Twisted Fate, Gift of Life?

Chapter 3

My heart pounded as I stood on the shore, my eyes locked on the girl struggling in the water. Panic surged through me. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, but the desperation in her movements was palpable. The beach was empty—there was no one around to help. I had to act quickly.

“Help!” I shouted, but the wind swallowed my voice. There's nobody else here. The girl’s struggles seemed to weaken, and I realized I couldn’t wait any longer. I kicked off my shoes and ran into the icy water, my breath catching in my throat as the cold shocked me.

The waves were fiercer than I’d anticipated. Each one pulled me further from the shore, making every stroke a battle. I finally reached her, grabbing her arm with trembling hands. “I’ve got you!” I gasped, trying to keep us both above water. But the sea was relentless, and my strength was fading fast.

The shore felt miles away, and with each wave, my hope dwindled. I tried to call for help again, but water filled my mouth, cutting off my cries. The world blurred around me as the waves tossed us like rag dolls, dragging us deeper into the darkness.

Exhaustion overwhelmed me. My grip on the girl loosened, and I felt myself slipping away. Darkness closed in as the freezing water pulled us both under. The last thing I felt was the girl’s cold hand slipping from mine.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the water. I found myself standing on the shore, the beach eerily silent. Everything felt surreal, like a twisted dream. The sea was calm now, almost serene, but the world seemed different—off.

The girl I’d tried to save was beside me, with a translucent body, her eyes wide with fear. Before we could speak, a tall figure appeared, shrouded in shadows. Its presence was overwhelming, but oddly… playful.

“Ah, what a dramatic scene, you two made quite the splash!” the figure said, its voice light and teasing. “Pleased to meet you, my ladies. I'm the grim reaper, I’m here to collect your souls,” his tone was surprisingly cheerful, like someone discussing a minor inconvenience rather than a cosmic duty.

I stared at him, my heart racing. “Wait! This can’t be happening. I’m not ready to die yet! I still have so much I want to do.”

The girl beside me looked at the Reaper with resignation. “Take me,” she said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I’m done. I don’t want to live anymore.”

The Reaper tilted his head, his playful demeanor never fading. “Oh, come now! That’s rather glum. It's not your time yet, though.” He turned to me, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “And what about you? you want to live?”

“Yes!” My voice was desperate. “I don’t want to die. Please, I still have dreams to achieve,” I begged.

The Reaper considered this with a thoughtful look. “Very well, then. I can offer you a deal.” He snapped his fingers, and a swirling mist appeared around us. “One life for another. You, Michelle, can keep living—if you agree to take on Suri's identity and fulfill her greatest wish.”

My head spun with confusion. “Live as her? What do you mean?”

“You’ll assume her life, her identity. Your soul in her body, ” the Reaper explained, waving a hand dismissively. “But you’ll have to grant her one final wish. Only then will her life be fully yours.”

He then turned to the girl, Suri, who looked at me with a mix of anger and sadness. “What’s your greatest wish?” He asked, filled with curiosity.

Suri’s eyes flashed with frustration directed at me. “My greatest wish? To be left alone. To die. I didn’t even want to be saved.”

The Reaper sighed and rolled his eyes in dissapointment. “Well, that’s quite boring! But it seems you’re in quite a predicament. As I said, if you’re not willing to live, Michelle here will have to take on your life and fulfill your wish,” he once again explained but Suri's words are what bothered me more.

I stared at her in disbelief, shocked and hurt. “But you were drowning! I thought you needed help.”

Suri’s face twisted with anger. “You don't understand! I was ready to go. I wanted to die, and you took that choice away from me!”

Her words stung deeply. “How would I know? I didn't mean to—”

“No!” Suri snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and despair. “You had no right to make that decision for me. Now I’m stuck with a life I didn’t want, and you’re dead. It's all your fault!”

I turned back to the Reaper, desperation in my voice. “Please, is there any other way? I don’t want to live someone else’s life. Especially if it belongs to this rude woman!" I yelled, pointing my fingers at Suri.

The Reaper chuckled softly. “I’m afraid there is no other choice. If you want to live, you must live as her and fulfill her wish. It’s the only way.” He turned to Suri and asked, “I'm sure you have another wish aside from dying. If you won't tell us, then you'll have to go back to your body and live. Do you really not want to make this deal?”

Suri's anger slowly subsided as she went silent for a bit in order to think about it carefully. Then finally, “Fine, do it if you want,” she said avoiding our eyes.

The Reaper then turned back to me, waiting for my answer. I kept silent for a while, thinking what I should do. I don't wanna live as someone else but I also don't want to die.

The weight of the situation pressed down on me. Suri’s anger and pain were palpable, and I felt a deep sense of guilt. “I’ll do it,” I said finally, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “I’ll live as her and grant her wish.”

The Reaper clapped his hands in delight, his playful demeanor unchanging. “Excellent! A deal struck. Your lives are now intertwined. Fulfill her wish, and her life would be yours completely.”

I turned to Suri, my heart pounding as I tried to comprehend the gravity of what was happening. “So, what is your greatest wish?” I asked, my voice trembling with the weight of the decision.

Suri’s eyes, once filled with anger and despair, softened slightly as she looked at me. “My greatest wish,” she said slowly, her voice barely above a whisper, “is Dwayne—To be with him and to be his girl.”

The depth of her wish hit me like a wave. It was clear that her feelings for Dwayne were profound, a yearning that had been unfulfilled in life. The realization that I would have to live out this wish, becoming someone else to grant it, felt like a heavy burden.

The Reaper’s eyes glittered with mischief as he shifted his gaze between Suri and me. “There you have it,” he said, his tone light and teasing. “You have one year to fulfill her wish and make her life truly yours. However, if you fail to complete this task within the time, you will vanish from this world and from everyone’s memory, as if you never existed at all. Good luck, Michelle. Or should I say, Suri?”

My heart raced as I absorbed his words. “What? You didn’t mention this before!” I started, but before I could voice my confusion and frustration, the Reaper snapped his fingers. With that simple gesture, his form and Suri’s began to dissolve into the swirling mist.

In an instant, I was left alone on the edge of the beach. The weight of my new reality crashed down on me, and the gravity of the task ahead pressed heavily on my shoulders as I felt my consciousness slipping away one more time. I had a new life to begin, a dream to pursue, and a promise to keep—a wish that was not my own but one that I was now bound to fulfill.

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