It’s just like old times. Charleen and Sandy had spent their time chatting in the company’s cafeteria barely touching their food as they tried to stifle their laughter over jokes and funny comments they are sharing as if they haven’t seen each other in forever.

Which is true anyway, technically, but Sandy was glad that Charleen is treating her just like she always does and never gets weirded out over the fact that her best friend is now behind the woman employees at TechNext is staying away from.

Although Sandy did noticed almost all of the employees who were eating at the cafeteria gawking at them, completely in shock that the Chairman’s wife, the woman who had no genuine smile to spare let alone laughter, is down at the cafeteria eating the cafeteria food. With someone. They had never thought that the Chairman’s wife even had a friend. If that’s what she is. Some are probably very curious who the woman she is laughing with. Was she an executive at TechNext? An important client? A member of the board? But she’s wearing a company ID that are reserved for Employees. But it’s impossible that Daniella Romero would even give a time of day to an employee. She only comes here for their Chairman and all the time, she leaves the building in a completely bad mood that whoever crosses her path would end up in the verge of tears. Some tried hard not stare but some are openly staring at them. They are even doubting if the woman in baggy clothes, messy ponytail and without even a trace of make up on her face is really Daniella Romero. Was that really her? Maybe she just looks like Daniella Romero.

“Think about it, Dee,” Charleen was saying and Sandy returned her attention to her. Ugh, she’s still not dropping that Fate thing she had come up with.

“Yeah yeah,” she just said dismissively.

Charleen scowled. “That means you will not.”

Sandy took a bite of the burger Charleen had bought for her. Oh meat! She missed this. “I promise to think about it if I’m still around tomorrow, how about that?”

She meant to be funny but clearly it didn’t amuse Charleen. “Why are you so sure that you won’t?”

Sandy chewed slowly. “Because….” She tried to find the words. “I don’t want to expect it. And I don’t want you to either.” Her best friend would be more hurt if she expected Sandy would stay and then finds out that she’s no longer there.

“You’ve been Daniella for what? A week now? And you’re still here,” Charleen pointed out.

“Less than a week,” Sandy corrected. “More like, three? Four days?” She let out a sigh. “Maybe I lasted this long because I had yet to do my last mission yet.”

“Last mission?”

“To see you and to find out my grandparents are doing okay.” She shrugged trying to sound positive. “I had… wished that I would just have one day to at least say good bye.”

But Charleen scowled at her. “There you go again with your wishes. Why are your wishes so damn simple? Can’t you just wish to… I dunno… live forever?”

Sandy chuckled. “Right. Like I want to live forever as Daniella Romero.”

“At least you’re alive.”

“I don’t own this body, Leen. Daniella—”

“Nobody cares about her,” Charleen interjected. “Like you said everybody hates her.”

“Yeah. And do I want to live as someone whom everybody hates? It’s bad enough that I had to endure all the evil eye with that old woman who runs her house and everybody scared to even talk to me, I had to stand the thought that Adrian Lee hates me too.” She recalled that night she had tried to talk to him. “No, it wasn’t just hate, Leen. It was… disgust mixed with utter loathing. I mean you basically called me a stupid because you thought I was Daniella Romero. And i wasn’t even doing anything.” Charleen gave an embarrassed lopsided smile of her losing her cool. “It’s not going to be me living as Sandrina Parke. It’s going to be me living as Daniella Romero. Nobody is going to believe me when I say I am not her. You weren’t even going to stay long enough to hear me out earlier before i… mentioned the unmentionable.”

“Alright,” Charleen said with a heavy sigh. “Point taken.”

“What I’m trying to say is… I don’t want to hope and I don’t want you to either. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next or the next but I don’t want you to keep thinking that I would still be around. I’m already dead, Leen. I’m no longer here. And we need to accept that. Me waking up as Daniella Romero happened so suddenly that… her returning to her body might happen just as suddenly. We don’t know exactly how this… impossible happened but all I know is that this isn’t mine. This body isn’t mine. And you will always lose what is not yours. If I would still wake up tomorrow, then I would be grateful to have another day in this world and if not… then I would still be grateful that I had the chance to talk to you for the last time and tell you to take care of yourself and not waste yourself away with unfounded guilt.”

