Luciana pov
**
I sat up abruptly, my head spinning slightly as I tried to focus. Sounds hit me all at once — loud music thumping through the walls, laughter, shouting, glasses clinking, and a constant murmur of voices. Then the smell hit me. Thick cigarette smoke, sharp and biting, mixed with perfume and something I couldn't place. The smell was so strong that I coughed violently, my lungs burning as I tried to take a breath.
I looked around. No ghost woman. No one I recognized. Just me, in a place I didn't know, surrounded by people staring at me. They were asking questions I couldn't understand. I blinked, trying to see clearly through the smoke and lights. My heart pounded faster, and my stomach twisted.
"Annabel, don't tell me you're sleepwalking again!" one sharp voice shouted.
"You can't keep doing this, Annabel! Madam will get angry!" another snapped.
The rest whispered among themselves, and then hurried away. I was left blinking, frozen, and overwhelmed.
Why were they calling me Annabel? I didn't know her. I didn't even know why anyone should know my name. Panic twisted in my chest, curling around my stomach like a snake. My hands felt clammy. My legs felt weak. I wanted to run, but I didn't know where.
Before I could think, a firm hand grabbed mine and yanked me forward.
"Freshen up! You almost gave us a heart attack! We thought you had died!" the woman shouted, dragging me through the crowded room.
I stumbled to keep up, trying to make sense of the chaos around me. The bar was alive with movement. Women in glittering, tiny outfits danced on small stages. Some moved gracefully, hips rolling and arms stretching like they were floating in the music. Others bounced sharply, every movement timed perfectly with the bass. Men leaned on tables and counters, laughing, clapping, sometimes reaching out to touch the dancers.
The music thumped through the floor, vibrating up my legs. The smell of perfume, sweat, and alcohol made my head spin. I felt trapped and dizzy. Every step made me more disoriented.
Some men tapped me on the shoulder, some on my back, even on my backside. I flinched, raising my fists instinctively, ready to hit the nearest one. But the woman holding me tightened her grip and whispered sharply, "What's wrong with you today? Don't let the madam catch you being rude to her customers."
Rude? Madam? Customers? None of this made sense. I shook my head, trying to find logic in the chaos, but my thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm.
Whispers followed me as we moved. "Annabel's awake…" "She's back…" The voices twisted through the room and into my mind. My chest tightened. My hands shook.
Finally, the woman pulled me into a narrow corridor at the back.
She opened the restroom door and pushed me inside. I almost fell. My stomach lurched violently, and before I could stop it, I vomited. Alcohol poured out of me in waves, bitter and burning, even though I didn't remember drinking any. My body shook, and I collapsed to my knees, heaving again and again.
The woman crouched behind me, holding my hair. "There, there… you've had enough for one night," she murmured softly, steadying me.
I gagged again, my chest heaving. Everything — this place, this body — felt wrong. Not mine. Every movement, every thought, every smell screamed at me: you are not in control here.
When my stomach finally settled enough for me to breathe, I lifted my gaze toward the mirror. My eyes widened. My hands flew to my face, trembling.
Fear gripped me because the reflection staring back — brown hair, blue eyes, curvy and flawless — definitely wasn't my body. I gasped in shock.
I breathed heavily, heat curling in my fingers as I traced every line of the face in the mirror. Brown hair falling perfectly around piercing blue eyes. Full lips. Smooth, flawless skin. A body I had never had before, curves in all the wrong and right places. My chest tightened. I had never been this… beautiful. Never.
Then I remembered. The ghost had offered me life. But how? Why another person's body? My mind spun with questions I didn't have answers to.
"Hurry up, Annabel! You're meant to perform tonight!"
The voice snapped me back. The woman who had helped me earlier leaned in, impatient.
"Take a shower," she said briskly. "We have special guests tonight."
I froze. Was this a dream? Was any of this real? I lifted my hand and touched my face. The reflection didn't change. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Curvy. Gorgeous. A stranger's life. My life no longer.
She handed me a towel. "Be quick, Annabel. We don't have all night."
I swallowed hard. My voice shook. "Wait… what's your name?"
She laughed, teasing. "Sonia, you fool! Don't tell me you forgot your best friend after nearly dying!" she said, nudging me. I didn't find it funny. Not one bit.
She tapped my backside jokingly and pushed me toward the shower. My balance wobbled. I didn't resist. I had no energy to argue. I had no words to explain that I wasn't Annabel, that I didn't know Annabel, that I didn't even know myself anymore.
I stepped into the hot water, letting it cascade over me. Steam curled around my skin, but it did nothing to calm my panic. My hands trembled as I scrubbed, trying to remind myself that I was still Luciana, even if this body said otherwise.
Outside the shower, I could hear Sonia humming and moving around. I closed my eyes, trying to block it out, trying to find a way to wake myself.
Finally, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself. Sonia ran toward me with an outfit. I froze. The clothes were daring — a crop top showing way too much, short jeans with belts and straps. My stomach sank. Could I live this life? Could I pretend to be Annabel?
"Come on! Put it on! The madam will be here any second!" Sonia urged.
I hesitated. My fingers brushed the fabric. My stomach twisted. The crop top showed my chest in a way that felt foreign. The shorts hugged curves that didn't belong to me. But Sonia kept pushing. Finally, I reluctantly pulled the outfit on, feeling exposed and wrong.
Then a woman walked in. Tall. Black hair falling perfectly around her shoulders. She chewed gum aggressively. Her long lash extensions looked fake, even disturbing. She moved in towering heels, the click of each step echoing through the room.
Sonia ran out, laughing behind her. I was frozen, staring at this woman. My chest tightened. I didn't know her. I didn't know what she wanted. Friend or enemy? I had no idea.
I stood there, alone, in a body that wasn't mine, dressed in clothes I didn't choose, facing someone who seemed both terrifying and commanding. My mind spun. My chest heaved. Fear and panic wrapped around me like a tight cage. I had to find my real identity. I had to get out of here.
But for now… I was trapped in Annabel's life.