"So, Miss... Shore." The doctor, who was dressed in a tight, crisp, royal blue suit, flicked over a page to see what I presumed was the woman's details. "You've come back for another session."
"Yes." The woman had her back to the camera, but I could see that she was restrained, and had little hair on her head. It looked like her hair had once been thick, but now hair pulling seems to be the main cause of her baldness. I couldn't make anything of the colour, as the tape was in black and white, but I'd say what was left of it was an auburn brown, like my own.
"Well... What would you like to discuss?"
"The truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes, Dr."
"Continue, Miss Shore."
"I've been lying this whole time, Dr."
"Go on."
"He's in my head,"
"Who, Miss Shore?"
"HIM! The reason I'm here! The REASON YOU WON'T LET ME GO!" She started to battle at her restraints;
"Miss Shore, please;"
"He's all in my head~ he's not reeeaaalll~"
The tape flickers to a stop. I sat there, unblinking, trying to understand what just happened. W-when d-did...
"LILAC!" Oh god, Dad! I'm not meant to be down here!
"Where are you??" Shit shit shit! I searched for a place to hide- under the spare bed would have to do. I scrambled under, and finally heard footsteps walking down the basement stairs towards me. I panicked, the tapes aren't packed up, he'll know I was he-
"Lilac?" He grumbled and after a quick glance around, retreated upstairs; I was about to leave as well but then...
Then I saw YOU. How are you back? Why are you back? Oh why oh why..
"What the hell?"
I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose.
But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born.
My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat.
I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath.
My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.