Chapter 1: 1
My name is Naomi and this is my bizarre story.
I was a famous news reporter and lived in a world where status ruled. I was famous for my beauty, guts and wits and earned my place in society. Everyone admired me because I was always courageous and brave enough to expose the truth, no matter who the perpetrator was.
Being rich and famous was nice and all, but those were the least of my concerns. My mother was in a vegetative state and no matter how much money I put into the treatment, she just wouldn't wake up.
Other than that, my twin sister was in an asylum. After graduation, she suddenly went crazy and no one knew the cause.
Due to all this, I suffered from severe depression. I had no one to run to and no one to talk to. I was all alone. My financial and public life were great, but when it came to family, I was a complete mess.
Drugs helped me but I slowly got addicted to them. I couldn't go a single day without taking the medication and I definitely didn't let anyone know about it. I wanted to keep up that image of a perfect and brave lady in front of everyone and gradually forgot the person I used to be.
I saw no need for friends because I thought they would just be another burden to carry. I saw no need for marriage because I thought starting a family would also be a burden on me.
This mentality of mine unknowingly worsened my depression. I kept thinking that everything else other than myself was a burden but little did I know they everything else was what I needed.
One afternoon, during my lunch break, I went to a coffee shop to have a quick cup of coffee. I sat by the glass walls and stared at my coffee, deep in thoughts. An old lady suddenly approached and sat opposite me. She had black shades on and a rather creepy smile.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked and the old lady chuckled. She opened her mouth to speak but no word came fort. She smiled again and dropped a necklace on the table.
It looked like a regular necklace to me. I looked at the old lady, there was something weird about her, I could feel it.
"Put it on." she requested and with a little hesitation, I wore the necklace. "Beautiful!" she remarked. "Now be a good girl and see the world from a different angle."
I watched as she got up and walked away in confusion. My mind just couldn't wrap up the things she said. I looked at the necklace around my neck, and thought to take it off but my instincts said otherwise. Everything seemed strange.
I was busy trying to figure out the old lady when suddenly, a van van crashed into the glass wall and into me. I saw shards of glass splatter before my eyes and felt the impact of the van against my body. I was dead for sure.
Moments later, I woke up on an hospital bed. Wasn't I supposed to be in a coma? I looked around to see flowers, balloons, gift cards and it all felt strange. I knew I wasn't close to anyone so who brought those things?
All that thinking made my head hurt and that was when I realized my hair was long and brown. I remembered my hair to be short and purely black, why then did it grow so long and change color?
Suddenly, a group of girls barged into my ward and all hugged me. They all had strange faces and that frightened me. I pushed them all away and shifted back on my bed, staring at them in horror.
"Who are you?" I asked and they all looked at me in shock. One of the girls ran out yelling for the doctor while another tried to get close to me.
"Emilia, don't you remember us?" She asked me and that got me confused. Who was Emilia? Nothing seemed right and these girls didn't look like they were joking.
I looked at my side and saw my reflection. My eyes widened in shock and disbelief. My reflection was completely different, the person staring back at me was not me. This was surely a dream, none of it was real. I looked back at the girls and suddenly passed out. This was all so surreal, I just wanted to wake up and forget this horrible dream.
It turned out that Emilia was in the same coffee shop as me when the accident took place but how I got into her body, I did not know.
The doctor concluded I had amnesia and suggested some ways to help me regain my memory but deep down I knew there was nothing to regain.
This whole thing was too real to call a prank. I had an accident and boom, I was in another girl's body.
What weirded me out more was the fact that I still had the necklace the old lady gave me. Why the necklace? Did all this have something to do with it?
The girl group from earlier; Tasha, Helen, Joana and Julie, helped me back to our shared apartment and started filling me in on everything. Emilia was 21 years old and was an intern in the same company I worked at, along with her friends. What a coincidence!
She was one of my super fans and adored me as much as everyother person did but she never got close to me, I wondered why?
Emilia's family background was not very well off but, they were okay. She was the only girl and had the love of her parents and her three brothers. She had friends who loved and cared for her and also had a boyfriend who treated her like gold.
Hearing these girls talk about Emilia's life made me envious. She had so much love from all sides yet, she wasn't famous.
She wasn't a recognized figure in society, she was just a regular girl so what was the secret? It was probably because she never had to face any problems; were my thoughts but that was before I was told that Emilia had a Chronic heart disease.
I didn't want to hear anymore and just go to sleep. As soon as I entered her room, I saw a huge poster of me. She was indeed a super fan. Creepy but nice.
