I'm Looking For Myself

CHAPTER NINE

As she opened her eyes to gaze at her reflection,

'AH!' a blood-curdling scream escaped her lips.

She recoiled in shock, jumping backward so abruptly that she nearly hit her head against the wall.

The mirror revealed a stranger staring back at her - a person with piercing blue eyes, raven-black hair, and a pointed nose.

The face was familiar; she stumbled backward, her eyes fixed on the mirror trying to process this transformation.

The scream still echoed in her mind.

Cherry's hands frantically explored her face, trying to erase the stranger staring back at her.

"What...what happened to my face?" she stammered, her voice trembling.

"And why do I look like...like her?" She gestured wildly towards the portrait, her eyes darting between the painting and her reflection.

"Bring it back!" she demanded, still rubbing her face with a desperate intensity, trying to scrub away the unfamiliar features.

"Where's my face? Where's my body?" she exclaimed, her voice rose to a panicked crescendo.

"What the hell is going on?"

Cherry hastily exited the rest room, quickly wrapping herself in a robe as she rushed downstairs in search of help.

"Where am I?" she exclaimed, her hands still touching her face in disbelief.

The woman–Amy's mother, approached her with concern on her face.

"¿Qué te pasa, amor?"(What's wrong, love?) Why are you shouting?" she asked worried.

Cherry's eyes filled up with tears as she pleaded for help.

"Please...I need your help," she begged.

The woman enveloped her in an embrace.

"I'm your mother, amor. You can get any help you need from me.

What's going on?" she asked with empathy and much concern.

Cherry stood frozen, her mind racing but unable to form coherent thoughts.

She struggled to articulate her predicament,and her words were faltering.

"I...I know this may sound weird, but...I'm .... I'm looking for myself," she stammered, her eyes pleading for understanding.

The woman's expression transformed from concern to confusion, her brow furrowed.

"What do you mean you're looking for yourself?" she asked.

"You're standing right in front of me, darling. You're safe. What do you mean you can't find yourself?"

Cherry's gaze dropped, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

She knew how absurd her words sounded, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of disconnection from her own identity.

"I don't know how to explain it," she whispered, feeling lost and alone.

Cherry sank into a nearby cushion, her eyes wide with urgency.

"This is very serious."

Her voice trembled.

"I was going about my normal routine, working my job, when suddenly I got fired.

And then...and then I followed a cat, which led me to a strange place filled with people taking notes about me.

It was like they were studying me and I felt like I was in trouble till..that.... that man came...

And now, I'm here, in this place, with a completely different face, body, and personality.

I don't understand what's happening to me." She paused, her breath catching in her throat.

"I feel like I've lost myself, like I'm trapped in someone else's life.

Please, you have to help me figure out what's going on."

Cherry's words spilled out in a desperate plea, her hands clasped together.

"Roselle!" the woman called out.

The worker hastily appeared, bowing her head in respect.

"Yes, ma'am?" she replied, her eyes darting towards Cherry's distressed form.

"Get a glass of water, quickly," the woman instructed.

Roselle nodded and hurried off to fetch the water.

Meanwhile, the woman gently sat down beside Cherry, who had buried her face in her hands, her palm supporting her forehead trying to ward off the chaos within.

The woman's was a bit puzzled as she tried to understand Cherry's bizarre tale.

She placed a comforting hand on Cherry's shoulder, waiting for Roselle to return with the water.

"Amy, I can only imagine what you've been through," the woman said with a compassionate voice.

"I don't know if you were kidnapped or what they did to you, but it's clear that you've been subjected to something traumatic.

I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to find the people responsible for this and bring them to justice.

They will not go unpunished. And I assure you, we'll take good care of you and get you help.

You're safe now darling."

The woman's words were meant to be a gentle balm to Cherry's frazzled nerves but Cherry wasn't ready to quit explaining.

Cherry's eyes locked onto the woman's, pleading for understanding.

"¡Rayos! (darn) You don't get it," she said in frustration.

"I'm not Amy, I'm Cherry - a chef who lost her job, not some person you seem to think I am.

I don't know who you are, or where I am, or what's going on!"

She felt desperate, hoping the woman would finally comprehend her situation.

Just then, Roselle returned with a glass of water, which the woman took and gently handed to Cherry.

"Here, drink this," she said softly.

Cherry hesitated for a moment, then took a sip, the cool water soothing her parched throat.

She looked up at the woman, still searching for answers, still trying to make sense of this bizarre and unsettling reality.

"Let's get you settled in for now, and we'll arrange for a therapist to see you first thing tomorrow morning," the woman said still with a calm voice.

But Cherry's emotions had reached a boiling point. She burst into tears, her body shaking with sobs.

"I just want to go home!" she wailed, her voice cracking with desperation alerting some workers around the house.

The woman's expression softened, and she nodded to the workers.

"Please take her to her room," she instructed gently.

The workers carefully guided Cherry out of the room, her tears still flowing as she was led away.

The woman's voice trailed behind her, "We'll get through this, Amy. You're safe."

The next morning, after a restless half-night of tossing and turning, Cherry finally woke up to the sound of an alarm beside the bed, blaring at exactly 9:00 am.

The persistent ringing pierced through her grogginess, forcing her to sit up.

Cherry sprang out of bed as soon as the alarm sounded, her instincts urging her to start the day.

But when she saw the time, her excitement quickly turned to panic.