It's been several days since I spoke to Cassie's mother. I thought they would come running and demand more information from me. Maybe they would take me as an accomplice or whatever, but, luckily, none of that happened. No one contacted me by any electronic means. They didn't show up at my door either. It seems that they do take the anonymous calls thing seriously. However, Clown from the Vault's account suddenly disappeared. I guess that's a good sign. With all my heart, I hope that the protectors of this place do justice.

Witnessing the murder of the second girl was very painful. It affected me even more than witnessing Cassie's. Watching her scream and struggle against a man three times her size filled me with rage. How is it possible that someone could be that cowardly? Criminals like that would never dare to attack people with the same strength and proportions. They only attack the weakest and most innocent. They are scum!

I slam my fist against the mattress and huff in frustration. I cross my arms with a frown and eyes cast to the ground. I clench my teeth until my jaw hurts. The muscles in my neck tense. My breathing is labored. If I had that guy in front of me, I don't think I would be able to control this horrible impulse for revenge that I feel. Few things anger me more than injustices. And it is even worse if the victims are children. No one should ever lay a finger on them!

When I look up, I notice that the curtains and some papers are moving. There is a small whirlpool around me shaking my hair. Dust from the floor and furniture floats around me. I release a gasp of surprise and the blizzard stops. "What happened!?" I think. My emotions had never manifested themselves this way. As I approach the mirror, I notice light reddish halos surrounding my irises. A whimper escapes me and my knees go weak.

"No! Please no!" I mutter.

That tone of red is the same as the clouds lodged in the bellies of the Dákamas. That color is synonymous with suffering and brutality. I hold my head with both hands. My surroundings blur due to dizziness. My saliva tastes bitter. "I'm not going to let myself be defeated. I can control this," I tell myself. I close my eyes and focus on clearing my mind. I inhale through my nose and then exhale slowly through my mouth. I think of Mánesvart and my family. When calm begins to gain ground, I dare to take a new look at my reflection. The crimson circles are no longer there. I sigh, relieved.

"Olivia, are you ready yet? If you need more time, I can ask Tara to move the appointment time. I think she has another slot in two hours."

Annette's voice sounds muffled through the closed door to my room. Despite this, all traces of the anger I experienced recently evaporate when I hear it. The kindness that the lady exudes when she speaks always calms me down. It's difficult, if not impossible, to get angry with her. She has infinite light.

"Just give me two more minutes, please." I rub my eyelids and huff. I want to touch up my hairstyle.

"Of course, do not worry about it."

I hit my forehead with my palm. I had completely forgotten about the appointment! I run to the clothes drawer and grab the first thing that doesn't look too wrinkled. I get dressed in record time and then tie my hair in a bun. I check the result in the mirror. Even though I look fine, I twist my lips and shake my head. Although weeks have passed since I woke up, seeing a foreign face in the reflection is still shocking. However, today that doesn't seem so bad to me. The red halos were a thousand times worse. I have to focus on the positive side, so I smile and congratulate myself for managing to control my emotions.

"I've finished now!" I exclaim as I head towards the bedroom door.

Annette is sitting in the living room waiting for me. When I get there, I see her reading a book titled 'Incandescent.' The colorful cover immediately catches my attention. It brings a girl in a loose red dress who is standing in the middle of a forest. She holds a golden medallion in her right hand. Her short, brown hair immediately reminds me of mine. Almost as a reflex, I bring my hand to my neck and it caresses the air. Right there, I would have found the short lock that I always put behind my ear. I get a lump in my throat remembering that now my hair is not only long, but orange.

"You seem very interested in this book, right?" She arches an eyebrow and lifts her face. "The truth is that I am enjoying it a lot."

"Oh yeah? What is it about?"

"It's a fantasy story about Lianne, a girl with powers who loses her memory. When she finally recovers it, she realizes that she comes from a family that carries the magic of the phoenix. You have to read it! It's very addictive! I can lend it to you whenever you want. Of course, treat it with a lot of affection, okay? It comes autographed by Antonia Guzmán, its author. I'd hate for it to be damaged.

"Sure, I promise I'll take care of it."

