Tired. So tired.

It felt like she was walking for an eternity through a dark and desolate tunnel. She wanted to stop, but for some reason she kept on walking towards the small speck of light far away in the distance.

Her throat felt dry and rough, burning with extreme thirst.

Water.

She needed water. Maybe she could drink when she reaches the end of the tunnel.

And so she kept on walking and walking and walking.

Water. The thought of water flowing down her parched throat kept her going.

She didn’t know how long she walked. Days, months, years…maybe even decades, perhaps even centuries.

She didn’t know. She just wanted water.

Finally, the light grew larger and brighter.

Almost there.

Then she was bathed in pure, white light.

Finally.

###

At a big, private hospital.

She opened her eyes and felt almost blinded by a soft, dim light. It took a few moments before her eyes became accustomed to it.

‘Where am I?’

Confused, she looked around the tasteful, hotel-like room. She didn’t recognize the place. Then she noticed the sound of slow, constant beeping beside her. She turned her head towards the sound and was surprised that her head felt heavy. In fact, her entire body felt heavy. She couldn’t move.

‘What’s going on?’

With great effort, she finally turned her head a little and saw that it was a machine making the beeping noise. She then realized that she was hooked to it and a lot of other medical apparatus as well. It dawned on her that she was at a hospital and by the looks of it, her condition was rather serious.

“W-wa…ter…” She tried speaking but only a dry whisper came out of her cracked lips.

Nobody was around. She already felt exhausted, her eyes starting to droop, but she fought against unconsciousness.

After waiting for who knew how long, the door finally opened and a nurse strode in.

“You’re awake!” The nurse was shocked when she saw the patient’s open eyes. She immediately pressed a button to call for a doctor.

‘Hm? Chinese?’

“How are you feeling?” the nurse asked, as she began checking her.

“W-wa-wa…ter…” she croaked in Mandarin.

Fortunately, the nurse understood her. “You want to drink water? Wait a moment, Young Miss. We’ll have to wait for the doctor and ask him whether it’s okay for you to drink. Oh, he’s here!”

The door opened and a middle-aged doctor entered followed by three others wearing the same white lab coats. They looked like doctors too, but younger.

“Hello. Can you hear me? My name is Dr. Ching. How are you feeling?” The lead doctor pressed his stethoscope on several parts of her chest as he asked questions.

“She asked for water,” the nurse told him.

“Really? That’s good. Let her drink via straw if she’s able. If not, use drops.” The team of doctors examined her. The nurse left to get water.

Finally, the nurse returned with a cup of water and a straw. She helped her drink. At first, she couldn’t suck from the straw. Her mouth muscles felt weak. Only after a few tries was she able to get the water flowing, but felt exhausted after just a few sips.

However, the feeling of water flowing down her dry throat felt so heavenly that her eyes pricked. She blinked the tears away, not allowing them to fall.

“Do you know your name?” Dr. Ching asked.

“My name…” She was about to say her name, but memories suddenly rushed in her mind.

She gasped, utterly confused by these foreign memories. What was happening?

She looked sideways and saw locks of black hair from her head on the pillow.

Black hair? Where was her blonde hair? Did someone colour her hair while she was unconscious?

Her heart palpitated, as an impossible thought entered her mind with the onslaught of the unknown memories.

The doctors were alarmed at the sudden spike of her heart rate. The beeping frequency on the machine increased.

“M-mirror…give me…”

The doctors and the nurse looked at each other.

Dr. Ching faced the girl with a reassuring expression and said, “Calm down. Are you tired? Are you feeling pain anywhere?”

“Pl-please…mirror.”

Dr. Ching hesitated and looked at his patient for a few more seconds before nodding at the nurse. The nurse left. When she returned, she brought a mirror and held it in front of the pale girl lying on the bed.

When the girl saw her face, her eyes didn’t recognize it. Where was her blonde hair? Her green eyes? The face in front of her was clearly not her own.

The straight, black hair and the dark brown phoenix eyes gave away the face’s Asian background.

The machine hooked to her beeped more quickly, worrying the doctors. The nurse took the mirror away as the pale girl closed her eyes to digest what she just experienced.

The face of a stranger on the mirror matched the ones from the rush of memories she experienced a few moments ago. She opened her eyes in disbelief.

‘Impossible! This can’t be. Am I dreaming?’

Unbelievable. But how could she explain what was happening to her now?

She woke up in another person’s body.

The shock was too much, especially since she felt so weak at the moment.

Her eyes closed and she succumbed to the familiar darkness.