She slowly opened her eyes, her consciousness dragging itself back to reality like something pulling at her.
She lay in a hospital room, a man standing by her bed.
His suit was immaculate, his features sharp, yet his gaze softened as it rested on her face.
“Awake?” he said.
She parted dry lips, her throat scratchy. “Where is this?”
“Don’t rush. Temporary memory confusion is common upon waking.”
She stared at him, bewildered. “Who are you?”
“Sean,” he smiled. “Rebirth Cycle.”
At those words, she bolted upright, frantically examining herself.
Not a spectral form. Not intangible. Not her familiar sickly body.
Her fingers felt strong and full, skin smooth and unblemished. No IV lines, no hospital gown, no markings linking her to Sunset Care Center.
The reflection in the mirror wasn’t her.
She lunged for the bedside mirror, staring at the face.
Similar features, but younger–no fine lines at the eyes, sharper contours. As if she’d rewound to before twenty–six.
“Who is this?” Her throat tightened.
“Your new body,” Sean stated calmly. “Three years later. Sophieleila. Twenty–seven. Healthy. Free. Legally recog- nized.”
“What about… my original self?”
“Cremated. Today marks your third death anniversary.”
Emerie’s head spun.
“But this is Rebirth Cycle?”
“You fulfilled your fixation.” He nodded.
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Chapter 13
288 Vouchers
“Meaning the mission concluded. The system judged you worthy of continued existence. Hence, your rebirth.”
“What does that mean?”
“Simply put, you didn’t fade. You’ve been granted a new identity. This body was near death, system–repaired, now yours to inhabit.”
She froze.
“I’m… alive?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Can I see him?”
Sean didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he handed her an Initial Media Corporation assistant probationary offer.
Name: Sophieleila.
She looked up, voice trembling. “You arranged this?”
“You may approach him,” Sean said slowly. “But you cannot reveal who you were.”
“Start anew. With this name. This identity.”
“You get one chance to re–enter his life. He must recognize you himself.”
Her knuckles whitened on the paper. “Will he know me?”
“That’s for you to discover.”
“Do you recall your fixation? Your final wish?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I wanted to see him… one last time.”
“Now you can.” Sean’s voice softened.
“The rest… is up to you.”
He turned, footsteps whispering against the hospital floor.
Emerie sat on the bed, staring at the job offer.
Three years.
She’d been gone three years. Yet he’d remained.
Now she’d step back into his life–as Sophieleila.
A pity she couldn’t tell him:
I’m the one you waited for. The one you wept over for three years.
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Chapter 14
Chapter 14
