Life after death...it sucks

Mira looked around to make sure no one was watching then she took off her heels. She'd had a photoshoot with a big brand today and they had worked her till her legs shook and she couldn't hold her poses before the cameraman finally called it a day. He glared at her and shook his head "You need to work on your endurance darling or else you'll never make it, big time"

She flashed him a charming smile "I will, sire"

His nose went up and he harrumphed "you better"

{stupid a-hole}

Everyone started packing. She went into the dressing room and changed from the sequin dress to her black mini dress. It showed off her fair long legs. She paired it with her black heels. When she stepped out the studio was already empty and the lights were out.

Outside the sky was dark. She checked the time on her phone. It was at half-past nine. She groaned

{Sam's gonna be mad...I promised to be home early}

She boarded the night bus home. It was nearly empty. Her mind wandered to the other models in her agency. The top tier one's anyway. The ones that have a company car waiting to take them home after a shoot. The one's that don't have to do a shoot till late at night. The lucky ones didn't have to fight for resources and instead were begged to take on endorsements. Unlike her, she had to fight for even the smallest jobs. For this endorsement, she was tied with another model, but later on, she was chosen instead. This was because her image better suited the brand.

The bus pulled to a halt. She smiled at the old driver, paid him then she got down. The air was chilly, she hugged her coat to keep warm. The apartment she shared with her boyfriend was only two buildings down.

{It's so cold I think it might rain}

She rubbed her hands together and kept on walking. When she got closer she took off her heels and kept on walking

{My legs are killing me}

She was finally home. The door was not locked. She pushed it open and entered.

"Sam?"

{maybe he's asleep}

She went to the bedroom and sure enough, she could see Sam's silhouette in the bed. She didn't want to wake him up but she needed to change her clothes so she put on her phone's torch. She tiptoed to the closet. But then she tripped on something

"Oww"

It was a pair of heels

{Wait these are not mine...did he buy them for me?}

She put one leg in

{nope two sizes too big, then who's is it?"}

She moved forward and stepped on a piece of clothing she picked it up, with one glance Mira threw it like she'd touched a snake

"ew ew Ewww panties...these are definitely not mine wtf is going on here"

She spun and found the light switch. With a flick of the switch, the room was bathed in a fluorescent glow, Mira's hand flew to her mouth in shock at the sight that met her.

Sam wasn't the only one in the bed, beside him was snow-white skin and a familiar mass of vibrant red hair. The sudden light made Sam squint. He slowly opened his eyes one hand went up to shield his face from the light. The female beside him woke up as well. Her naked body was partly covered by the sheets.

Sam stared at Mira, surprise and horror were evident on his face.

"M-Mira?"

{so this is what he does when he sends me 'I miss you' texts}

"Oh no, it's Barbara or were you expecting another whore?" Mira's tone turned acidic

The girl in the bed hissed "don't you dare call me a whore!"

"Oh pardon me I meant prostitute"

The girl jumped down from the bed, still naked, her body bare in all its glory. "You...It's not my fault you starved your man to the extent that he had to look for a substitute"

"And that substitute or prostitute just had to be you May? A model slash public figure? well, I wonder how much this piece of news will be worth you s***"

"You b**** You better not..."

"Shut up May! look, Mira, I can explain"

"That you were momentarily lost in the passion and you never meant to hurt me?"

Sam turned silent

"Cat got your tongue? or did you lose it while you're sucking your face off"

She took her phone and snapped a picture. May scrambled to grab a blanket and cover herself. Sam sat on the bed too dazed to even react.

Mira held the phone up when May charged towards her. "Take one step closer and this goes on social media"

May halted "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh I dare a lot" She smirked and turned to Sam "and just in case you're dumber than she looks, it's OVER between us"

{Don't cry! don't cry! don't cry!}

Then she stormed out.

*****

Walking down the side of the highway with her shoes in hand Mira didn't seem to care if she was seen. Previously she would never walk barefooted for fear that she would be captured by the media and her reputation will be ruined, but now, she couldn't find it in herself to care.

She had been with Sam for three years. They had been together since her high school days. She met him at a friend's party which she snuck out to attend. He was Eighteen while she was just fifteen. At first, she lied that she was seventeen but when he asked her out, later on, she came clean. He was angry initially but he didn't break up with her.

It didn't take long for her parents to notice that their usually conservative daughter now wore makeup and spent her savings on clothes. They were suspicious, but since her grades remained unaffected they didn't question her. On valentines day the next year, Sam had taken her out to the local theatre. It turned out to be a big mistake because by the time she returned home her parents and three brothers were seated waiting for her. A neighbour had seen her with Sam and told her parents. There was even a picture, so she couldn't even deny it.

