It was an ordinary day for Katelyn. She went to college, work, and then came home exhausted. But when she went to sleep, she wasn't expecting what she would wake up to. When she awoke, she was in a different bed in a different place. The problem was that she did not know where. She got up quickly, realizing she was still in her nightclothes. She looked around trying to figure out where she could be but didn't know. She looked out the window, and didn't recognize her surroundings, but the place felt like it came from a world of fantasy. She started towards the door when she realized she should try to find a change of clothes. She went to the closet nearest to her and found a wardrobe with many clothes, most of them being made of cotton and leather. She chose a leather bustier and a pair of what looked and felt like leggings. She also found a pair of shoes that were a little big on her feet but would work for the time being.
She walked out the door and didn't see any familiar landmarks. It almost looked like she was in a train station of sorts. The air was filled with a purple mist that worried Katelyn. It seemed like many people were ill and sluggish around her. But, she decided to press forward and went up to the first person she met. She asked the man if he could tell her where she was. The man looked at her like she was crazy before replying that she was in Greede Central Station. She didn't recognize the name, but decided to let the person go before walking towards the closest person who looked like they worked at the station she was in, and asked if they could tell her about where she was. The lady said with a large smile, "You are currently in the Free City of Greede, where the city rests on the back of a beast called the Demithor." The lady gave her a train pass and told her it would be the easiest way for her to travel the city. Still being very confused, Katelyn asked, "How far from the United States are we?" The lady just replied, "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of it, but maybe someone else may know." Katelyn, not taking that as answer, asked the lady, "Is there anyone in the city who may know how to get there?" The lady replied, "Yes, our current mayor should be somewhere around here. The Drisdall Manor is just outside the station and his name is Caesar Drisdall. He has travelled all over the continent and may be able to help give you directions." "Is there any way you could help me find him. I've never seen him," replied Katelyn. The lady said, "I'll page him over our intercom system. Hold on just one moment." The lady started paging, and Katelyn turned looking for who this Caesar person could be.
A few minutes later, a tan skinned young man walked up and started towards Katelyn's location. "Hey, I heard the page. What's going on," the young man asked the lady. She assumed he must be Caesar, but he looked very young and dressed differently than any mayor that Katelyn had ever seen. He wore a red half top that left his apparent six pack exposed. He wore with the odd shirt a low-hanging pair of pants. Katelyn turned to talk to the young man, but when he saw her, he froze for a moment, then said one word in an astonished tone. "Kara..." Katelyn didn't know what to think so she said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know who that is." Caesar looked and said, "I'm sorry, it's just that you look almost exactly like someone I lost recently." Katelyn could tell that this girl Kara must have been a very special person to Caesar, so she said sympathetically, "I'm very sorry, she must have been someone very special. My name is Katelyn. I somehow woke up here but I'm from the United States. I don't know how I got here and was trying to get directions to home." Caesar looked at Katelyn quizzically and said, "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of that place. Do you think someone kidnapped you? I can file a report and get you a place to stay." "That would be much appreciated. I am not very sure of how I got here. Any help would be appreciated," Katelyn replied to him. Caesar said, "Let's get moving then. Hopefully, we can find you a way home." He put his arm around Katelyn in a gesture of comfort and started to guide her to the large manor that was outside the station.
As Caesar started to guide her, Katelyn started to feel a sense of déjà vu. She couldn't place it, but she felt like she knew the young man when they just met. Katelyn decided to shrug off the feeling for now, but she would dwell on it more later. Caesar led her into the large manor across from the station. Once inside the huge mansion, he led her to an office space and told her he would be back in a few minutes because he had to consult with his assistant. He left her for a few minutes, so she decided to look around the large space as she waited. One thing she noticed was a gorgeous statue with gems in the eyes that looked like fire. She had never heard of the statue, but it looked like it could cost a fortune. She kept looking around at the books in the office until she happened to pass by a mirror. When she saw her reflection, she did a double take, not believing what she saw in front of her eyes. The girl looking back at her in the mirror was not the same girl that had looked back at her all her life.
After making sure she wasn't imagining things, she took in her appearance. When she had last seen herself, she had brown hair and eyes, but the girl in front of her had light blonde hair with violet eyes. She also was taller in stature, standing at least four or five inches taller than she used to be. Katelyn could not wrap her head around the fact that she looked so different. Right as she went to sit down and think, Caesar came back into the room and said, "Sorry I took so long. There's been a strange illness sweeping Greede and it seems to be without origin. More people are being affected by the day." "It's alright," Katelyn replied, heading over to take a seat across from Caesar as he sat at his desk.