I nod my head and remain silent. I curl my toes and swallow hard. Although what Annette just mentioned is not what happened to me, it is inevitable to feel alluded to. The girl in the book and I have something in common: powers. Will the lady be suspicious since I'm not her Olivia? Is this her way of telling me to confess the truth? Before the silence between us becomes awkward, I start walking towards the front door.

"We should hurry. Tara is surely waiting for me."

"Oh, that's true! I went to your room to tell you that and now I forgot, what a disaster!" After placing the thick book on a desk, she gets up and follows me. "When I start reading, what is happening around me disappears from my mind."

I smile because I remember when I myself read stories and mythology. I loved turning the pages to learn. I loved discovering new places and meeting endearing characters. Unfortunately, training as a warrior and the subsequent battles absorbed almost all of the time I devoted to other activities. Maybe now I can start to recover those hours of reading that I sacrificed.

"I would like you to recommend me some good books," I say as we get into the car.

"Oh! Really?" The lady pretends to pinch her arm. "I thought this day would never come! I'm going to recommend books for you to read for the next thirty years at least!"

Our laughter dances in the wind and I feel a pleasant warmth in my chest. Without thinking twice, I wrap my arms around her to hold her gently. She reciprocates me immediately. She kisses me on the forehead and instantly my skin crawls. I feel a lump in the middle of my throat. Every day I spend with this lady is one more step towards genuine affection. By being herself and without forcing anything, she has earned my love. If I ever solve the riddle of my identity, Annette will be the first to know the truth. She deserves that and much more.

After a few minutes of pleasant chat about books, we arrived at Tara's office. Coming to see her no longer causes me fear or anxiety. She seems like a good person who tries to help me, even if she is not succeeding. I continue to attend appointments for the lady's sake more than for my own. She is convinced that therapy sessions are good for me and I don't have enough courage to contradict her.

I can't remember anything about the kidnapping because I wasn't the one kidnapped. I also can't tell her about the changes in my abilities. Much less am I going to tell her that in dreams, I see the murders of the souls I absorb. I keep too many strange secrets that she probably won't be able to understand. The few things that I have described to her are taken as subconscious mechanisms for dealing with my traumas. For all this, I don't think we'll get anywhere.

When the session time comes to an end, I get up from my chair and thank the psychologist. I promise her that I will do all the exercises she recommended, even though I know they won't be helpful. My imagination is good enough to narrate invented dreams that I have not had. It will be easy to fill out the notebook for the next visit. At least this way it will give the feeling that there is progress.

After what I have researched, seen and heard, I know that I am different from those around me. I have no doubts about my sanity now. Both the battle with the Dákama and the incident with the bearded man were not dreams or hallucinations. Both events are real. I have clear memories of what I experienced. Even though I can't fully understand what happened to me, I'm not rambling or acting blinded by trauma.

The biggest obstacle I face on this site is the absence of Gildestrale and her energy. Everything the lady has shown me indicates that the people here do not possess the special abilities granted by the goddess. Supernatural powers and creatures only have a place in fiction. Those who believe in it are labeled as weird or crazy. Many people only trust science or what their eyes can see.

However, being classified as unbalanced would not be the most problematic. If I reveal my true nature, they may try to seize me to use my gifts to their advantage. Those mutant and superhero movies I watched with Annette could become a reality. I get chills just thinking about them trying to lock me up and enslave me. I have to be very careful to hide my powers from other people. Until I fully understand what is happening to me, I will have to remain silent.

"Oli! How did it go?" the lady asks when I arrive at the lobby.

"I felt calm," I reply and shrug my shoulders.

"I'm happy for you."

The slight drop in her smile and the sparkle in her eyes makes me feel guilty. I'd love to tell her what she wants to hear. I wish I had access to the other Olivia's memories. I would like to be able to collaborate with the police in the investigation of the case that supposedly involves me. But none of that is possible, or at least not for now. I just have to move on with this new life I was thrown into without being consulted.

"Can I go to the store across the street? I thought I saw they had books."

"Of course!"

Annette's eyes light up again. She takes a bill out of her wallet and hands it to me in my right hand. She acts so fast that I don't have time to react to get away. Her fingers touch my palm and a dozen new images come to my mind. I watch her saying goodbye to me and two other girls at a train station. After giving me money for the trip, she hugs the three of us. My red hair is down and looks shiny in the sunlight. There, I see myself healthy and happy. When the vision ends, I realize my mouth is open and I'm laughing like crazy.

