It wasn't like I had a terrible life or anything. Just...a hard one.

     I was considered a disgrace to my grandparents, since my right arm was so terribly crippled I couldn't even use it. My parents loved me, though.

     I wasn't the strongest or most outgoing, so I was almost always picked last in sports events. Despite this, I loved soccer/football. I kept up with all the local games, related shows, and even became a pretty good player. However, that only happened as highschool was coming to a close, so I had few opportunities to really explore my passion beyond simply dreaming.

     I had decent grades, a loving little sister, supportive parents, and a promising career in engineering. Yeah, of course I had a few challenges, but doesn't everyone have those?

      But, this story would have been nothing special if not for the bizarre, the supernatural...and the dangerous.

     I was driving my 16 year old sister to her dance practice, since our parents were out of the house. My college was close, so instead of renting a dorm I simply stayed home. This meant I was required to do even more chores than in my youth to make up for my free stay.

     My sister Anya filled the car with noise about the drama going on in her life. I mostly tuned out. It was always so warm here, so the sleet covered road was really putting me on edge.

     In my state of staying laser focused on the road, a talkative sister behind me, I forgot to check before crossing through the intersection. For another vehicle was arriving from the right, too making the same mistake.

     "ALBA, STOP!!!"

CRASH!!!

     My little sister, thankfully, received minor injuries. Me, however...

     I was sent into a coma. Five years later and I was still in it, showing no signs of ever leaving...

Click!

     The door to the hospital room opened, allowing what sounded like two in.

     "His family will be here to make the decision." The doctor spoke solemnly.

     "But isn't his brain still active?!" The nurse who had been working here for three years now named Sherri and had made a couple comments about my fine face prior, voiced her concerns. I wanted to ask what exactly they were talking about, but unfortunately for me, the only thing that could move were my eyeballs, and my eyelids were closed. It has been nothing but the tiring background noises of soccer games and my only slightly more amusing dreams serving as the day and night cycle these last five years.

     The doctor shushed the nurse. "Not so loud." His own voice lowered so I really had to tune in to hear what he said next. "Put simply, we don't have the funding to keep him alive and there is no sign of him ever getting out... Hhh, I'll do all the talking. You just mark him down as deceased in the paperwork and I'll have a discussion with his family when they get here.

     Wait-

     They turned on the machine beside so that each and every vital heartbeat could be heard beep across the room.

     Only about an hour later, my parents, sister, and brother in law, Javier, all arrived at my hospital room. I could sense by the atmosphere that followed that they already knew what this was about. I remained in denial. Surely not. Anything but that. I tried to wiggle my fingers, twitch my toes; ANYTHING that would show a sign of life. My family murmured lowly around me.

     The TV was finally turned off. It was getting serious.

     The longest moment of silence followed. I wanted to scream.

     "I know this is a hard decision to make and undoubtedly one you all wish to have more time on..." The doctor stood between me and my family, very calmly taking a breath of hospital air. "..but this patient has been declared brain dead and there is nothing else that can be done." I screamed inside. NO! I'm NOT brain dead!! This. Man. Is. LYING!! Though my mind panicked, not even my own heart rate reacted to it. I truly was alone out here. So separated from everything I held dear.

     "M-maybe you can at least check one more time..?" My mother, in a weak voice, asked for this at least.

     The doctor sighed and walked closer to me. Suddenly, my left eyelid was pulled open and a bright light shined down into it. "Look up for 'yes." I immediately did so, stretching my eyeballs as far upwards as physically possible. "Look down for 'no." I just as quickly looked down. Tears gathered in my eyes, the only movable part of me shaking. Still, the doctor stared with a cold, blank expression as he turned back to my family, letting my eye go. "He is unresponsive." NOOO!

     My family actually believed him. It didn't matter how long it took them to decide, their decision was final. Everyone there agreed it wasn't worth keeping me around. I was so torn. Crushed. Destroyed from the inside out!