"So," he started, "can you tell me your story from the beginning? You said that you don't remember coming here or being brought here, but that you need to get home." Katelyn nodded her head and said, "One minute I was at home in my bed. The next thing I knew, I woke up in this strange city. The weirdest thing is, I also feel like I'm in a strangers body. I saw my reflection and didn't even recognize the person staring back at me." Caesar gave her an odd look and then moved to pull out a picture from his desk drawer. "Even though my head is telling me that your story does not make sense, I actually believe you," he told her, "But just because of a special power I hold, Dragonsight. You see, it wasn't long ago that the girl I loved died in my arms. I know that I will never see her again, but somehow, I held out hope, working day and night to keep myself from grieving. And suddenly you show up here. I don't think that you are a spy. I would sense it. But I do see a girl who is scared and doesn't know what is going on. You see, Kara was special. I feel that she has a connection to you, and that you being here now is no coincidence." Caesar then handed Katelyn the picture and she gasped at the sight. The girl in the picture was dancing on a stage but looked exactly like the body that she was in now. She appeared to be looking directly at the camera that had taken the photo.
"I can't believe it," Katelyn whispered. "But, if I've come back as her, then where is my actually body. What happened to me?" Suddenly, her head started to throb, and images started to float behind her eyes as she closed them. It seemed like a lifetime of memories were hitting her all at once. Many involved the young man in front of her, Caesar. One memory showed him on the ground with a sword at his throat. Another memory showed him being pulled off a cliff by a monster, a Greaver, and her rushing to save him. The last memory she had was of her final moments as she knew she was dying in his arms, and he confessed that she was so much more than a friend to him. She remembered closing her eyes and letting herself drift off for the last time in the arms of her childhood love. She opened her eyes as the pain receded, not believing what she had witnessed. The memories that she had gained were not her own and she didn't know what was happening, but that it must be the work of something magical. Something brought her to this world, but for what purpose she was not sure. Finally, coming out of her daze, Katelyn looked in front of her to realize that Caesar was no longer across the desk from her, but on his knees in front of her chair. He had his hands on top of hers where they rested, still holding the photo. She knew by looking into his eyes that he had seen all the same memories, but from his view. It seemed that there was a connection between her and Kara, but it would take some investigation to figure it out. She only hoped that it would help to lead her back to her own life. She couldn't imagine how her soul ended up in this world in a different body, but hopefully she could find the key to the body swap and get back to her normal life.
Caesar was still looking into her eyes, and she then realized that tears were falling from his eyes. She knew that the memories were causing him to grieve, but she took the photo and put it into his hands and told him, "Here, this belongs to you. I don't know how to say it, but I now have memories that aren't mine." She slowly stood up and pulled him with her, "But I hope we can figure out how I ended up here." "Well," Caesar said, wiping the tears from his eyes, "I feel like the first place we need to start looking is going to be, Balandor. It is where everything began and we can meet some old friends. What do you say to a little road trip? Do you know how to swing a sword?" "I say that we rest tonight and leave first thing in the morning. I don't know how to fight. I've never even touched a weapon of any kind. But, I'm sure I'll learn quickly," Katelyn told Caesar with a determined glint in her eye. "Don't worry, I will teach you some things as we make the long trip," he told her. "But first, I'll show you to your room for the night and get you some proper changes of clothes."
With that, Caesar led her to a large bedroom with a canopy bed. He told her, "This used to be my parents room, but they both passed away a long time ago. There should be plenty of clothes in the closet of both my mother's and father's. Hopefully you can find some things that fit to take with us. I'll be across the hall if you need anything." With that, he left her to start to look for clothes to take with them on their trip. A few hours later, he poked his head in after knocking and said, "Dinner's ready if you would like to eat with me." She replied, "Thank you, I'll be down in a few minutes." She decided to change into one of the nicer gowns that she found and put on a pair of the slipper-like shoes before heading to the dining room. She saw Caesar sitting at one end of the large table reading a book and started towards him. He looked up and looked her up and down and then said, "You look beautiful." She blushed a little bit and said, "Thank you. The clothes are different from back home." "Well, they suit you well," he said. "I hope some of the other clothes are to your liking." "There are many nice options that fit me. Thank you for being so generous," she said as he stood to pull out her seat for her. She sat and he pushed in her chair, then took his place at the head of the table next to her. She realized that the table had many kinds of foods on it.
"I didn't know what you might like, so I had the chefs prepare a selection," he told her. "It is so much food. I hope it all doesn't go to waste," she told him. "Well, what we don't eat will go the servants, chefs, and my assistant," he explained, "But we better dig in so we can get some rest." And with that, they did. As they ate, they talked a little bit about themselves. Katelyn told Caesar about her family, how she had a younger brother who was five years younger than her. She told him about the United States and how it was a continent divided into many states, along with having three countries being a part of it. He seemed amazed and told her the only places he had ever heard of were Greede, Balandor, Faria, and a smaller city known as Albana. After the talk about geography, the two broke into a peaceful silence as they finished their food. For having just met, Katelyn felt a great connection with Caesar. The conversation swirled easily between them, and she hoped that she could learn more about him in the future in whatever time she had left with him. He was a like a complex puzzle with many layers that she really wanted to solve and break down piece by piece.