On her second night in a foreign world, Wyatt slept peacefully. Her sheets were warm and soft, and the room had a pleasant floral fragrance which helped her to relax. "Get up." An unpleasant voice spoke next to Wyatt's ear. Sunlight pouring in through parted drapes reddened Wyatt's eyelids.
Wyatt opened one eye, then the other, and yawned. Leaning over her was Tiana, her half-sister. Wyatt's gaze shifted down to the ring on Tiana's left index finger. She was also masking her appearance. Wyatt felt like she had fallen into a giant conspiracy theory. One that might cost Wyatt her life.
She sat up, her bones felt heavy as if she had slept an entire week without moving. Wyatt had the urge to stretch and exercise. To survive the apocalypse, they were constantly on the move. This sort of laidback life wasn't her style. "What do you want?" she asked Tiana.
"Grant wants me to help you train before we leave for the expedition. Get ready and meet me on the field in ten minutes. If you're late, there'll be no breakfast." Without waiting for Wyatt's response, Tiana walked outside.
Sighing, Wyatt skipped her shower and hurried to change into loose workout clothing. She managed to catch up to Tiana in the hall, and the curious gazes of the family's guards followed them as they went outside.
Men and women trained in a circular arena surrounded by containers of weapons. Tiana nonchalantly picked up a sword and practiced a few swings. She cut beautiful lines in the air. Her red hair, kept in a ponytail, fluttered with the power of her swings. A leaf swayed towards her in the breeze, and she cut it in half. "You run first, and then we can see how well you handle a sword."
Wyatt swallowed. Others were running on the track that bordered the arena. They laughed as she began her first lap, expecting the lazy son to tire early and throw in the towel. In her past life, running twenty laps would have been a breeze. But in this one, as Wyatt neared the end of lap one, her ribs ached, her lungs burned, and she gasped for breath.
The guards laughed as Wyatt fell to her knees and tried to catch her breath.
Wyatt's eyes glowed as her body hurried to repair the damage. The aches lessened, and Wyatt pushed herself to her feet, ready to run again. The men's laughter stopped as she burst into a sprint, picking up from where she had left off. Her pained expression eased as she began to outpace them. The men's laughter faded as they increased their speed, refusing to lose to the lazy son.
*
Tiana, at first, practiced her sword swings. Then she noticed Wyatt collapse from exhaustion, lurch to his feet, and resume his sprint. Each time he fell, Wyatt's eyes glowed, and he got back to his feet, rejuvenated. The bruises her brother's belt had left on Wyatt's skin had faded; perhaps there was some truth in Grant's statement that this was no longer the Wyatt they knew.
The original Wyatt had been lazy, picking fights with women over men, and had little magical power. The night this consciousness appeared, Wyatt suddenly advanced. The question was, 'Did this new soul come to upset their plans, or was there something more?'
Wyatt fell again. This time, his eyes glowed for a shorter period of time, and he was unable to get back on his feet. Tiana, who had been following Wyatt while walking, caught up to his prone form. This new Wyatt was more attractive; the other had boasted a round, childish face and his father's medium height. Even the pink hair had become more vibrant after Wyatt's fire abilities advanced.
Some of the guards who had been disgusted by him were considering bending for him. A glance from Tiana made them look away, faces pale with guilt.
Lying on his side, Wyatt coughed until he spat out clear phlegm. He lay on his back, eyes half-closed as he met the gaze of Tiana looking down on him. "D-do I get to eat breakfast after putting in so much effort?" he asked Tiana.
Tiana couldn't help raising her left brow. "You pushed yourself this hard for food?"
Wyatt coughed a few more times and managed a small smile. "Food is important. I have had times where I thought I would never see it again."
"Hasn't the marq- Dad been taking care of you since you were five? When have you gone hungry recently?" Tiana's face warmed. She had been playing the role of the marquess's daughter for sixteen years, and this was the first time in a long while she had messed up. She was twenty-five, the same age as Wyatt. Her father had wanted to marry her off once, but then she got a mage to alter his mind, and the threat vanished.
Wyatt's brows knitted, catching her error, but he didn't expose her.
'Who are you?' Tiana wanted to ask, but said, "You shouldn't use your second ability so openly, or it may attract unnecessary attention. People would kill to get their hands on someone with a healing ability."
Wyatt's jaw tightened. "I—"
"I won't tell if you don't," Tiana said with a smile and offered Wyatt her hand. Wyatt clasped it. Wyatt's palm was hot, searing, as Tiana pulled her brother to his feet. Wyatt wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning on her for support as they returned to the manor.
*
Back in Wyatt's room, Tiana had brought her makeup with her to help Wyatt draw on the bruises that had magically faded. "Try not to rub it."
Sitting on her bed, Wyatt bowed her head. The sensation of soft brushes padding her skin faded as Tiana packed her tools away. "Why are you helping me?" asked Wyatt. They both knew the other wasn't who they were pretending to be. Tiana had more authority. If she told the marquess the illegitimate child was a fake, Wyatt could easily be beheaded.
Tiana smiled. "Don't you find it funny that the marquess and marchioness are so conceited that all their children have been replaced, but they haven't noticed it?"
"When you talk like that, it sounds like you don't care for them. But you've always been so obedient and hardworking."
"Haven't you only known me for a few days?"
"I've known you forever."
"Sure you have." Tina shrugged. "I don't really care for anyone. All I really want is to survive." Her eyes misted as if she were remembering something unpleasant.
Wyatt's mouth opened and closed a few times. She thought of many things to say before settling for, "Me too. I want to survive, too." She thought of the coin in her pocket that had brought her to this world. Wyatt was tempted to tell Tiana her story, but Tiana didn't ask, and she didn't offer it freely.
*