     My little sister grabbed my hand and cried. She was now 21 and happily married. I remember how crushed I was for not being able to go to her wedding or even say a simple "congratulations." My parents stood at my other side across the bed, either gripping at my withered hand or tightly to the sheets of my hospital bed. They had remained the same in these last years, but I always wanted to thank them for being the best. I of course never got to talk to Javier, but from what I heard from his visits, he seemed like a really nice guy. I always wanted to be that older brother who got to interrogate all of his little sister's boyfriends...but I never got that chance.

     My head was screaming so much that I couldn't even hear my family's tearful sendoff words. ... The plug was eventually pulled.

Beep...beep...beep...................

     I blinked my eyes open, standing up and looking down at my own body. My family stood on their knees, weeping bitterly around it. I looked down at my hands curiously. My hands were much more delicate, yet a little older looking somehow... And my right hand WORKED?!? Wait-- I- I was wearing some kind of doctor's robe! I wasn't just a ghost! I was the doctor?!

     It had been a while since I walked, so I stumbled on my way out of the room. I pushed past nurses, patients, and doctors alike until at last I found the men's bathroom and slid inside. My eyes widened in further shock to see a middle aged white man in a doctor's wardrobe staring back at me in the reflection. The shock of it all was so overwhelming I ended up throwing up in the sink.

     "Are you alright, Dr. Talahan?" A young male nurse slid out from a stall. That was my doctor's name! The one who had just pulled the plug on my life support!!

     How was this possible?! Some kind of magic!?

     "P-please... I'll be fine.." My face paled more than it already was as I held myself over the sink with trembling arms. In no circumstance would taking over their doctor's body be seen as anything but a terrifying offense. Who knows what kind of experiments would be run on me?! So, I just had to play it cool and figure out how this happened myself.

     But my family.

     I stared myself in the mirror with a very sullen expression. Though I wanted nothing more than to let them know that I was alive and...sort of well...there was no doubt dragging them into this mess might only worsen the pain they were already going through. I would, at least for now, have to leave it be and first figure out for myself what the heck happened.

     ...

     Would this really be my life..? Well, at least it was a life.

     After cleaning myself up, I declared myself unwell and asked to leave early. Thankfully, they had a backup doctor ready to take my place. Good...because this body was really tired.

     Using the smart phone, Google maps, and a couple other outside sources, I made my way "home."

     Though the house was big, there was no family to greet me. Though the place was beautiful and modern, one look at this guy's bank account showed me this doctor was deeply in debt. So deep in fact that there was no chance even with this job of ever getting out... I lounged around a little bit in the house and body of my killer, enjoying for the first time in years things like eating ice cream, sitting on the couch and watching the movies I missed. Couldn't stand the thought of soccer for now. It had been playing constantly in the hospital, after all. Eventually, my mind was so blurred and delirious that I just flipped through the channels on the TV at a rapid pace, waiting for something interesting to catch my eye.

     "A hurricane-" "local fish-" "bubonic pl-" "toilet-" "clo-" "veg-" "er-" "All-" Wait hold up that one looked a little interesting. I froze on a news channel featuring a blurry image of a tall man in a suit standing over a large crowd of people. Though his face was hard to make out, he looked pretty young for having a head of white hair. Huh. Most interesting of all was the title underneath. " 'All For One, a man gifted godly powers -- can take meta abilities and give them back with ease!' " Sounded like a silly commercial by how it was worded, but definitely interesting. I sat back and listened to the news for once as I downed the only ice cream available in the freezer: pistachio.

     "Sounds to me an awful lot like this One For All guy could a serious problem in the future. What do you think, Clide?" The lady at the desk asked the guy on the street, currently waiting for a press conference involving AFO to begin.