Everyone looked so disappointed in her, it made her angry. Why were all her friends allowed to go to parties and have boyfriends while all she did was sit at home and read? Any boy that so much as breathed the same air as she, was scared witless by her brothers. She only had two friends. She dubbed them Sofia and Amber because they acted just like the Disney Princesses. One was kind and sweet while the other was haughty and proud.

After that day she was grounded for three months and wasn't allowed to see Sam or either of her friends. When the three months expired she again met with Sam. Even now she still couldn't figure out how he'd convinced her to run away to the city with him, or how she had been stupid enough to follow him.

She turned from the road and sat on a low stone. Her eyes glistening with tears. She remembered sneaking out of the house that night after leaving some hastily scrawled letters to her family. She remembered the first few months of hunger in the city before she was scouted by a talent agency to be a model.

Sam at first had been supportive although at times he seemed upset that he hadn't found a job. But soon he became easily irritated. He would yell at her. He even got drunk one day and tried to force himself on her. After that day he seemed to calm down and all was well until he started hinting that he wanted her to quit her job and become a full-time housewife, once they tied the knot. But she couldn't quit since she was their only financial support.

{Now that I think about it, that s*** must have been the one instigating him}

Mira rubbed her red eyes and looked around

{where am I gonna sleep?}

Abruptly, light shone in her face, her eyes were still sensitive from crying so she covered her eyes. She could hear the sound of a vehicle approaching. She frowned and stood up, why is a car headed here? she was no longer on the road. She raised her head to check but by then it was too late.

The car crashed right into her. She flew back a few meters and went still. A slim figure hurriedly alighted from the car. The woman came to her side and saw Mira's phone on the ground. There was an incoming call. The caller ID showed Sam and a red heart. The woman raised her heels and stepped on the phone till the screen cracked and went black. She turned to the bleeding Mira with a sneer.

"I'll see how you can ruin me now"

She returned to her car, her long red hair, whipping about in the wind made her look like a flaming devil. The car came alive and she drove off.

*****

So heavy. Mira felt like there was a weight on her body. She remembered the lights and the car, she also remembered seeing red but that probably was blood. She tried to move her hands but they were heavy.

{Am I in a coma?}

She could here movements and rustling of clothes. Suddenly something poked her neck. There was a small light that kept intensifying. Mira panicked

{No! no! don't.go.to.the.light!}

The voices got louder

Mira's eyes fluttered open.

The first thing she noticed was that the room she was in was small and crowded. With weirdly dressed people. She moved or rather tried to move her head but it still felt heavy.

{what kind of hospital is this?}

She looked at the people. She couldn't recognise them from anywhere. This isn't a hospital, maybe they helped her?

The first person to speak was an old man with a kind weary face.

"Are you okay child?"

Mira licked her chapped lips, her throat felt dry "can I have a glass of water?"

The old man frowned in confusion and gestured to the young man next to him "get the young madam water"

After Mira drank from the...oddly shaped bowl. She finally answered "I'm fine I just feel...heavy"

Someone snickered in the room, Mira frowned. What's funny?

The old man smiled kindly down at her "Then you are fine, all you need is sleep" He turned to leave then hesitated "do you remember how you woke up?"

Mira furrowed her brows " huh?"

The old man cleared his throat "Aiya don't worry just rest so that you can get well" He turned to the rest "let us leave"

Everyone filed out of the room. She tried and successfully moved her hand. When the fingers came into her line of sight she froze.

{What the f***?}

She wiggled the fingers, they were like five marshmallows stuck together. Her heart palpitated

{T-that's not mine...right}

With great difficulty, she rolled down from the bed. There was a full-body mirror in a corner. She walked to it with jelly-like legs.

The girl in the mirror looked nothing like her. The girl had floor-length jet black hair while hers had always been on the short side. The eyes were large and brown while her's where a striking blue. But most importantly she was a slim figure eight, while the girl in the mirror looked like a sumo wrestler!!!

She moved and the pale white blub in the mirror moved as well. She cursed under her breathe. She tried to think back to what happened but all she could see was blood and a slithering poisonous snake.

Wait!

She shook her head

{I wasn't bitten by a snake...a car hit me...am sure of it so...where did the snake come from}

Her eyes widened "No! d-did I die and transmigrate, as a...a what?!"

Mira glared at the figure or rather white blub in the mirror

"No! that can't be the new me!"

The blub imitated her

"Oh h*** no! The transmigration system's gone f***ing crazy"