Chapter 8: Control

Leticia felt as if her body had suddenly become weightless—as if an invisible force had lifted all the heaviness from her, leaving her light as a feather. Or rather… as if she could no longer feel her body at all.

Her vision darkened for a brief second before snapping back into clarity.

And in the mirror, she saw her body moving on its own.

"What happened?!" — Leticia panicked, trying to reach for her own head, but—

Nothing.

No movement.

"What?! Why can’t I control my body?!"

As soon as she thought this, her body began to move on its own.

First, her fingers brushed over her other hand—then her face.

And then, she heard her own voice speak—but it wasn’t her speaking.

— "Leticia…?"

It was Aya's voice.

But this time—not in her head.

She was speaking out loud.

— "It looks like… I’m the one controlling this body now."

Leticia felt a shockwave of disbelief course through her.

"How…?" — her mental voice trembled. — "How is this even possible?!"

— "I… I don’t know…" — Aya stammered, sounding just as lost. — "At first, I felt weightless, and then… it was like someone dropped a ten-kilogram weight onto me."

"Weight?!" — Leticia frowned at the unfamiliar word, but now wasn’t the time. — "Okay, first things first—look in the mirror."

Aya nodded—or rather, Leticia’s body did—but when she turned, her movements were clumsy. Aya stumbled, barely managing to grab onto a small table near the mirror before she could fall flat on her face.

"What are you doing?!"

— "This is hard!" — Aya protested, clearly embarrassed.

She steadied herself and finally looked into the mirror.

What she saw made her freeze.

She wasn’t looking at Aya.

She was looking at Leticia—with long black hair and ruby-red eyes.

— "Leticia?!" — Aya’s voice shook with a mix of fear and awe.

Leticia, trapped inside, was equally stunned.

She had expected something to change… but not this.

"Aya, check your hair. What color is it?"

Aya hesitated, then ran her fingers through her strands.

The hair was short, and at the very tips, she could see remnants of her usual golden hue.

"I see…" — Leticia’s voice was tense but controlled. — "It looks like… my body changed when I transferred control to you."

— "Transferred?" — Aya echoed.

"Yes. Remember when I said, ‘I’d let you use my body if it were possible’? Maybe that was the trigger."

Aya hummed in thought, then—

She started patting herself down.

Checking every inch.

— "Whoa, your legs are so long! I bet you’re faster than me!" — Aya laughed as she pranced around the room.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Leticia’s voice was laced with exasperation.

— "Just testing things!" — Aya replied nonchalantly. — "Your waist is so tiny… Mine was never this slim in my past life…"

Leticia rolled her invisible eyes.

"Maybe stop admiring my body and give it back?"

— "Just a little longer!"

Aya continued her exploration, touching her arms, hips, waist—

Then—

Her hands moved somewhere else.

Leticia froze.

"What are you doing?!"

Aya tilted her head.

— "What? We’re both girls, right? There’s nothing to hide. Besides, I’m just checking what’s different."

Leticia experienced an emotional breakdown in real-time.

"Aya, don’t you—!"

But it was too late.

Aya’s hands moved to her chest, fingers pressing experimentally.

— "Huh… about the same as mine in my past life," — she mused.

The mental scream that erupted shook the fabric of reality itself.

"IDIOT!!! GIVE ME BACK MY BODY RIGHT NOW!!!"

Aya winced, hands flying to cover her ears—Leticia’s ears, technically.

— "Okay, okay! I got it!"

And then—

The weightlessness returned.

Leticia slammed back into control—and collapsed to the floor, curling up instantly with her arms wrapped tightly around her chest.

Her heart thundered in her ribcage.

Her face burned like it was on fire.

— "I… I hate you…" — she groaned, shaking. — "NEVER do that again!"

Aya giggled innocently.

"Aww, come on! I just wanted to make sure everything was in place!"

Leticia snapped her head up, rage burning in her crimson eyes.

— "IN PLACE?!"

Aya laughed harder.

"But I gave your body back, so everything’s fine, right?"

Leticia took a deep breath—and exhaled slowly, trying not to explode.

— "I don’t know what’s worse," — she muttered. — "Being stuck in my body or letting you control it."

Aya giggled mischievously.

"I guess we’ll just have to get used to it," — she mused. — "Since, well… we literally share the same body now."

Leticia groaned, burying her face in her hands.

— "This is the worst nightmare…"

Aya simply smiled through the mirror.

Outside, a soft breeze rustled the curtains, making them sway slightly.

The night was only beginning.

And they had far too many questions left unanswered.