Olivia squinted and glanced around, her sharp eyes scanning the space, while Emma stood beside her, her face marred with fear.
The two were standing on clouds, or something that looked like it, soft and solid beneath their feet, as though it were the most natural flooring in the world. Everything around them was blindingly white, yet neither of them felt discomfort standing there.
Emma was still wearing the same cute outfit she had on before collapsing. Her memories were vivid, nothing missing.
That could only mean one thing.
She was dead.
Her chest tightened as the realization hit her. Her mom… her sisters… Nemo.
What would happen to them now?
How could Sammy hurt her so openly and so cruelly as if she were nothing?
In truth, that was exactly what she had been in Sammy's eyes: nothing more than an ant.
Sammy had made sure of it. After running a background check on Emma, she had discovered the truth that Charlotte had tried to hide the fact that Emma had no one powerful to protect her.
Her two younger sisters had only just started school, something Emma managed by scraping together money from acting jobs. Their blind mother relied solely on a black cat, Nemo, to help her move around the house until her daughters returned home.
That was why Sammy dared to strike. Emma's death would be easily buried, just another silent disappearance in an industry that devoured its own.
Tears welled up in Emma's eyes. "My family can't survive without me…"
Beside her, Olivia clenched her teeth and shot her a glare. She would have stepped far away if her feet weren't rooted in place.
If not for that, Olivia Smith would've gladly distanced herself from the girl who looked exactly like her. Her enemy's version of her. What they want her to be like .
Still, there was one thing Olivia knew for certain: she would never look so broken, so pitiful.
"Grant peace to my ears, girl," Olivia muttered.
Emma sniffled and tried to stifle her sobs.
Both were dressed as they had been before dying. Emma looked pale and fragile, much like she had after the poison took effect, while Olivia stood regal and composed, wearing the same bloodstained gown from the banquet, the bullet wound still visible on her back.
Then, out of nowhere, two high-pitched voices chirped in unison.
"Hiya! Boohoo, I'm Darling!"
"Hiya! Boohoo, I'm Honey!"
"And together, we're the Doppelganger System!"
Two small, adorable bunnies appeared out of thin air, twirling excitedly in front of them. They stood upright, complete with tiny human-like hands and feet, radiating boundless enthusiasm.
Emma's eyes widened in horror. Talking bunnies? With limbs?
Olivia just sighed. "When you think you've seen everything and realize you've seen nothing."
"Where are we? What's happening?" Emma asked, her voice trembling.
"Just shut up, girl. If this were a mystery, we wouldn't be standing in front of cartoon mascots," Olivia drawled, rolling her eyes. Still, she couldn't help feeling intrigued. Emma was clearly her doppelganger, from what the bunnies just called themselves.
"I'm not talking to you," Emma snapped.
"Don't you find this weird? Aren't you even curious?"
"If you're not talking to me, don't talk about me. Use 'I,' not 'we,' dummy."
Emma's jaw dropped. "Apologies for that… Excuse me, um, but how did I get here? And how can you two talk?" she asked, directing the question to the bunnies.
"Let the bunnies talk and stop interrupting," Olivia muttered, exasperated.
The bunnies puffed up indignantly. "Please don't call us bunnies! I'm Honey!"
"And I'm Darling!"
Olivia chuckled mockingly. "Such ambiguous names. You don't actually expect me to call a fluffy rabbit by the same name I'd use for a future husband, assuming anyone's ever worthy of Olivia Smith."
Emma frowned. "Have you forgotten that you're dead?"
"If I will stay dead, do you think talking rabbits would be giving me a lecture? Use your brain and let the bunnies do their job," Olivia shot back coolly.
Emma's heart leapt at the hint of hope. Could they really live again?
Before she could speak, the two tiny creatures started arguing.
"You do it!"
"No, you do it!"
"Come on, just start!"
"Uh-uh, your turn!"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Great. The afterlife has no managers, just unprofessional mascots." Still, curiosity flickered behind her sarcasm. She wanted to know what this was about, she just refused to look like she cared.
Her uncle had finally done it. After years of fear, control, and pain… he had succeeded in killing her.
Her regret would have been not informing her parents about his true intentions. She had protected their hearts but ultimately left them in his clutch.
"Welcome to the Doppelganger System!" Honey finally announced, clapping tiny paws together. "You two were the lucky ones! You've been selected to live again and rewrite your fates."
Darling nodded enthusiastically. "You'll each receive a second chance. You can choose to switch lives… or return to the one you're meant to reincarnate into."
Olivia tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "And what are the conditions?"
Her voice was calm, but sharp enough to slice through the air and it silenced even Emma's hopeful gasp.
Because Olivia was right. Nothing this tempting ever came without a price.