Charleen’s scowl deepened even more with her impassioned speech. “Ugh! I really really hated your positivity. Sometime I wish I taught you to rebel and be pessimistic.”

Sandy let out a chuckle over Charleen’s gripe. “You said you missed my positivity!”

“Well, I can hate it at the same time,” Charleen replied wryly.

“If it makes you feel better, If i’m still going to be around—” she leaned forward towards the table. “—I promise to seduce Adrian Lee.”

Charleen rolled her eyes knowing that Sandy is only saying that to amuse her. She really do know how to humor her.

“Maybe I should wear a mask when I do that,” Sandy continued. “What do you think? Is that going to be ?” Charleen didn’t say anything and Sandy slightly slapped her hand. “C’mon give me some tips.”

“My tip is for you to pounce on him when he’s asleep,” Charleen finally said. “It’s a lot easier for a man to be seduced when his guard is down.”

Sandy’s smile disappeared and narrowed her eyes at Charleen suspiciously. “Have you done that before?”

Charleen only gave her an arrogant smirk before sipping her coke and Sandy’s mouth fell open. “Oh my god, you tramp! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” She flicked a french fry over her face.

“What?” Charleen said with laugh blocking the fry. “You can keep secrets but I can’t?”

“Touché.” She brought her coke to Charleen for a toast and they drank giggling.

After lunch, Sandy walked Charleen back to the Accounting Floor, not really wanting to leave but she had to go back to the house sometime. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea to stay at TechNext until sundown while every employees stiffens at the very sight of her. And besides, the bouncer-looking guard is waiting for her. She wondered if he is having a panic attack now because she is taking longer to return when she told him she would be back in 30 minutes. Charleen doesn’t want her to go yet but she agreed that Sandy can’t really stay in the building. Or even in the accounting department floor. The employees would be too scared to even do their job properly even if Sandy would just be there sitting.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell grandma and grandpa?” Charleen asked again when they got off the elevator.

Sandy thought about it and shook her head. “I want to but… it’s better this way.” Besides, she doesn’t know if she can still get out tomorrow, if she would still be around. She’s not even sure if her Daniella Romero’s impersonation would still work. “Maybe… if I’m still here… I can visit them one day….” She smiled. “And maybe you can introduce me as your friend.”

“Of course. Does Daniella Romero have a phone?” Charleen already took out hers to get the phone number.

Sandy smile turn into a scowl. “She doesn’t. She doesn’t have anything except a laptop which I didn’t know if it’s password protected.”

“So you don’t have a phone?” Charleen asked incredulously. “How am I supposed to call you? Can you buy one now? I can go with you.”

“I don’t have any money,” Sandy told her.

Charleen gave her a look. “You’re living as Daniella Romero, a rich spoiled socialite. You can buy anything you want now.”

“That’s her money. It’s not mine. It wouldn’t be right. It’s like stealing.” Though she didn’t mentioned the two thousand notes she took from Daniella’s drawer. But it was an emergency. Which reminds her, she needs to return the one she took yesterday.

Charleen looked so done with her. “You know, now that I think about it, I think I finally know why you got inside Daniella Romero of all people. To learn a little bit of evil!”

“It felt wrong that I would use her money to buy luxuries like phones, or clothes, or anything,” Sandy insisted. “I’ll try to see if I can open her laptop and log into Messenger.”

Charleen kept on glowering at her as she looked at what Sandy is wearing. “I take it that’s not Daniella’s clothes.” She tugged the big sleeves. To her surprise, a giddy smile appeared on Sandy’s face.

“No.” She paused. “They’re Adrian Lee’s. I had one of the maids help me take one from his closet.”

Charleen crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re against spending Daniella’s money because you think it wasn’t right but you’re resorting to stealing from sir Adrian?”

Sandy’s smile turned to a scowl again. “I am going to return it. I just don’t have anything to wear in her closet. Everything is….” She tried to find the correct word.

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