Chapter Four

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By the end of the day, I had been called more names than I even cared anymore. The truth is, Alessia Trent has a crap school life, and I never cared to notice. And that makes me a bad person; you don't need to make the rude comments to be the cause of someone's unhappiness, you could be a bystander who just didn't do anything at all. Doing nothing is the problem.

I crossed the road, pulling my bag up my shoulder, heading towards the same forest that got me here in the first place. During my walk, I spotted a huge grey rock, with many indentions and carvings on its skin. I walked closer and stood by it, just stopping to ponder on today's horrors. That's when I saw it. Carved onto the rock was.

'Alessia was here.'

I brushed my index finger over it and sighed. I wish Alessia could be here right now, too, so I wouldn't have to live this miserable life anymore. If she were here, her body and her life would be hers...and then maybe mine would be mine again. I can't do this again, not another day.

I left the rock and continued onwards through the forest, twigs snapping under my feet. Soon, I could hear the buzz of the street once more, cars whizzing past and oblivious people living in an oblivion of hatred. I shook my head, kicking a stone at my feet.

I walked down the pavement, with feet that weren't mine, and crossed the road, turning to the left. Alessia's miserable house came into view and fear suddenly crackled up within me. What if her dad is home? What if he isn't? I don't even want to know.

I trudged along what was left of the gravel path and rummaged around in Alessia's blazer for her keys. When I found them, I pushed them into the lock, then froze. Locked around the key was a photo, and I brought it closer to my face to get a better look. The photo was of a woman holding a young child. If I could take my guesses, I'd say that the picture was of her mother and Alessia. I guess her parents, like mine, are also complicated. Just more so.

I twisted the key and hesitantly pushed the door open. It got jammed so I shoved it, stumbling in as it flew open.

"Ay, Bill, the stripper hath arrived!" Some random man yelled and I looked up, seeing a man dressed raggedly. He held a can of what I guessed was beer and was bellowing at me as I stood up. Alessia's father leaned around the wall to see the commotion and I cowered back. Oh, shoot.

He laughed coldly. "Ah, no, that's just my dismal attempt of a daughter." He narrowed my eyes at me, so I yanked the keys out of the lock, closed the door, and started for the stairs.

"Perhaps for the after party then." The man joked as I walked up the stairs as calmly as I could. I felt disgusted; is this what Alessia was subjected to in the comfort of her own home?

I got to Alessia's room and shut the bedroom door as I sighed. Her life was a disgrace—there were so many things wrong. Her life would never change, at least, not by my hands. I tried today, yet it didn't make the slightest bit of a difference. No, someone outside this damned body would have to help her.

Then I wondered, what is the problem? I stared in the mirror. There's no way that she's ugly, unlike what all the kids say at school; Alessia is gorgeous. From her pale green eyes to her pixie-like frame. She is not ugly.

What could she have done wrong? Is she just labelled as the school's punching bag because no one else signed up for it? That's disgusting.

I sighed. The time was 4 pm. What the hell did Alessia do for dinner when her dad was home? I stared at her reflection in the mirror once more. Maybe there is a reason why Alessia is so slim. I shook away the thoughts and assured myself that I would eat dinner. Eventually.

I slipped off Alessia's bag, blazer and shoes. Then I pulled her phone out of her pocket and fell down onto her broken bed. There was absolutely nothing on her phone. I mean, she had all the important apps, the social networks. But nothing—no notifications. It was like a ghost town on her phone—like an entire population of a city wiped out and it was just...silent. I was so used to the buzzes, the ringing, the growing numbers. The silence chilled me.

I roamed around on her phone for a while, trying to find out exactly who I had become. In her notes, I found a list of people, phone numbers and addresses. There wasn't a title to the list so I just assumed they were misplaced contacts or something. I left the note and started to read through the next note. It was another list. But this one had my blood freezing. They were names that I recognised.

Rosie Willis
Chad Young
Leon Junior
Thomas Gordon
Kiara Beckett
Hilary Dean
Kieron Hunter
Chelsey Williams
Olivia Clark
Dylan Evans

I froze. Tommy, Kiara, Ked, Dylan. Those were my friends. And worst of all, I was on the list too. Olivia Clark was on Alessia Trent's list. And now I inhabit her body.

Maybe all these people inhabited her body too? No, that's the craziest idea yet, Olivia.

Some had stars next to, and some had lines. Tommy and Kiara had stars, whereas the rest of my friendship group had lines—except for Dylan.

Confused, I sighed, dropping the phone onto the mattress beside me and placing a palm to my pounding head.

Trying to distract myself, I opened Alessia's planner and it immediately fell apart. I stared at it hopelessly for a few moments before sighing and getting up to find another notebook. After filing through her drawers for ten minutes, I finally found an A5 notebook and decided it would have to do, then I fingered through the tatters of her old planner and copied every important and recent piece of information down.

She had a keyword test in Religious Studies the next day, and although I hoped it would never come to that, it was probable that I'd have to take that test. As Alessia.

Hearing the men downstairs still, I decided that now wouldn't be a good time for dinner, and so I would shower instead.

I walked into her bathroom and locked the door, then my search began. I pulled out shampoo after shampoo, trying to find one that I trusted. She didn't have many conditioners, but she did have a very lonely looking hair mask sitting at the back of her cupboard.

After exchanging an old sponge for a new one and putting a new bottle of shower gel into her shower, I pulled back the curtain and peered at it.

Her shower actually didn't look as bad as I expected, or as bad as the rest of the house looked.

I spotted her facewash sitting on a shelf in the shower and added the items I had found to it.

Then I stripped. I didn't look into the mirror; it felt weird to. Then I stepped in, shut the curtain behind me, and prepared to shower as Alessia Trent.

_________________________________

nothing exciting

jus

My Night Routine | Alessia Trent??? Olivia Clark???? Alessia Trent Clark Olivia Clark Trent Alessia Olivia Trent Clark Olivia Trent Alessia Clark ????????

well

I'm confused

(Fun fact: this is the last chapter I wrote in 2017; sorry if my writing skills suddenly elevate)

___________
Next update: Tuesday
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CHAPTER FIVE SPOILER:

Olivia discovers more on the chilling life of Alessia Trent.

And finds her name in more than one places.

ALSO:

I
HAVE
A
TRAILER
FOR
YOU

TUESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

🕊

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