     "Honestly, while on screen he may look like a pretty intimidating guy, up close he seems rather calm and inviting. Not denying this could a just be an act, but it would definitely be unwise to assume right away that he's a villain. Who knows? He might just be a resolve to the rampant increase in Meta Abilities and crimes with them." The American reporter calmly suggested. Wait, what country was this all taking place in anyways? I pulled out my phone and began to do a little research of my own.

     Not much was known of his personal identity. None at all, actually. He said this was to protect his family from the press... Oookay, I guess. He was also in Japan, meaning I'd have to learn a third language if I ever wanted to talk to this guy in person. Who knows? Whatever happened to me might just be the result of a new Meta Ability. Those things seemed to spring up these days like planted bombs, sometimes even dealing just as much damage. This certainly would be a weird ability if it was one, but at least counting it as one was a good enough explanation.

     For now, guess I'd just have to hang low and do a little more research.

---------------

     This man was a creep. Not only had he just been responsible for ending my life, but clearly that ruthlessness spread through other parts of life. Looks like he wasn't even interested in starting a family. Being a creep to young girls online was enough for him.

     I had to fix this somehow.

     Maybe the best way was to ruin his life like he had mine.

     Pretending it was merely an accident, I leaked some screenshots of what this guy did and said in his free time to people I assumed were distant enough acquaintances to not really care about his reputation. That got the fire going. I watched as the world around me went up in flames (not literally). I watched with contentment, hearing the faintest of screams from the old doctor's soul still locked away inside.

     I didn't go back to work for obvious reasons, instead purposefully making an even bigger mess of "myself" through pretending to try and cover things up. I made the old doctor a laughing stock. The government even ended up getting involved to investigate.

     The one thing I hid was that this doctor lied about my brain dead state. As good of a dig it may have been, I just didn't want to hurt my family even more by releasing that out into the public.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

     I opened the door to the bright outside world. It was clear how little sleep and self care I had partaken in this past week or so.

     "We have a warrant for your arrest, Dr. Talahan." One of the three officers at my door spoke. I sighed in relief.

     Took them long enough.

     I went with them with little pushback. I followed through the relatively smooth legal system, denying "my" actions only a couple times to dig myself deeper into a hole. All the while I watched with satisfaction as accusation after accusation was placed on my shoulders, all together adding up to twenty-seven years in prison.

     It was only then, as I was being dragged out of the court house, that I realized something. ... I didn't have my old body to return to..

     I would be the one suffering this sentence. This was my body now...meaning every ounce of blame was now upon me...

     ...####...

     Maybe it would have been better if I had simply ignored the doctor's past and tried to carry on as if nothing had ever happened.

     No, I could never see myself doing that.

     Not the guy who had purposefully lied to my family...and killed me.

---------------

     Eight years in prison and I was still here. At least I could move. But, being trapped in the body of a horrible man was really getting to me. I didn't want to be here anymore. I really didn't.

     At least the lack of responsibilities here lent me plenty of time for my latest found fascinations. I took a great interest in quirks, specifically All For One and his ability to handle other people's quirks like it was nothing. I don't exactly know what drew me to him; just my own curious circumstances I guess. The man had grown worldwide. A name everyone with a spark of internet knew. He was a hero to some and a monster to others. To me he was neither. No one knew his true motives or end goal; not even he seemed to know for certain. Though charming in interviews, there was always this closetedness about him. No one truly knew what he was thinking. Whatever it was must have been vast.

     He seemed to know a lot about quirks in a society still shaken by their appearance, so he was probably the only man out there who could help me.

     I was rewatching an interview I'd previously recorded on the television in my cell. Hands clasped under my chin, elbows leaning on my lap. Studying everything I could was really all I could do in my free time. Despite being impossible to read, I managed to pick up on enough of his body language to know when he was trying to divert the conversation or appeal to those in the audience. This helped me pick out even better what his true motives were...if he had any.

     That's when my cellmate entered.

     "What are you doing in here, Scruffy?"

