BAD HEROINES

The sun burned over her without mercy, as she stood in the bushes.

The yellow field had turned red. Bodies lay scattered at different angles, still and lifeless.

She was a girl of about ten years old, her small face covered in bruises, wearing a white dress now stained red, while her long brown hair lay in a mess. Her eyes didn’t move.

A dusty jeep stood a short distance away, and three armed men sat inside, rifles resting across their laps.

The one in the middle grinned darkly, revealing his rotten teeth, then aimed his pistol at her.

The girl stayed motionless, though her breath quickened.

A gunshot exploded across the field.

---

Her eyes snapped open, light meeting her above. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she lay on the bed, a non-rebreather mask pressed tightly against her face, and a heart monitor beside her.

A soft sound broke the silence as the door opened, and a girl in a nurse’s uniform stepped inside. She quietly closed the door and walked toward the bed.

She glanced at the patient, startled—the girl on the bed had opened her eyes.

“Miss Michelle,” the nurse softly called, a hint of surprise in her tone.

Michelle? But then thes patient recognized the nurse. Natalie.

“I have to call a doctor,” the nurse said, attempting to leave, but the patient grabbed her arm.

The nurse’s warm hand briefly covered hers. “It’s alright. Everything is fine now.”

As the nurse left to call the doctor, the patient turned her gaze to the ceiling, recalling the reason for her current situation.

The accident… her hands curled. But… she had survived?

Not long after, the doctor arrived, checked on her, and removed the mask. With a gentle voice, he asked, “Can you hear me?”

She only stared blankly. When she remembered the accident, she hadn’t thought she would survive, and yet here she was, without serious injuries. How long had it been?

In his office, the doctor faced Michelle’s so-called guardian. He parted his lips to explain but stopped when he noticed the man’s expression.

The guardian was a good-looking young man with a buzz cut, wearing a neatly tucked-in shirt with a pair of suit trousers. A wristwatch completed his smart appearance.

However, for a guardian, he seemed too nonchalant. As he waited for results, he played with his phone.

“Mr. Yuen, about miss Michelle...”

Alan Yuen raised his eyes to him. “Even our last names don’t match. Who listed me as her guardian? I know Michelle wouldn’t dare do that. We’re just neighbors.”

The doctor watched him in confusion. “Aren’t you her husband?”

“I’m not!” he snapped, louder than necessary, then paused. “I was almost.” Under his breath, he muttered, “But since I’m here… what’s her condition? She couldn’t have any serious problems, right?”

The doctor raised an eyebrow slightly. “She’s fine. However…”

At the word however, Alan shifted in his chair and straightened. “You said she was fine.”

The doctor pointed to the scan of Michelle’s hand. “There was minor nerve damage in her right hand. She shouldn’t use it for heavy tasks like carrying heavy objects, or it might lead to paralysis.”

“What?” he said, frowning as he imagined the worst scenarios. “Anyway, she’s left-handed. That won’t be a problem, right?”

In the ward, a figure stood in the bathroom before the mirror, eyes wide with terror as she stared at her reflection. She raised her hand and traced her face. It felt real.

“Why am I seeing her?” Even saying the words felt unreal. How could she explain such a strange illusion?

She splashed cold water on her face. Was she hallucinating after a near-death experience?

And seeing that officer’s face must be because we were together in the accident. Now that she thought about it… how was she?

She closed her eyes, calmed herself, then opened them again.

That face was still there.

She looked at her hands and body. Her body was slimmer than this.

Her heart pounded as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Michelle!” a voice called from outside.

Michelle? She was being called that again. Since she woke up, she had only been addressed as Miss Michelle. She hadn’t thought much of it before, but now… she stumbled back, her breathing turning uneven.

She stepped out of the washroom into the ward and froze.

The figure stood near the window, afternoon sunlight spilling on his face as he glanced outside.

Alan turned and looked at Michelle.

He scanned her body and scoffed. “Look at you, coming out in one piece after such an accident. So disappointing.”

He expected the usual reaction from Michelle—her loud rebukes, her attempt to act tough—but instead, she only stared at him as if lost, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Who… am I?” she asked.

Alan looked at her nonchalantly. “You expect me to fall for that? The doctor confirmed you’re fine.”

She dashed forward and seized his collar, her gaze cold as she demanded, “What happened to me?”

Alan froze for a fraction of a second, caught off guard. He didn’t remember Michelle having those murderous eyes, let alone speaking with such a tone.

“What happened to…?” She hesitated before finishing, “Reina Lau?”

“Hah,” Alan exhaled, straightening as he removed her hands from his shirt. “Team B is handling her case. Don’t even think about it. The case was assigned to…” He pointed to himself and grinned. “Bad news after a month in a coma, right?”

She already knew about her coma. What she wanted to hear wasn’t that.

She stepped forward. “What happened to Reina?”

Alan took a seat. “She isn’t dead. But she won’t be waking up anytime soon. Sadly, even the case hasn’t progressed because of that.”

Her eyes widened, but she still couldn’t believe the madness.

“Take me to her.”

“Where are you going? You’re not in good shape yourself, and the case is—”

“Now!” she shouted. “I want to see her.”

Alan narrowed his eyes. Had she lost her mind after that accident?

Soon, they stood before a ward door. Inside, a body lay on the bed.

She hesitated. If she stepped inside, she couldn’t take it back.

Pushing the door open, she slowly walked inside while Alan followed behind.

Inside, only the beeping of a monitor broke the silence. A young woman lay motionless in bed, with tubes attached.

Her fingers turned cold, trembling despite her effort to steady them. She couldn’t ignore it anymore after seeing the face. The bizarre truth was clear.

The one in the bed was Reina Lau… but she was also the one standing here. She was Reina, but inside Michelle’s body.