Chapter 3

Clara took a deep breath to steel herself before facing Caiden. She shouldn’t show that she was having second thoughts about the contract she had just made. She needed to look like she knew what she was doing.

“How are you going to help me get revenge if we are still here?” she questioned. 

Caiden didn’t look perturbed by her question which gave her confidence in his abilities to help her out with her mission for revenge.

“I can’t bring you back to life as you were. It’s not something I can do and it wouldn't be possible to get revenge as Clara Kennedy. I caught you here because there is someone with a compatible body available. Your soul can inhabit her body.” 

Clara narrowed her eyes. It was a relief to hear that she wouldn’t have to return to her old life again, but she was skeptical of his logic. 

“How is that going to work then?” she asked with a glare. 

Caiden put his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. 

“To explain it in the simplest way, I am going to transplant your soul into a living body. The owner was the same age as you and speaks the same language which will make adapting to the new body easy. You will be able to get your revenge in that body, I can tell you that for sure.” 

Clara was glad that Caiden was being clear with her. She still had a lot of questions to ask though. 

“Will I be aware of who I really am when I am in this body?” 

“You will be Clara Kennedy in someone else’s body,” he assured her. “I need to move your soul now before the window to transplant your soul ends.” 

Clara opened her mouth to ask another question and no sound came out. In fact, the world around her was fading fast and then there was nothing.  

*** 

She opened her eyes with difficulty and looked around her surroundings with bleary eyes. Her mind was very unfocused and she couldn’t get a grasp on anything. Wherever she was, it was very white. 

Where was she? 

Who even was she? 

Clara. 

She blinked. Her name was Clara Kennedy and she had died wishing she could get revenge on her tormenters. Then she had made a contract with a demon when she was in purgatory. 

She could remember that the contract had something to do with her desire for revenge. 

Clara glanced down at herself. Her wrists were bandaged up and there was an IV halfway up her arm. The bed she was lying on looked like a hospital bed. Her ears started to pick up on noise nearby and she could hear a distant conversation outside the door about blood pressure. 

It seemed like she was in hospital. 

She swung her heavy legs around and was about to attempt to stand when the door to her room opened. A female wearing a smart blue dress entered. She had a kind smile and looked happy to see her.  

“Please don’t get out of bed so soon by yourself,” she requested in a polite soft tone. “You’ve been through a lot. I will help you.” 

The woman approached and Clara saw from her nametag that the woman was a nurse called Anna. The name of the hospital had the word ‘royal’ in it.  

The nurse had an English accent and the name of the hospital didn’t feel American. 

“Where am I?” she enquired. 

Clara blinked in surprise at how her voice sounded. That wasn’t her normal voice. She had sounded English when she said that short question. Even when she was tired, her voice was always clearly American. 

“In hospital,” Anna informed her gently and helped her back into bed and pulled the bedcovers over her. “You’ve been unconscious for a while.” 

The information wasn’t of much use to her, she had already worked out she was in hospital. She looked out of the window to see nothing but trees and a grey sky. It didn’t look like it was anywhere near where she lived. Everything was odd. 

She was sure it would all make sense when she remembered the exact agreement she had made with Caiden. 

“I’m just going to leave very briefly and get the doctor to have a look at you,” the nurse added. “It’s good to see you finally awake. Your grandfather was very worried.” 

Anna left the room and Clara was now even more confused. Maybe this was another purgatory, the difference being that this one was styled like a hospital. Her arms felt numb and weightless so she kicked her leg against the bedframe and felt pain. 

Clara knew she certainly wasn’t in a dream. She needed to remember the deal she had made; it was the key to everything. 

She went over what she knew. One of the lessons she had learnt over her 18 years was to take a step back and evaluate the facts before drawing hasty conclusions. 

The nurse had mentioned a grandfather. That didn’t fit in with anything. Clara Kennedy didn’t have any relations. 

She now had an English accent and the name of the hospital felt like it was English rather than American. 

Something sparked in her mind and she knew she was onto something. She took another look at her arms. The cigarette burn scar that had been on her left forearm wasn’t there. 

She reached for her hair and pulled a strand so she could see it. Her hair was pink. 

Clara gasped. This wasn’t her body. 

Now her full memories from purgatory were coming back. Caiden had said he was going to transplant her soul into a compatible body so she could obtain revenge against those who had caused her death. 

Clearly the transplant had been successful, she wasn’t in her real body anymore. She was someone else. 