The next morning while having breakfast, I saw myself on the news. Not 'on' the news but reporting the news. It was shocking and confusing.
How could I be there and in Emilia's body at the same time? Did that mean that I wouldn't be able to go back to my body?
Suddenly, the old lady's words rang in my ear; 'see the world from a different angle' She had to be responsible. I didn't want to know how, I just wanted it to end.
The girls told me to rest more but I assured them that I was fine and fit to go to work. I wanted to see for myself if that Naomi was a fake.
At the company, everyone seemed to know Emilia and I began to wonder how I never knew of her existence.
People acted caring and concerned, asking about my health and wanting to lend a helping hand. That had never happened to me before. I had never been shown so much love and affection in my life.
I knew as Naomi, I always kept my distance from people and never shared my story with anyone but as Emilia, everything was different and I seemed to like it. The feeling was warm and refreshing. It was one thing I was missing in my life.
For days, I watched 'Naomi' without making any move. Sure enough, she was me, there was no doubt but I felt disturbed at my actions.
Naomi wasn't a bully, wasn't proud or mean but she was indifferent and although everyone liked her that way, I found it disturbing.
I watched myself from a distance and didn't like my attitude at all. I didn't communicate with people, didn't let them go near me and minded my business for the whole day. What sort of life did I live?
I found it sad that my everyday life had no color. That smile on Naomi's face was just to fool the entire world and hide the loneliness inside. People saw her as a role model when all she does is feel miserable and depressed inside.
After a few weeks of living as Emilia, I started to feel glad for so many reasons. Glad that I had parents who would call to check up on me. Glad that I had friends to talk to and joke around it. Glad that I had a loving boyfriend who would give me roses and say sweet words with sincerity. Glad that I wasn't alone.
These were the colors missing from Naomi's life and it made me regret.
I just wanted to remain this happy forever and enjoy this wonderful life even if it wasn't mine. I decided it was time to make amends to Naomi's life.
I wore the necklace necklace and went to the coffee shop to find the old lady but after waiting for hours, I saw no sign of her and decided to come back the another day.
On my way out, I bumped into 'Naomi'and lost my footing. I fell and hit my head hard, on the floor and lost consciousness.
I woke up on an hospital bed, again but it wasn't decorated with flowers and balloons. It was cold and humid. Lonely to be more precise.
I looked at my reflection and saw myself. I was Naomi. There were band aids on my face and bandages all over my body but no pain.
The doctor walked in and informed me that I had been in a coma for two months due to the accident at the coffee shop. Hearing this left me speechless.
Everything I passed through as Emilia were all a dream? I couldn't be sure because the feelings of joy and happiness were definitely real, I could feel it.
After getting discharged from the hospital, I got my head straight and made my resolve.
I visited my sister at the asylum and felt nothing but pity at the site of her condition. She sat at a corner muttering words to herself and biting her fingers. It pained me to see her that way so I just left.
Next, I went to see my mother who was on oxygen. She had not moved an inch in the last 4 years but the doctors said there was still hope.
I sat down beside her and started talking. I told her everything that happened so far and how I felt regretful about my life. I didn't know if she could hear me, I just wanted to talk to her.
I kept talking and didn't know when I started crying. The tears flowed down like rain and I couldn't hold it back. In fact, I didn't want to hold it back. I missed the feeling of having my family together and most importantly, I missed her.
While I cried, I felt someone stroke my head. I looked up and saw her smiling at me weakly. Her eyes were slightly opened and I quickly ran out while calling for the doctor.
It was a miracle, a colorful miracle. Soon after, she was strong enough to talk and regained her strength.
Since she had been lying down for years, it took a while for her to walk again but that wasn't a problem. She got well and was discharged.
I quit my job without regret. I didn't need money to pay for my mother's medication anymore, so why not work on something simple? I wanted to start life anew, make friends and maybe meet a nice guy.
My mother and I moved to the country side where no one knew me as the famous reporter. We wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life and we took my sister along as well. If medications didn't help then maybe the love from her family would. In no time, she got better; not completely healed but better.
That experience with the old lady and the necklace helped me realize that life isn't about you. It's about the people around you, how you respond to their love and hate.
Life is about family and living for their smile and happiness together with yours. It's all about happiness.
And what happened to the necklace, I don't really know. It was gone the moment I woke up as Naomi. Maybe it went on another mission to correct another person's life. It's magical, you know.
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