     My cellmate was much larger than me, much tougher, and when no one was looking, would beat me up. I learned to just take it and ignore him as much as possible... Well, not today. Not after taking it too far.

SMASH!

     A book was thrown right into the screen, completely shattering it.

     "What the heck?!"

     The large man only smirked as he approached. I glanced down at the terrible mess he had made. Glass shards were everywhere now! Wait a minute..

     I ducked under a punch, grabbed the largest shard of glass, and jabbed his arm with it as I stood again. "AAGH! ####!!" He hollered and jumped away. When he felt for his arm, he found blood. "Why you little-!" He jumped for me and I tried to jump out of the way but he still caught me. His thick arm caught me in a tight choke hold. I fought back via stabbing him again and again wherever I could. After the initial shock, he was unfazed. My vision was fading to black and my strength decreasing. I couldn't even beg him to let me go. In little time, I passed out.

     And then I died.

     My eyes opened and I gasped for air despite not needing it. I dropped the thing in my hold and reached for my throat... It was fine... It was muscular.

     I looked down. Horrified, I saw my last body laying on the floor. Was I DEAD?! I scanned myself. No, I wasn't dead. I-I- was also in terrible pain. Agh... I was bleeding all over the floor. My body was muscular and covered in tattoos. A thick brown beard tickled my face and neck. This was...not cool.

     But wait-... Is that how I ended up in the doctor's body before? Because he killed me?

     .....Is this my meta ability....?

     "What?! What did you do to him!!? I need backup over here!" One of the guards called out in a panic. ...Only one way to find out... I ran up to the wall of bars and with one beefy hand grabbed the throat of the officer. He yelped and shook, pointing his gun at me. "Let go or I--I-I'll shoot!" I didn't let go.

BAM!!

     I opened my eyes again, this time in the body of the officer. His adrenaline was now running through me, so I was still shaking terribly when backup came.

     "What happened!?" One asked.

     "Th-th-that guys were fighting!.. The bee-beefy one killed the other one a-a-and then went after me!" I informed the three. Two turned to the mess inside with horrified expression while the third one just kind of grimaced, as if he had seen worse before. I leaned into my traumatized act so that I would be excused early and allowed to take a seat in the break room. Inside, I demanded for and filled out a resignation form. I left late that night a free man.

     Standing under the stars, just outside the prison yard, I stared down at my hands, still recovering from the shock.

     So...this was the power I had...

     What an interesting find.

---------------

     On the long bus ride back to the city where I assumed my "home" was, I thought long and hard about what this meant.

     As long as I was careful about how I died, I was basically immortal. This meant that, to my liking...

     I stared out the window at the empty darkness. I put a hand to my chin as I stared with two set eyes.

     ...I would never be vulnerable again. At least not to men like that doctor. Not like I had been so often taken advantage of in my first life with my crippled arm and all.

     I wonder what all I could do with this special ability.

---------------

     Turns out this man wasn't as lonely as the last. It was late when I entered the apartment the guy's phone led me to. By just the simply click of the door, I had alerted an army.

     "DAADDDYYYY!"
          "DAAADYYYY!"

     Two little girls came running up to me with arms wide open. I panicked as the two embraced my legs, daring not to let go.

     "You came early!!" The older one, about five or six, squeaked and giggled. The younger one was probably only three or four. I held my breath, guilt erupting inside of me. I had spent so much time around criminals that I had completely forgotten there were those who were considered innocent. I looked around for any other kind of caretaker. A wife maybe?

     "Heheh.. What are you two doing up so late?" I chuckled awkwardly.

     "Nana went to sleep early, so we decided to have a sleepover!" The older one exclaimed.

