Chapter Nine

There was an alarm ringing in my head.

It was so loud, aggressively thrashing against my already sore brain. However, it wasn't until I turned towards the source and opened my eyes that I realised it was an alarm clock. An alarm clock I hadn't seen in years.

I instantly sat upright in bed and took in my surroundings. This was the bedroom of my family home, the bedroom I had lived in up until my coming of age. Everything looked exactly the same. Was it all a dream? Had I really died?

I jumped out of bed, running towards my mirror, and instantly, I could feel the difference when I moved. I was shorter, lighter. My limbs didn't feel as muscled.

...And I felt strange. Like something was missing.

As I looked at my reflection, I quickly realised that I was young. Very much so. My cheeks were plumper and my eyes rounder. The stress lines I'd accumulated over my years of mistreatment were completely gone. I looked almost... pretty. Had I ever thought that before? I'd been so focused on c