Mindy's P.O.V

Camburg Woods

I fought the pain I felt in my bare feet as the twigs stabbed them. The cool wind blew past my face and suffocated me. My eyes watered as fear filled my heart. I have been running for so long now. How long will it be until I am safe? Safe away from him.

I have to continue

I have to keep going

If I do not, he will find me 

I gasped for air, and I sat up. Prickly twigs and dead leaves, that was the only part of the world I felt. That, and the pain in my body. Especially in my heart. My vision was blurry, showing hazy and faint images of blue, brown, and green. And the cold air, it was all around me. “Ashlyn?” That voice, it was something I could never forget.

“Quinn?” My vision cleared. The moment I did, my little brother was in front of me. Just a lot more grown-up. I arched my brow. “When did you get a beard? In fact, when did you grow your hair out? I thought you liked having waves?” Quinn's face grew in confusion. “Mom and Dad were completely pissed when you cut your hair.” I chuckled, only to stop and hold my chest in pain. “Damn”

“Hey, little bro, did you forget who I am?” I snapped in front of him twice. “I am your big sister, Mindy.” His eyes began to well up with tears. “Oh, now you remember me-” he quickly embraced me. Holding me tight. I screamed in pain, causing him to quickly back up.

“Mindy, they said- you- how are you here? Why are you in Ashlyn's body?” My brows straightened.

“What?”

Giovanni's P.O.V.

Sherry's Bar 

“Giovanni….Giovanni!” I got out of my thoughts and looked at my group of friends. “Are you okay, dude? You seemed out of it.” A short, warm-ivory-skinned, bobbed blonde-haired woman with green eyes asked. 

“Don’t you see, Sidney, he is completely out of it.” An average height chestnut skin, deep brown eyed man with long locked two toned black and blonde tipped hair along with a lighter toned birthmark on the left side of his neck, otherwise known as Vimal finished.

“I am okay. What seems to be the problem?” I asked. 

“You were out of it, apparently,” Sidney said.

“Out of it?” They nodded. “How?”

“We tried talking to you, but you did not answer. Was it perhaps because you were asked out again today?” Vimal said jokingly. 

“You can’t stay single forever. Mckenzie has already moved on. Why don’t you?” A tall, cocoa brown skin, hazel-eyed woman with long curly black hair, named Angelika, said.

My brows furrowed. 

Why are they bringing her up?  

“Yeah, Giovanni bear, it has been two months. Maybe dating someone is not a bad idea.” My eyes narrowed at the umber-brown skin, hazelnut-colored eyes, a mole under yet in the middle of his right eyebrow, otherwise known as Xavier said. 

“I thought I told you all that I hate being called that,” I said.

“Alright, alright, now what has your attention?” Angelika questioned.

“I saw a woman on campus today. She was strange but eye-catching. Almost as if she was something from a movie.” 

“Oh, a woman? It is good to see you moving on.” Sidney said, causing the table to laugh.

“During one of my exams, I looked out the window and saw her. She caught me staring at her and smiled. When my class was over, I went to see if she was still there, but she was gone.” I finished with annoyance.

“So, from what I am hearing, you have a crush on someone on campus. Tell us what she looks like. Maybe one of us may know something about her,” Xavier said.

“She has long curly dark hair, a curvy shape, these large deep reddish eyes, and her skin is espresso.” The four looked at each other before they looked at me. 

“What?” I questioned.

“What was she wearing, Giovanni?” Vimal asked. 

“A long white dress. It was not like a wedding dress but like the ones you see women in romance movies wear. Why are you asking?”

“So you saw Dr. Stokes?” Vimal asked? I nodded my head.

“Yeah, I guess so. I never got to talk to her yet. I do hear a lot about her work in the chemistry department,” I said.

“That's good. She has been missing for like two days now. Maybe she just went somewhere,” Angelika said.

“Hopefully,”

Hopefully

Little did I know that two days ago, Dr. Ashlyn Stoke had died.