"Since when do you get so excited about fifty dollars? Breathe a little, Oli, it's no big deal," she says, laughing with me.

I shake my head and continue laughing. I place the bill in my pants pocket. Through laughter, I release a tiny part of the overwhelming emotions that overcome me. I wasn't ready to see a new memory so soon. I also didn't expect to experience the feelings with such intensity. This time, I didn't feel out of place. I didn't see things from the perspective of an intruder, but rather I was moved. It was as if I had lived those moments with Annette and the other girls. When I finally stop laughing, my head is still heavy. My mind is full of information to assimilate. I need to get away as soon as possible.

"Would you mind if I go to the store alone?" I ask without thinking.

I purse my lips and tilt my head a little. My breathing is suspended for a moment. I hope I haven't hurt or upset her with what I just asked. But I need some time alone to put the internal chaos in order.

"Don't worry. You can take it easy, my girl. Having your mother following you everywhere is very annoying, right? Go and see what you want without rushing. I'll wait for you having a coffee out here.

"You're not annoying."

"Oh, honey, don't lie to me. I was your age too, remember?" She winks at me and laughs. "Come on, see you in a while."

"Thanks, Mom."

That last word comes out of my mouth, mixing nostalgia with tenderness. I give her a genuine smile before leaving. She blows a kiss into the air and waves goodbye. The tenderness in her gestures almost makes me regret leaving her behind. When I assured her that I didn't mind having her around, I meant it. Still, having spaces to myself is comforting. Without thinking further, I turn around to head towards the establishment.

My heart beats faster and faster as I get further away. I'm excited. Something as simple as this is new to me. Since I woke up in this place, I have always had people helping me and supervising my recovery. When I leave the house, I am never without company. On the one hand, I understand it. I know Annette is afraid that something bad will happen to me again. But on the other hand, so much protection was already starting to make me feel suffocated.

In my old home, I was considered a capable and independent woman since I completed my warrior training. I was thirteen years old when that happened. I was used to making important decisions, coming and going wherever I wanted. I could take care of myself and the entire squad during battles. Despite my youth, I always received the same deference as adults.

The treatment of young people in these lands is very different. According to their laws, I am not yet of legal age here. I'm still a few months away from that. I am seen as a teenager who needs adults to take care of her. I'm supposed to finish high school. I laugh with a hint of nervousness as I remember it. How can I pretend I know things I've never studied?

I shake my head and take a deep breath. There will be time to think of a solution. For now, I must focus on living in the present. Today, I will just be a girl who goes shopping, like in the movies. My cheerful countenance is reflected in the glass doors of the premises. Shortly after, these doors open automatically. I enter the store with my head held high. I want to show myself again as the confident woman I always was in Mánesvart. Without hesitation, I walk towards the bookstore area.

I start checking the different shelves one by one. Everything is grouped by genre. There are so many eye-catching books that I don't know which one I might like the most. I choose to take a look at a science fiction novel first. On the cover of that book, the face of a red-haired girl appears. I turn it over to read the synopsis. It sounds exciting, so I'm keeping it to pay for it in a while. Before continuing to look at other titles, I stop to think about what I just did.

My eyes widen, surprised, and my lips curve into a smile. Did I just prioritize a book because the girl on the cover looks like me? I look at the drawing again and feel butterflies in my stomach. Well, yes, that's exactly what happened to me. I swallow slowly as I fan my face. My eyes water. Am I accepting this new face as mine? It looks like I am. I didn't think about it when I chose this book, but everything indicates that my subconscious guided me to do so.

I don't know what's wrong with me. Just a few hours ago, I felt like I was looking at a stranger in the mirror. In contrast, I am now able to associate my external appearance with who I am on the inside. I laugh as I clutch the book to my chest. Could this be the result of having more of Annette's memories associated with me? I extend my right palm to examine it. My eyelids open wide when I look at it. A faint silver glow flickers from the scar hiding Gildestrale's eye. My jaw goes slack and my pulse quickens. What if the goddess wants me to use this ability instead of appeasing it? Even if I feel scared, I will have to put it to test.