CHAPTER 5: Reina's awakening

REINA’S POV

“Narah, are you alright?” a strange girl who sat beside me asked as her hands patted my back, I laid back down and she rushed downstairs.

I slowly opened my tired eyes and I was met with the sight of an unfamiliar environment, a room so small that it seemed as though the walls were gradually creeping up on me.

The walls were covered with purple paint that was already peeling off. A single window dressed with shabby looking blinds, a little table and a rocking chair. The girl came back with a glass of water, and offered it to me and I thanked her.

“Narah, are you alright?” She repeated. 

I was surprised as I couldn't recognise her. Last I recalled, I was… dead.

The sudden realisation made my voice trail off into a sorrowful moan, repeatedly whispering the words, “No.” 

The girl was confused, she only stood and watched me. My hands ran through my hair, thinking deeply. I must have missed something. How did I die?

Suddenly, I remembered Minsi. I reached out through a mind link, soughting after the presence of my wolf.

“Minsi, are you there?” I called out, “Minsi?”

But there was no response, I couldn't feel her with me. My mind was as silent as a graveyard. With welled up eyes and quivering lips, I wriggled on the bed, struggling to get up, ignoring the girl as she tried to assist me. 

“Where are you, Minsi?” I thought.

When I finally felt my feet on the hard cemented floor, I got up and took a few steps, but my legs felt like noodles and I hit the floor in a matter of seconds.

The girl paced towards me screaming, “Narah!” 

My eyelids felt too heavy, blurry from the tears that filled my eyes. I whispered underneath my breath, “I am Reina.”

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The dim light coming from the window pierced through my skull, causing my head to throb and slowly, I opened my eyes. The creaky bed grumbled underneath me as I sat up right.

The strange girl sat on the rocking chair, moving back and forth, engrossed in the book on her thighs. Her dark hair falling like a veil over her face. Suddenly, she looked up and our eyes locked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“My name is Benny,” she introduced herself, “ Reina, right?” She asked with a calm tone and I nodded.

Benny let out an uncontrollable laughter that echoed through the room, bouncing from wall to wall and then finally stopped.

“I knew it!” She exclaimed excitedly,“Your dreams were really memories from your past life.” She looked over at me and walked to sit beside me on the bed. 

She explained everything to me. How I lived as Narah and the story her mother told her about the night I was born. I shared my story and how I died.

“You're a witch…,” I paused, Benny's eyes widened. She seemed to have withheld this detail on purpose when she explained every other thing to me. “You knew it would change how I feel about you if you told me because witches and werewolves don't exactly get along.” 

“But we got along, even more than fine all through the years, didn't we?” she asked, with a grin on her face.

A deafening silence fell in the room and we only stared deeply into each other's eyes like we were searching for something that wasn't lost. 

“I don't remember much but I trust you,” I said, breaking the silence.

“Your memories as Narah would come back. Memory loss is a temporary side effect of the potion.” 

“I have to go back to Vaelothor.”

Benny nodded severely and replied, “of course, Reina. But with what you've told me, you were obviously murdered. Going back as Reina will only put you in grave danger.”

I placed my right hand on my chest, searching for Minsi’s presence but she still wasn't there. I had lost my wolf. Tears pricked from the corners of my eyes and I wiped them away, saying,

“Reina Grayson’s dead, but I will find her killer and take my revenge. I must know why she was killed. From now on, I am Narah Smith.” 

The past eighteen years had left a huge gap in my life as Reina but the goddess gift of rebirth had given me a chance for revenge. I must return to Valeothor.

I stayed with Benny for a few days and just as she said, my memories as Narah returned to me. I went back to my place, picked up a few things, gathered the money I had saved and left. 

As I walked out of the house, I sighted a huge man in his mid-40s coming from the backyard with a shotgun hung over his shoulder. I wanted to avoid him but it was too late.

“Hold it right there!” He shouted and I stopped.

“Well, well! If it isn't the daughter of a wolf,” Mr Smith, my supposed father said, spitting at my feet. I confidently turned towards him, my eyes boring into his, I said,

“I'm leaving.” 

Instantly, the smile on his face faded. He took a few steps back, his boots stomping on the flowers beneath him, then he aimed his gun at me, but I was not afraid.

He waited for a few minutes that felt like forever, his fingers hovering over the trigger. My heart began to beat fast, but, my position remained fixed. Then I thought it was finally the time for him to kill me, like I always feared. He fired.

Swiftly, the bullet went by me, piercing the mailbox with a deafening sound. I'd lived with this man for the past few years of my life as Narah and I knew one thing, he never missed a shot.

He sluggishly walked closer to me with glaring eyes.

“You're not Narah, are you?” He asked, his fingers pointing at me. “Narah wouldn't stand like that, not in a million years. She would have fallen to the ground, crawling and crying inside, screaming her head off,” he said calmly, but I didn't respond, he sighed and walked away. 

I went back to Benny’s and she helped me dye my hair black. She suggested the change because my hair and eyes looked much like Reina's. By altering my look, no one would be reminded of her if they saw me, so my identity would be hidden.

Few hours later, I left Lystvair behind, ready to embrace my past life.

After a long drive, I arrived in Valeothor and felt the cool air on my skin, memories flooding in and I thought, “Where do I begin?”. 

I had imagined it would be difficult to move about but everything looked different, humans now lived in the town.

I guess eighteen years was enough time to cause such a huge change. Noone bothered me as I made my way through the busy streets. 

I was in Woodwick's territory. My dry throat sent me into the nearest cafe. I placed my order at the counter. Oblivious to the woman behind me, I hastily turned and bumped into her, spilling her drink on her expensive looking blouse.

Before I could apologise, her left palm quickly and sweetly kissed my cheek, leaving behind a stinging red mark. 

“How dare you?” she snarled.

I looked up at her, taken aback by the familiar face, I whispered softly…

“Gina?”