Consciousness came slowly, it starting with the acute awareness of things through touch and spreading to the noises that he was able to hear; the smells that he was able to smell. Everything for a short moment felt different. Sheets soft and warm enveloped him, the noise of rain tapped against the window, and his home smelled of something clean, like a household cleanser in the air.

It was so... nice. But then he opened his eyes and memories came back to him as though someone had shown him his own life video on fast forward.

He was born March 15, 1996 to a loving mother and father.

He was an only child, grew up in an upper-class home, was currently attending university, and working hard to get into Med-school so that he could pursue his lifelong goal of becoming a surgeon because he had broken a bone when he was ten, and ever since that incident, the human body fascinated him more than anything else.

He felt that fascination for the human body and remembered every single embarrassing moment that he had ever had, and it was so strange how these memories felt so far away and why today of all days felt so different.

Adrian rose then, stiffly, slowly, and from the action a small piece of paper fell from where it had laid on his forehead onto the fluffy white sheets.

‘….Hm?” He paused. Why did the hum of his own voice, masculine and raspy from sleep cause a bit of a shock to run through him in that one moment?

He pushed that unsettling thought aside and picked up the fallen piece of paper in interest, although upon reading it, an annoyed expression came across his features.

Adrian, you came home really late and when I woke up you were laying there as though you had died in your sleep so naturally I left you to rot in peace. This note will be left on your forehead so that if you wake up, you’ll have to see it some way or another, and if you don’t then the cops will know that I had nothing to do with your untimely demise. Have fun being late to your first day of class. I tried to wake you up.

Sincerely,

your loving roommate Gabriel XOXO

It was a small wonder as to what a simple note and a glance at the time could do to a person, but soon enough whatever lingering feeling of laziness that he had been experiencing, diminished into panic. It was the first day of his junior year in college and he was positively not one to miss a class period. I mean that was like throwing money down a shitty toilet.

He rushed into the bathroom, tripping on one of Gabriel’s homemade sculptures in the process and hissing in pain because it was made from hardened clay and had a bunch of unnecessary jagged points to it that Adrian would never understand. Maybe he just didn’t have the ‘artistic eye’ to see the beauty in a clay sculpture with a bunch of makeshift spikes shooting out of it.

When he got to the bathroom, he turned on the water to the shower and took his clothes off with surprisingly efficient speed, not even thinking to look at the mirror until he had taken his 3-minute shower that felt more like an exercise than a hygienic duty, and coming out of it.

In truth, he wasn’t even all that concerned with his appearance as he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste only to then vigorously brush his teeth, but as he ran his free hand through his hair and looked up, he paused for a good minute and frowned at what he saw.

This was the same reflection that he had seen for years; brown skin,freckles that were sprinkled on his face, eyes the color of warm amber and wavy hair cut to the nape of his neck that was now wet due to the shower

“Wha…”

Why did he feel as though this body was not entirely his own? Why did his reflection seem so astonishing? He hesitantly brought his hand up and touched where his cheek was on the mirror's image, and that action alone made him recall a vague memory of a blinding white light and a distinct laugh.

Suddenly feeling lightheaded and realizing that this was in no way going to help him not miss all of his classes on the first day so he pulled his hand back and spit out the toothpaste in his mouth.

He had to get a hold of himself, existential crises could happen later but not now.