Chapter 4

April 21th,

A night has passed since I woke up in this strange place, and it has been driving me insane.

I was supposed to be there at the hospital with grandma, not trapped in this goddamn room. It didn't help that every time I caught my reflection in the mirror, my new face forced me to accept that none of this was all real. That I didn't wake up with plastic surgery done to myself.

Yesterday, the rude guard removed the lock from the window after shoving me into the bedroom. He left without a word, as if he couldn't breathe the same air. It was fine by me, as I didn't want to be near a stuck-up person anyway.

But now I paced the room, my fingers itching for something to do. I hadn't been this trapped since childhood, and the walls felt like they were closing in with every step.

I pushed the window wide open to let the light spill in. I could see this new world more clearly. The sky was clear blue, the birds were chirping noisily, and the cool morning breeze was so familiar to the weather back home.

However, the old-fashioned streets, the clothes worn by the maids, and the sounds of galloping horses pulling carriages in the distance made me realize how far from home I truly am.

As I muttered to myself about the bus to Tuscan and the mysterious flash that brought me here, I saw a shadow glide through the wall from the corner of my eyes. My mind froze, and my heart pounded.

"You're awake," said a soft voice. I spun around, my eyes widening at the sight before me. I had to stop myself from yelling out loud.

Floating in midair was a ghost that looked exactly like my current self. However, her eyes were vacant, her smile nonexistent.

"Fuck no, nope, not seeing this," I told myself, desperately squeezing my eyes shut. If I closed them tight enough, I'd be back on the bus, back to normal. After what felt like an eternity, I tried to peek. The translucent figure was still there, hovering over me, pity etched across her face.

I stood transfixed, my mind screaming at me to run, but my legs refusing to listen. Maybe it was because I'd served Marco my whole life, and my subconscious knew better than to run.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself and hold back the monster clawing at my insides.

"Fuck, first a werewolf and now a ghost. What other monsters does this place hold? Dracula?"

"Who are you?" I asked slowly, forcing the words out. I studied the frail woman before me, noting how her pupil went down, as if she wanted to avoid looking at me directly. It left me certain that this women was hiding something.

"I'm Faith," the ghost replied, her voice faint, "And you're in my body."

"Yeah, I figured," I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. My nerves were overlapping, and I couldn't help it.

"Where am I?" I demanded, the question spilling out of me.

Faith's hands twisted together as she met my gaze. "You're... in the Moon Pack territory," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "This world is very different from yours—it's ruled by werewolves. Well, the South is."

I stared at her, disbelief slamming into my stomach like a punch. "So there are no humans at all?" I ran my hand through my unfamiliar hair, trying to keep myself grounded. "Was this body... Am I a werewolf?"

My eyes flicked back to Faith, her form was flickering like the candle flame above, solid and real. Could my situation get worse?

 "Are you telling me I'm not on planet Xedra anymore?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"You're still on Xedra, on the East continent," Faith clarified, her voice gaining strength. "Our lands are separated by the Atlas Ocean because our goddess created a barrier between both continents millennia ago."

I interrupted her, my scepticism clear. "The East continent?" I echoed, disbelief thick in my voice. "This has to be some kind of sick joke." The East continent was supposed to be a myth, a fantasy. People had been trying to get there for centuries—scientists and explorers, all of them failing. They threw everything they had at it, even bombs, but nothing ever broke through.

If Faith was telling the truth, I had to be one unlucky bitch to end up here. What did I know about the East Continent? Riches, spices, and gold were all hidden behind an invisible barrier no one could penetrate. I thought about the rumours I'd heard as a child about how people believed it was a portal to hell and a minority believed it to be a doorway to heaven.

I am personality inclined to believe in hell as I look at my state.

"None of this explains how I ended up here," I said, cutting off Faith's rambling about barriers and goddesses.

Faith's form seemed to stiffen, "I... I don't know how you got here," she said softly.

My instincts, honed by years of living in Marco's world, were screaming at me. "You know more than you're letting on," I said coldly.

I narrowed my eyes. "You are weirdly calm for someone whose body has been taken," I pointed out.

Faith bit her lips like a kid caught stealing. "A few days was enough to get used to being a ghost," she admitted.

"A few days?" I exclaimed, my voice rising in alarm. "What date is it now?"

"April 21st," Faith replied, her voice barely a whisper.

My heart dropped into my stomach. Seven days gone. Grandma and Achara must have been franticly searching for me. What if she returned to Eldoria looking for me, and Marco caught her?

