Peregrination

二 Widdendream

Notes and potential trigger warnings will be at the bottom of each chapter.

Widdendream: a state of mental disturbance or confusion.

~ Peregrination ~

Do you ever look in the mirror and think to yourself, 'oh wow I look different today'?

Nothing major, maybe it's just a good day and your smile just looks a bit prettier than normal. Or perhaps it's a bad day, and your nose seems to stick out more than usual. Same old same old, day to day thoughts.

After all that seems to have happened to me this morning, I don't even know why I was surprised when I finally looked in the mirror.

Numbly, I drag my slender fingers along my cheeks, which appear to have genuine cheekbones now instead of the cushiony texture of my normal hamster-like cheeks. My face is devoid of freckles, a distinct difference to my normal brown splashed nose and cheeks, and the general face shape is longer. No longer a round head with a wide button nose and thin lips.

In case you didn't realise, this is more than a 'oh-I-look-different-today' moment.

This is a 'holy-friggamoly-mother-Mary-of-Jesus-fucking-Christ-what-happened-to-my-fucking-face' moment.

Gone is the pale freckled English girl with hair down to her bellybutton. Instead, the Asian girl with cheekbones, bright eyes and chin length hair has appeared in her place.

My mind vacant, I turn away from the mirror.

Of all the scenarios I thought I'd experience in my life, I never thought I'd be the girl from 13 Going On 30. Although, instead of being in my older and more attractive body, I've got the face and figure of some Asian girl. Maybe it's more of a Kimi No Nawa moment then. Huh.

I've slowly crossed the threshold of this apartment and reached the door, where I slowly pull it open. A sensation of detachment flows through me as I walk out and into the hallway, turn right, and walk down some flights of stairs. I don't bother to take much notice of the bottom floor, or any of my surroundings for that matter, until I walk out of the building.

It's sunny.

Sunny and drizzling, just a little bit. Warm too. At least, warmer than the 3 degrees of typical British weather we've had all week.

Little by little, I turn around and gaze at my surroundings.

It's nothing out of the ordinary, not massively anyways. Just normal buildings, slightly run down but something akin to a cafe opposite the building I just left. The street is remarkably clean, almost sparkling, but that could just be the rain.

Waking up in an apartment that isn't one I'm familiar with, waking up with a different face and body, and then trying to speak to some random person in Japanese is all rather confusing and disorienting sure. But for some reason, being immersed in the warm rain and breathing in the fresh air just really confirms the idea that no, I am not in fact in my home town anymore.

A few people walking by mutter something intelligible while staring at me oddly. I frown at them wondering what the strange looks were for, when I realise that I'm only wearing some cotton pyjama trousers and a matching vest top. I haven't even got shoes or socks on. Whoops.

Hastily, I tuck my head down and run back into the apartment building, arms folded against my chest. My short strands of hair are slightly damp and there's a thin film of wet-cold sticking to my skin. As I make my way to the stairs and up, it suddenly occurs to me that I have absolutely no idea what floor this person's flat is, nor what her room number is. Did I even grab a key when I left?