1 The Strange Dreams

Lana woke up disoriented while lying down on her bed in a London orphanage at precisely 4.00 AM. Feeling a slight headache and nausea, she gently tried to sit up to prevent herself from vomiting. It will not do well for her empty stomach very early in the morning. After taking a few deep breaths, she felt better and tried to recall the strange dreams she had previously. They were snippets of random pictures with unrecognizable adult faces yet familiar.

Lana would not know any better, of course. She never really went far from the orphanage. She only ever explored the few bushes around the orphanage building.

Also, the matron by the name of Miss Sally was strict. She and her helpers made it clear that no children went far except chaperoned. Even when the older children went to school, a helper or two always made time to walk them to their school. It helped that they all went to the same school. They were efficient, effective, and ultimately safe.

Not many people know, but the matron was an orphan herself. And life did not always go her way growing up. She was sometimes gotten touched here and there by the adults in her then-orphanage. It was not good being pretty. So, she had to grow up fast and mature before her time. Her vigilance in her younger years helped her survive. Then, she used it to operate the orphanage she was in charge of at the moment: the St. Anne Orphanage at 100 Cassiobury Park Ave Watford, London, the UK.

Lana was confused. She had been having strange dreams for a while now, especially since she arrived at St Anne 3 years ago. She did not tell anybody, though. It was just some dreams, after all. But it didn't make it less confusing for Lana, as they seemed to be related and repeated.

It was always about a woman in a medical suite slumping down on a table somewhere. Sometimes she also watched the medical woman tending to some people (patients maybe?). The pictures were not always clear, but some were more gruesome than others. It was odd.

She had never watched TV shows before, as the orphanage did not even have any TV. Hence, nothing should make her dream such things at the age of five. Yet, she was frustrated over the same vision of the same woman who felt very familiar.

On the bright side, she knew some medical stuff any child her age should not know because of the dreams. Lana was suspicious, all right. She was clever for her age, more observant, and quieter.

Lana, through the woman, also learned how to read and write. She had never really studied them herself, much to the surprise of the matrons. Everything just clicked. She did not know how it worked, but it did.

She also noticed that even though she was raised and grew up in an English country, she never could speak the accent. She had her own distinct accent, which sounded like an American one, but not much either.

She could also remember, to her confusion, some Japanese words, although very limited. Some Asian languages like Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean sounded familiar to her. But she did not understand them.

She had some suspicions about her condition. The strangest yet the most logical reason, was that somehow a reincarnation happened. The medical woman was her, and Lana was the reincarnated medical woman.