"I have to go back," I said, voice cracking. "My grandmother... she's the only one I got. If Marco finds her—"

In that moment of panic, my hand touched my wrist trying to feel something familiar. However it was bare, leaving me with nothing but the memories of the night before we were leaving for Tuscan.

I wasn't sure how to tell Grandma that I'd been planning for us to move to a city far away and leave everything behind. I spent most of my days thinking of a way to make her understand why this was best for us.

Sitting on the chair, I absentmindedly ran my fingers through my long hair, my thoughts racing as anxiety mingled with anticipation. I looked up when Grandma set a plate in front of me—my favourite—an eggplant omelette with rice. She was up to something. She always cooked my favourite foods when she had something unpleasant to say, hoping to appease me with a full stomach.

She sat down across from me, meeting my gaze directly. The silence stretched between us, heavy and tense.

"I don't have much time left, my dear," she began, breaking the silence. "I want you to use my life insurance to pay back Marco."

Her words hit me like a truck, and anger rose up inside me, taking over like it always did when someone hurt me.

"What about me, then?" I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.

Grandma looked at me with a soft, sad expression. "I don't want you to waste your future on me. I want you to find love and enjoy life."

Her words were meant to comfort me, but all they did was make my head spin. How could she even say that? I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. I hadn't been through everything I had just to hear this kind of bullshit. I had it all planned out: we were going to live like everyone else, be able to travel, and afford things. I wanted to graduate from college, make her proud, and be like any other twenty-year-old.

How could she even think about giving up on me like Dad did?

"You don't think I can save you?" I yelled, my voice trembling with hurt.

Grandma gave me a weak smile, reaching across the table to gently hold my hand. "I've lived a full life, Leanne. My only wish is for you to be free—not chained to the past or Marco because of your father's mistakes."

It took all my effort not to storm out of the room right then.

"How can I live my life to the fullest without you?" I said, staring down at our hands. I took a deep breath, then looked up. I had to tell her what I'd been planning.

"I found a way for us to be free and alive," I said firmly.

I could see the doubt in her eyes, but I was determined to prove her wrong. I stood up and returned to my room with the massive bag stuffed with half a million dollars. I pushed the bag toward her and sat back in my chair, feeling more in control. I wouldn't let Marco—or anyone else—dictate our lives anymore.

Faith murmurs pulled me from the memory. "I wish I knew how to reverse this,"

I fixed my gaze on her, my mind churning. "You seriously expect me to buy that this is all just some freak accident?"

Faith flinched as if I'd slapped her. "I promise on the moon, goddess, I didn't mean for this to happen," she pleaded.

I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back the anger and frustration that was bubbling up inside me. Time was running out, and the longer I stayed here, the more danger my grandmother could be in. What if I could never go back?

The air in the room felt thicker as if it were closing in on me. I needed to get out of here and clear my head.

My thoughts were racing. I needed more information about whether I was really on the East continent. I needed to know what was going on and how to find a way back, and I couldn't rely on Faith.

"I understand you're upset, but I am also trapped," said Faith with a sigh, as if her questions had cost her energy, and Leanne couldn't help but be ticked off.

"I am leaving for a bit," I said, turning away from Faith.

"You cannot leave," Faith said, her ghostly form flickering slightly. "It's not safe for you outside"

I scoffed, frustration boiling over. "I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing," I snapped. "I don't have time to waste! "

Faith's eyes widened in alarm, her form flickering. "You don't understand," she pleaded. Please, trust me. I'll help you, but you have to stay here for now."

I turned back to face her, my anger barely contained. "You don't seem to understand my situation either. I'm trying hard not to lose my mind here," I said. The longer I stayed, the more it felt like being pushed into a corner with nothing but a cliff behind me.

Faith looked on with a blend of empathy. "I wish I knew how to reverse this," she murmured.

"Well, you don't, so your help is useless."

Faith recoiled as if struck; her pale blue eyes hurt.

For a moment, I regret being harsh. We were both in a shitty position. If I had to think logically, it wouldn't make sense for Faith to want to live as a ghost, but I was too angry, and this conversation was not going anywhere.

I glanced toward the window. It was morning, so it might be safer to walk around to find clues. I snatched the small pouch of coins from the wooden table, feeling the rough fabric scrape against my fingers.

I heard some heavy footsteps from a distance,

As I reached for the handle, the door swung open, and a tall red-headed man stepped in, blocking my path. His smile was too wide,  to happy it made me nauseous.

"I will help you get back to your world," he said, his voice frustratingly cheerful as nothing can faze him.

Who was the hell was this? 

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