The demon had also said that the owner of the body spoke English which would make it easier for her. She had a feeling that she must be somewhere in the United Kingdom now. She remembered that there were four countries in the United Kingdom. Her own new accent and the nurse’s suggested that she was England rather than one of the other three. 

It was a shame she didn’t have any memories from the owner of the body. She didn’t know why she was lying in a hospital bed or what her name was supposed to be. She had been transported into this body in the middle of her question. 

Where was Caiden anyway? 

Shouldn't he be at her side to acclimate her to her new body? 

The door to her room opened again and the nurse entered followed by another man. Clara could tell he was the doctor based on the way he was dressed and his name badge. He gave her a long look and pulled a chair up to her bed. 

“Hello, how are you feeling?” 

He had an English accent as well which added to the theory that she was somewhere in the UK. 

“My arms are numb and heavy, otherwise I feel fine,” she replied. 

“Do you know who you are?” he asked next.  

Clara shook her head after a moment of indecision. It would be quickly obvious to everyone that she didn’t really know what was going on or who she really was. She was in a hospital so there was no danger in admitting that she didn’t remember her identity.  

“Okay. That’s not too unexpected, you were unconscious for a long time. Are you okay if you do a few tests before I explain things?” 

She nodded. She wanted assurance that her body was in a good state as well. 

The doctor disconnected her IV and the next fifteen minutes were filled with tests. They didn’t wheel her off anywhere which was good. Seeing more of the hospital would be even more of a reminder that she was somewhere unfamiliar. 

After the last test the doctor scrawled something down on his clipboard with a frown. 

“Physically, you are fine. You will need to take care for a while though, don’t overdo anything. I will book you for a CT scan to get a clue about what’s going on with your brain. Other than the amnesia, you appear to be okay. Your memories may return quite soon or you may need to undergo therapy. It’s a matter of observation for the time being,” he explained. 

Clara nodded slowly. She wished she knew what she was supposed to do right now. It was annoying that Caiden wasn’t at her side.  

She reminded herself that she was always on her own, she could deal with this situation. She didn’t need the demon. 

“What’s the date?” she asked. 

The date the doctor gave was two days after her death in the US which was interesting to know. It didn’t help too much though. 

“I can see you’re confused still and I am unwilling to unload the full truth onto you right now,” the doctor told her gently. “I will allow you to have visitors starting tomorrow and will give them instructions not to overwhelm you.” 

Clara wanted to insist that she would be fine with the full truth, but she knew the doctor was right. She had woken up in a new body alone and was still processing everything around her. 

“I understand,” she said. “Can I ask one question?” 

The doctor looked guarded but gestured for her to continue. 

“Am I in England?” 

It was technically a shot in the dark, but her accent, the name of the hospital and the accents of the two members of staff she had encountered spurred on her question. 

“Yes, you’re in a hospital in London to be precise,” he confirmed. “I will leave you in the hands of Anna now. I will see you tomorrow.” 

“Good bye,” Clara said. 

She had guessed correctly. She was in England in a completely different body. The demon had made good with his side of the agreement.  

“Do you feel up to eating anything?” Anna asked. “It’s completely your choice.” 

Clara knew she could do with some food. She had died just before dinner after all. The she remembered that she was in a different body now. 

“I would like to eat,” she said. “As long as it doesn’t inconvenience you at all.” 

The more she heard of her new voice, the more she liked it. It was soft and pleasant to listen to. 

“You’re the patient here, you’re not an inconvenience,” Anna told her cheerfully. “It’s dinner service at the moment so it’s quite simple to get you something to eat. I’ll leave for a few minutes.” 

She left with her ponytail waving and Clara watched her thoughtfully. Hopefully Anna would be her nurse the entire time she was in hospital. She was very caring and gentle. It had been a long time since someone had treated her that kindly. Her foster mother had tried in the past, but was forced to give her attention to the younger adopted children. 

There was a mirror in the corner of the room. She was keen to know what she looked like now. It was obvious that seeing her new face would be a shock to her even though she knew it was going to be different. She couldn’t look in the mirror with someone else around. 

She was alone right now. 

She carefully got out of bed and walked over to the mirror. Her legs weren’t as dead as they had been earlier. 

The face looking back at her in the mirror was an unfamiliar girl with pale pink hair, perfect skin and a cute noise. There were two similarities between her new face and her old one. The blue eyes staring at her were oddly like her own and so was the frowning mouth. She stared at her new face silently. 

“Do you like your new body?” 

Clara turned around. Caiden had finally appeared. The demon was sitting on her bed smiling at her.