BAD HEROINES

The sun shone with intense brightness, hitting her mercilessly as she stood in the bushes. Yellow was what should have been seen on the grass, but instead it was red. Bodies lay scattered at different angles, still and lifeless.

In the middle of the bushes, a lone figure stood, staring forward with empty eyes.

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 was a mess. She was surrounded by dead bodies, yet her gaze remained fixed forward.

The men sat in a car, each holding a gun. The one in the middle grinned darkly, revealing his rotten teeth, then aimed his pistol at her.

The girl remained motionless, her breath quickening but her expression unchanged. Then the harsh sound of a gunshot rang out.

Her eyes snapped open. Her heartbeat thundered as she lay on the bed, a non-rebreather mask pressed against her face, her neck drenched in sweat.

At the same time, a door opened, and a girl in a nurse’s uniform stepped inside. She quietly closed the door and walked toward the bed. Checking the empty IV fluid, she prepared to replace it with a new one.

However, when she bent to check the patient’s wrist, the patient grabbed her with surprising strength. The nurse gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She looked at the girl on the bed, finding her eyes sharp, as if on an intense edge.

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

When the nurse spoke the name Michelle, the girl’s eyes darkened, but then she recognized the nurse. Natalie?

“I have to call a doctor,” the nurse said, attempting to leave, but the grip remained firm. She looked at the patient and gently patted her hand. “It’s alright. Everything is fine now. You’re in the hospital.”

Hearing where she was, she let go. At Natalie’s words, her body relaxed. As the nurse left to call the doctor, she turned her gaze to the ceiling, recalling the reason for her current situation.

When the memories returned, her hands clenched into fists.

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

She remained silent, staring blankly. When she remembered the accident, she hadn’t thought she would survive, and yet here she was, without serious injuries.

Soon, she was taken to a lab where her entire body was scanned. The doctor examined the results on the computer. Once her tests were complete, she was brought back to the ward.

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 on his hand completed his smart appearance.

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

“Mr. Yuen, about your sister...”

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. “You’re not her guardian?”

“I’m not,” he replied before pausing, then adding, “I used to be.” 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. This man clearly cared. “She’s fine. However…”

At the word however, he 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? Argh, so bothersome,” he muttered, 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 touched her face. It felt real.

“What’s going on? Why… why do I look… why am I seeing that damned officer?” Even saying the words felt unreal. How could she explain such a strange illusion?

She closed her eyes. Even if she were hallucinating, it shouldn’t be this ridiculous. She calmed herself, then opened her eyes again.

Indeed, she was seeing her reflection as someone else.

She looked at her hands and body. They felt different. She was slimmer and taller than the body she now inhabited. She didn’t even feel as flexible as she always had, but she had dismissed it, thinking it was because she had just woken up.

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

“Michelle!” a voice called from outside.

The name confirmed everything. 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, fear gripping her.

No. She had to find answers to this bizarre situation.

She rushed out of the room and stopped upon seeing the figure standing in the center.

Alan scanned Michelle’s body and scoffed. “I’m starting to believe those with dark hearts die hard. Look at you, coming out in one piece after such an accident. So disappointing.”

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

“Who… am I?” she asked, her eyes filled with a desperate hope for a certain answer.

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

She dashed toward him and grabbed his shirt, her gaze cold as she demanded, “What happened to me? What did you do to me?”

Alan’s heart skipped a beat. He knew Michelle was cold, but she had never looked this murderous, let alone spoken with such a threat. He was the one who should be asking what had happened to her.

She had asked the wrong question.

So she changed it. “What happened to…?” She hesitated before finishing, “Reina Lau?”

“Hah,” Alan exhaled, straightening as he removed her hands from his shirt. “Prosecutors are handling her case. Don’t even think about it. The case was assigned to…” He pointed to himself and grinned. “Sad news after waking up from 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.”

“Hey, 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 hospital room door. Inside, a body lay on the bed.

She hesitated. If she stepped inside, there would be no turning back.

Pushing the door open, she slowly walked inside while Alan followed behind. She approached the bed and stared at the girl lying there, breathing with the help of medical equipment, looking half-dead.

Her hands trembled. There was no denying it after seeing the face. The bizarre truth was clear. The one sleeping was her, yet she was also here.

She was Reina Lau, but inside Michelle’s body.