The New me

One day, when I was waiting inside the room after Heather went to get us snacks, Aster confided something.

He, too, had planned for his kidnapping because his paternal grandparents weren't objecting to their son's decision. He did it after knowing that his grandparents planned to meet the mother-and-daughter pair. It was his desperate attempt to make them realized who was worthy and who was not.

He boarded a taxi expecting that it was the guy he made a deal with, but when he turned and looked at the driver, it different person. Immediately, he grabbed onto the car's door, but it didn't open. He then tried to have the car stop by reaching for the brakes, yet the driver managed to deflect his hand. They scuffled for a moment and were surprised when they saw what lies ahead. There was a dump truck that stopped in front when they both fought for the steering wheel. The taxi driver had the upper hands and steered himself away from danger. Call it karma, but both of them were severely injured.

He laughed recalling his dumb moments, yet it looks painful given how hard he was coughing. I reminded him not to laugh for he was still on his chest tube and his lungs had yet to heal. He complied and remained quiet after Heather entered the room. Mr. Wei went out to work after a few weeks of absence. The family had made up already with their father promising them that he'll always seek their opinion if love appears his way again.

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With Aster's road to recovery, I finally had time for myself again. I sincerely wished to go back to my parent's side, after all, I couldn't find our house here. The first time I notice this was when I first went out with Lily.

That day, I kept using my phone to search their relationship with this body, then I read the names of the places they were born to. It was something I haven't heard of in my life, but I brushed it off as something from a foreign country. That night though, I tried locating our place, yet the web couldn't find it. I knew that our country wasn't remote. It was developing and offered new technologies, so how come it wasn't showing up?

I thought of it for a few days before concluding that I was probably in another dimension/plane/world or whatever. It may sound weird, but it was the only way I could explain this strange phenomenon.

I sat in the armchair near the window inside my room and stared outside. I had a lot of unanswered questions. What happened to me that brought me to this place? I knew that my old mother had given me a lot of advice, but is that the reason I was happy I was alive despite the strangeness of all this? Where is the original 'Iris' who owns this body anyway? She wasn't killed, but there was no soul left. How could that be? Is science that advanced in this place that they can extract her soul? Or… do I have a split personality with each having their memories?

I shuddered at that thought. If that was true, then I may be someone who needs special care. The battle of the mind is so scary.

Thankfully, my phone rang and my attention was diverted. It was Linden, my comrade, who was calling.

I picked up my phone and pressed the green button. "Hello,"

I heard hearty laughter from the other end, "Well, hello there, dear friend~."

I stayed silent and waited if he wanted to tell me anything. During the past weeks, he had been bragging about his character on the series he was working.

"My friend~," he said with joy.

"Mm?"

"My frien—"

"Dear friend, goodbye will be the next word you'll hear from me if you don't finish your sentence. Spit it!"

"Aiya, why is my friend so moody? Is it that time of the month?" He teased.

"Nah, but it'll be as bloody if you don't tell me what you wanted now," I said in a threatening voice.

"Ai, you're so unlovely. You must be single, right? Fair enough. Even the wealthy have their difficulties."

"Linden."

"Fine, guess what? The script was thoroughly revised, and I am now a full-fledged major character!" He announced happily.

At the other end, I broke into a smile. "Wow, how did it happen? How'd you charm the scriptwriter?"

"With my body," He said in all seriousness.

I knew he was taking good care of his body, but this kind of ploy wasn't his thing. "I won't fall for that. Tell me how and didn't you guys start filming already?"

"Pssh. You're no fun. To answer your question, yes we started filming already, but most of it was about the main character. They only needed to retake a few scenes incorporating the revised script. As for my character, I honestly had to film it all over again. But it's thrilling! I am now a major character!"

"Okay, congratulations? But seriously, how? You did not answer my question."

"Ah? Did I forget to mention before that the director requested the script to be revised after seeing me act?"

I thought back to our conversations before, and he indeed mentioned it. "Oh! I think you did. So, what's your role this time?"

"Well, it's a secret. Haha! You need to wait for it."

"Can't you tell me now?"

"I can, but on the second thought...No~."

"Is that so? Then, goodbye." I told him then pressed the red button. How dare he act like that when I already asked? Shouldn't he brag all the way?

My phone rang again, and I thought it was Linden, so I answered with, "Feel like bragging now?"

"Uh, no?" the voice from the other end answered.

I took a quick glimpse of the name and saw that it was Luke. "Brother Luke! Uh, how are you?"

"Not that I'm bragging, but I'm good."

"…"

He sniggered as he asked, "Who were you talking with?"

"Just someone I know. Don't mind it. Why have you called?" I ask in response.

"Is it not okay for me to call you now? You're hurting this brother's feelings."

"That's not what I meant." I paused then thought of his mother, "How's Aunt Cindy?"

"Mom's the same as always. She's doing great. She wanted me to invite you to dinner. Do you think you can go?"

"That, I need to know first the date and time," I told him. I wasn't making an excuse; I just wanted it to fit my working schedule.

It was Saturday at seven in the evening. I agreed and asked what type of gathering it was so that I could come prepared. He advised that I can come in casual clothes as it was just a simple dinner with their family. Before I could back out, he explained that Liam had also invited Gerbera and a friend, and he even tried to get in touch with Heather and Noah. He said that Aunt Cindy would cook all the dishes served. I converse a bit more with him before cutting our conversation short.

After ending the call, I saw that Linden sent me a message. He explained that he couldn't let me know his character as of now to build my anticipation of the series. He said he's sorry that he couldn't hang out with Aster and me for two more months because of the scheduled filming, but he'll seek us out once he was done with his project.

I recalled that I haven't yet told him about Aster's condition. I withheld the information as I don't want him to be concerned with Aster's accident while he was filming. This movie was by far his most anticipated project as he distances himself from the minor roles. I guess it's best to let Aster tell him the story by himself.

I returned my sight outside and noticed the windows becoming slightly cloudy. The temperature has dropped especially at night and early morning. Winter is nearing.