The first time I wrote this, I accidentally deleted it and had to redo whatever I could scramble from my 1 am writing in the dark while being pissed off at the same time. Honestly, the second version came out better. Hope you enjoy it!

-Chapter 1: And Then I Didn't-

Falling… falling… Slamming into the gro-

I jolted upright, gasping for breath and clutching my chest tightly. I could still feel the bullet in my chest. I was alive. I was alive? After getting my heartbeat under control, the pain resided to a dull ache. My hands slowly relaxed and I opened my eyes. It was dark. I looked around and saw a red digital clock reading: 3:37. A realization came to me: I was supposed to be dead. I had died.

Right?

Nervously, I peered out into the darkness, sitting up and bringing my legs close to my body. I looked down, seeing the faint outline in the darkness of the night. My fingers were longer, and my arms were more muscled…

My body…

What the hell happened? A few tears rolled down my face as I remembered what had felt like moments ago, and I wiped them away grimly. No. Not this time. I got ready to get up, thought for a moment, and flopped back onto the bed, in the feel of crisp sheets. When was the last time I had even slept in a proper bed? I finally managed to get up and stumbled around, trying to find a light.

After flicking it on, I examined the room I was in. This wasn't where I'd been. It wasn't a damp cellar. It was a clean room, with a wooden floor and white walls. It was alien. There were things I had never used before, but had seen in window shops. The room consisted of a closet, an empty bookshelf, blank walls, my small bed, and a simple desk with a few notebooks lying on top. Opening one of the books, I saw that it was filled with unrecognizable characters. Yet somehow, I could read it, as easy as the language I had spoken in my past life. I put it back down and opened the closet door. Besides the clothes, there was something… weird hanging from one of the hangers. I took it out and held it up to see. It was kind of slippery, and had a bit of a rubbery texture. I poked the soft mounds and stretched it experimentally. I slipped it over myself. It was comfortable, but tight. The back felt weird with two mounds behind me.

"Oh!" I muttered, feeling stupid. "The mounds go on the front. They're boobs." I hung it back on the hanger and wandered out of the room.

I stepped into a cold-tiled room. In it, there were some things I didn't recognize. I walked over to the mirror and stared at the person who faced me. I held a hand up, and the person lifted theirs as well. I blinked, and the person blinked too. In the reflection was a girl of about 16 years, with black hair that framed their face, neon green tips that accentuated their green eyes, and pale skin. I also had a circular scar on my neck. Where I had been branded. Lifting up my shirt, I noticed a scar on my stomach where the bullet had hit me. And even though my face looked like a girl's, my body…

On the counter was a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses. I looked up and stared at myself again. I was a girl. Wait- no. A guy? My chest was as flat as a board, with no curves anywhere. I checked for the truth in my shorts. This… was weird. I was supposed to be a small girl. Not some person with a male body! I was in such shock, that as I was backing away from the mirror, I didn't see the edge of the tub behind me.

"Crap!" I yelled, losing my balance and falling. I groaned, feeling the bruises begin to form on my back, head, and elbows.

Sitting up in the tub with my legs hanging over the side, I rubbed my head where it smacked the edge.

"Shit," I sighed. Then froze. That was my voice? It was… deep.

"Hello?" I said to myself. It was hard to tell whether the voice came from a girl or a boy, but it was rough and low. And a little feminine. It was very different from my real voice. But I hadn't used that in years...

I got out of the tub, rubbing the spots where my body had slammed into the hard tile. Eyes searching the room, I noticed the mirror wasn't attached to the wall. Stepping closer, I felt along the edge and pulled. It swung open, showing an almost empty cabinet. The only things inside were a pair of thick, black, glasses; and two small, cylindrical containers with the letters L and R on either one of them. I picked them up. It was very light, and I heard something sloshing around inside. I couldn't figure out how to get it open, so I put it back. Next to the small container were a pair of glasses. They were thick, and black. I picked them up, a quizzical expression on my face. Putting them on, I looked in the mirror. Turning my head, I saw that the light reflected so you couldn't see my eyes. I put them back down, and walked out of the room.

Turning out of the room with cold tiles, my feet slapped against the wooden floors. I paused in front of a set of stairs leading to another floor. I backed away slowly from it, shivering a bit. I turned and stumbled back to the bed, not before walking into another unfamiliar room. I squinted my eyes, feeling for the light switch in the middle of the room. A single bulb turned on above me. That's when I saw the letter on the desk. Cautiously, I opened it and scanned the contents. There was only a white, creamy, expensive-looking letter inside. I held it close to my face, unable to read it at a distance. It read:

This might be very sudden, but I hope you're okay with that.

Your name is Sasaki Junzo.

You are 16 years old.

You'll be attending Ouran Academy.

You'll also get monthly amounts while in school.

You're welcome.

P.S. There was a slight mix-up in your body. Congrats! You're a boy!

Sasaki. I dropped the letter and took a few steps away from the table. This was really weird. I was supposed to be dead. Nothing happens after you die. But here I was. Alive, and breathing. Alive. And breathing. Albeit, eyes bulging from the shock, but breathing all the same. Sasaki Junzo. Could I even come to terms with what had happened? It had to be a joke. Some sick joke. Something that only happened to other people. Not me. This was the kind of stuff in stories. In fairytales. Not real life. You are 16 years old. I picked up the paper again, scanning it for anything new. Ouran Academy? What the hell was that? It was all too much. I crumpled it up, and noticed another piece of paper inside. Squinting, it seemed to be a certificate of sorts. I threw it back on the desk in a flippant manner and picked up the wad of bills. My mind quickly counted the money while my long fingers flipped through the wad of cash. Dear lord. It was so much money. More money than I had ever held before. Clutching it tightly, I walked around the house, searching for a place to hide it all. After discovering a secret compartment in what I assumed would be a kitchen, I decided to put the money in there. It would be safe, and no one would ever find it. Not that I would ever let anyone in here.

I stood up, looking around the room I was in. I hadn't really paid much attention to the place I was in. Sunlight filtered through the windows, lighting up the place. There was a table with two chairs off to one wall, a few cabinets, a sink, and a weird closet that kept your food cold. I stuck my face inside the cold closet. It felt really nice. Inside was… fresh food? The closet began ringing and I jumped, slamming it closed again. The ringing stopped, while my heart pounded in my ears. It was fascinating. To not have to eat scraps someone threw out, to be able to have fresh food anytime you like. To not have…It was so surreal.

My ears twitched and I heard birdsong coming from upstairs. I stepped lightly on the wooden floor, careful not to make a sound. Going back into the bedroom, I eyed the birds as they sang songs in the tree next to the bedroom window. Across the tree, was a window to another person's house.

Another person. People. It was all so fascinating, yet terrifying. I still wasn't in my right mind. I had died. And the only things I had known for the longest time was anything but a normal, happy life. It was all too strange and confusing. I only knew one thing that was the same here. Shutting the drapes, covering my room in darkness, I crawled back under the covers of the unfamiliar bed.

So that's it for our protagonist's first day in her new life. Feedback is appreciated. I'd say this isn't bad for a writing-in-the-dark-at-1:36-am write-up. See ya in the next chapter!