Sera parked beside a private elevator entrance and stepped out first.
By the time I opened my own door, she was already standing beside me.
“You may leave the heels inside the car.”
“I was planning to.”
I wasn’t going back into those heels unless someone threatened me.
Evelyn got out from the passenger side and adjusted the backpack over her shoulder before walking toward the elevator.
I followed with the handbag hanging from one shoulder.
The elevator required no visible button or key. Sera simply stood in front of a small sensor, and the doors opened almost immediately.
Once we were inside, I finally noticed that there were only a handful of floor options on the panel.
The highest one occupied its own section.
Penthouse.
I looked toward Evelyn.
“You live here?”
“One of your residences.”
I decided not to comment.
Sera selected the penthouse floor, and the elevator began rising.
The acceleration was smooth enough that I barely felt it, but the numbers climbed far faster than I expected.
For a while, none of us spoke.
It gave me my first real opportunity to properly observe Sera from close range.
She remained perfectly composed, her attention fixed ahead as though escorting a body-swapped heiress and a stranger wearing her body was merely another unusual task to handle.
Considering what Evelyn had told me earlier, I wondered how much of that composure came from years of looking after her.
The elevator chimed.
The doors opened directly into the penthouse.
I stopped before taking another step.
The first thing that caught my attention wasn’t the size of the place, although I was fairly certain you could fit a couple of basketball courts inside the entrance hall without much trouble.
It was the view.
An entire wall of glass looked out over Arc City from high above, thousands of lights spreading across the metropolis below us until they disappeared into the distance.
From here, I could even make out some of the central landmarks we had passed on the way.
The illuminated headquarters of the Hero Association stood several blocks away, while farther beyond it rose the enormous complex belonging to the Academy.
I found myself looking at that one for a little longer.
“You can admire the view later.”
Evelyn’s voice pulled my attention away from the windows.
She had already made herself at home—after all, she really was home—dropping my backpack beside one of the couches before taking a seat.
Sera, meanwhile, took the handbag from my shoulder without asking and placed it on the polished black marble coffee table in the middle of the room.
“Would you like something to eat, my lady?”
I hesitated for a moment before realizing she was talking to me.
“Uh... sure. Anything is fine.”
Sera gave a small nod.
“I’ll prepare something light.”
She turned toward Evelyn.
“And you, Nathan?”
“The same.”
Watching the exchange made me realize just how accustomed Sera was to taking care of Evelyn. Even after discovering that her mistress was currently occupying the body of a man she had never met before, she had somehow returned to her usual routine within minutes.
I removed the bomber jacket and sat down on the couch opposite Evelyn.
“Must she keep referring to me that way? I’m not really used to being taken care of, nor being referred to as a lady.”
Evelyn answered in a carefree voice.
“The sooner you get used to it, the better it is for us.”
“So, what happens now?”
“First, you eat. Then we discuss tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
Evelyn leaned back against the couch.
“You said you were supposed to report to the Awakening Administration Bureau for your final assessment.”
“That was what the doctor told me.”
“It isn’t anymore.”
I stared at her.
“It’s not like I can simply avoid visiting the Bureau. You know what happens to people who defy them.”
“Do you really want to walk into a government building tomorrow while wearing my face?”
...
Fair point.
Evelyn seemed satisfied by my silence.
“Your Awakening is already unusual enough. Until we figure out how to control your ability, there’s no reason to attract unnecessary attention. I’ll arrange for a private assessment tomorrow.”
“You can just do that?”
“Nathan, you are severely underestimating the things I, now you are capable of.”
The way she said my name made me reconsider what I knew about the power structure of Arc City and just how much influence its conglomerates actually held over the government.
“What exactly do you mean by a private assessment?”
“The Vale Group operates several hospitals. One of them has an Awakening division authorized to conduct Bureau assessments.”
I paused.
“So I still have to be assessed.”
“Of course. I never said otherwise.”
“You’re just changing where it happens.”
“And who will be present.”
That last part caught my attention.
Evelyn leaned back against the couch.
“I’ll arrange for the assessment to be conducted there tomorrow. It will still be properly registered with the Bureau, but there is no reason to involve more people than necessary. Your Awakening is already unusual enough, and until we understand exactly what happened, I would rather have the examination conducted somewhere we can control who has access to the results.”
Before I could ask anything else, Sera returned carrying a tray.
The smell reached me before she even placed it down, and my growling stomach immediately reminded me that neither Evelyn nor I had been able to properly eat because of the day’s eventfulness.
It had been a really long day.
Sera placed several dishes on the table before us.
“Please eat while it’s warm, my lady.”
I picked up the utensils without a word. Filling my empty stomach came first.
My attention was immediately drawn to one of the smaller dishes: thin slices of roasted eggplant served with a light yogurt sauce, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Normally, that would have been one of the last things I touched. I had never liked eggplant, no matter how my mom prepared it. Something about both its taste and texture had always put me off.
Yet the smell drifting from the plate was unexpectedly appetizing.
I hesitated for a moment before trying a small piece.
It was delicious.
The eggplant was soft without having the unpleasant texture I remembered, while the blend of olive oil, herbs, and yogurt coating left a refreshing sensation on my tongue. Twenty years of refusing eggplant whenever my mother put it on the table, and all it had taken to change my mind was borrowing someone else’s tongue.
For a moment, I silently stared at the dish in front of me before skewering multiple slices of eggplant and bringing them toward my mouth.
Out of habit, I opened my mouth as widely as I normally would before stopping halfway after realizing that the amount was too large for my now smaller mouth.
I used a knife to remove more than half of the slices from my fork.
Eating had joined the steadily growing list of ordinary activities that required some degree of adjustment. My lips, tongue, teeth, and even the movement of my jaw felt familiar enough to operate without thought, but whenever I fell back on twenty years of habit, something felt just slightly off.
Still, hunger was considerably more important than analysing every movement my mouth made.
Author’s Note:
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