouble.

“Mother said it is time for your weekly shot, Ofelia. You will be coming with me after you both finish the tea.”

What shot? Like an injection?

I took a sip from the cup. This tea tastes nice.

“Sami, what was mother’s response about us asking for permission to enter the back room?”

I almost choke on my tea. Back room? How does a child know about that term?

“She said it is not safe for you to enter that place and suggested to forget about its existence.”

“Aww, what a bummer.”

Poliosis girl is schizophrenic- probably, this place looks like a factory, the PCB, Poliosis girly also mentioned secret files and back rooms, bruises on my neck that I noticed when I washed my face earlier, and Samira telling me about ‘my’ shots.

Darn, am I inside the body of some experimental kid? That’s the only explanation I can come up with!

“It seems you’ve both finished the tea. Let’s go to room 1 now.” She stood up and started walking. She didn’t even wait for us!

“You’ll be fine Ofelia. I heard from Sami that your shots today will be lesser than last week because they started giving me shots yesterday.” Probably for your schizophrenia.

I gave her a side-eye. If my shots will be lesser because she had shots yesterday, that would only mean they gave us the same shots. I don’t think this kid I am in is schizophrenic because I ain’t seeing or hearing things yet. That’s just an assumption though. Then, do we have the same genetic disease?

“We are here,” Samira said. “Behave yourselves as usual so that mother won’t go rough on you.” She placed her right hand on the wall and the metal door immediately opened. If this is just a normal shot, why does the door has that particular lock? And what does she mean by this mother going rough on us? None of these terms sounds normal and I don’t think this place is a hospital either. Let’s just go in to figure things out.

There are three adults inside, and all of them are wearing lab gowns.

“Oh great. You are finally here. Go undress and lie down on the table, Ofelia.”

I went behind the curtain she pointed and did what I was told and was shocked when I saw the bruises on this kid’s body. I thought the bruises were just on the neck but no, I have them everywhere on my body.

“What’s taking you so long in there? Be quick.”

I went out butt-naked and lay down on the metal table.

Gah! So cold! Hah.

Come to think of it, this kid ‘Ofelia’ and I have the same name. Such coincidence. I haven’t really thought of it because I was so immersed in what was happening. Not even an hour has passed since I came here so whatever I had in mind is not so sure, yet. I have a very bad idea of what it is but I hope it is not what is happening here. Should I try asking this woman just once?

“You are obedient today, Ofelia. I hope you keep that up.”

My eyes fell on the woman and I froze when I saw how lengthy the needle is. She is not going to inject that into me, is she?

“What are these shots for?” I asked flatly.

She looked at me and her brows quickly furrowed. Oh wow lady, I am only asking you what are those for.

She turned her head to Poliosis girl. “Leonora, why don’t you tell your sister what are these shots for?”

Huh? Leonora? Isn’t that the name of my character before I came into this world? A coincidence maybe?

[muffled noises]

I suddenly felt cold. Not because of the metal table but because of an unknown feeling that came over me and it is telling me that I should run away from this place. It is sickening and I feel like my insides are going to drop any second.

I sat abruptly and was about to get down from the table when two strong hands held my shoulders and forced me to lie down on the table. Seconds later, I felt an unimaginable pain below my right rib. Before I was knocked unconscious, the last thing I saw is Leonora crying and Samira looking at me blankly in the eye.