     "Ahh... Well that's cool." My eyes scanned the little entryway I found myself in. To the right was a small kitchen and further ahead was a dimly lit living room. This was a pretty small apartment. Probably only two rooms and one bath. Stupid expensive in the city. I never lived in the city before, so this was new. Not to mention I was in an entirely different country now! "I'm a little tired, girls.. How about I have some coffee first? You-you two keep playing." They pouted a little but didn't stick around to plea. I rummaged through the kitchen to see what was available. We were low on food. Like, really low. Past the little bar counter separating the kitchen from the living room, the two girls played around in their pillow fort and argued over who got to hold the flashlight. While they played, I studied the pictures attached to the fridge via alphabet magnets. The pictures were very useful.

     The body I was in right now had short black hair and reasonably looked more American. His wife had dirty blond hair, more European. The most recent picture I could find of her was of her holding the youngest as a baby, so it was likely she died or something not long after. Good grief was this going to be hard... And I'd just quit my job too.

     I couldn't just leave this already struggling family to starve.

     Hhhhh....

     Ella: firstborn. Elaina: second born. I committed the images of their faces and names to memory for the meantime.

     "Ella?"

     "Yes, Daddy?!" The six year old emerged from the hut, the four year old following. For a moment, I forgot what I was even going to say.

     "I...um..just wanted to make sure you two were doing alright..."

     The little girl nodded and smiled. "I'm doing okay! Elaina is too!" I forced a small, kind smile. They didn't seem to notice anything was off. ...Oh, who am I kidding? They'll find out soon enough that I'm not their real dad.

     Until then, guess I'd just have to fit them into my master plan somehow.

---------------------------------------------------

     "Daddy, can you hold my hand..?" Elaina's head was low, eyes darting around at the large crowd of people all around us. I opened my hand and allowed her to grab it. Her hand was so small and fragile. She was clearly uncomfortable, even a little frightened.

     Makes sense. We were leaving the country for the first time in her entire life, after all.

     The airport was filled with little dings, chimes, and muffled voices of the masses. Thousands passed us in all directions. It was easy to get lost in this mess. I myself had never flown before, so I was a little nervous too.

     I swallowed my fear and led along the two anxious little girls. Their nanna thankfully didn't put up much of a fuss about the girls leaving. Though she was confused as to why I wanted to move to Japan of all places, she saw it as a good thing in the end if that meant giving the girls a better life. I had...promised them a far greater education in Japan. One I was having a hard time imagining how I'd see that through.

     I had spent the past thirteen years doing little but sitting around and waiting for something to change, meaning my real life experiences were limited. Which is just a fancy way of saying I was just as nervous about this as the girls. I made many small mistakes I hoped they wouldn't notice, a stuttering mess when I turned in the wrong paperwork and had to dig through my bags for the right ones. Thankfully the girls were still little and were too overwhelmed to notice my mishaps. Both carried behind them their own little pink suitcases they decided to name for some reason. Elaina's was "Poppy" and Ella's "Shelby."

     After our flight had been delayed about an hour, giving the three of us time to buy some snacks, we boarded. Though the girls both wanted a window seat, we had to sit in the middle row where there wasn't much to look at but a few small televisions. Both of the girls held my hand tightly and shook a little as the plane took flight. I had to be strong for them. I too was shivering a little.

     The flight was long. I used my already half full notebook to write down the same Japanese characters again and again, drawing pictures beside some of the words to help me remember what they meant. Ella asked me what I was doing, so I entertained myself by trying to teach her a few words. She quickly got confused by the mere concept of other languages and logged out mentally. I sighed. Not the best sign. I felt like I was already getting the hang of at least the basics. Helps that I was already bilingual.

     After several hours and a series of short naps, the flight finally came to an end. The girls were excited, suddenly gushing about getting to see anime everywhere. I chuckled. Don't think that's how it works...

. . .

     Oh ... So that is how it works. Every other advertisement on the walls of the airport had an anime girl or something on it. The airport was generally a little brighter than what I was used to. And as we exited I noticed how strict it was. Even stricter than past reviews claimed. Twice the security, many more angry travelers than content ones. I wondered why. Did it have to do with All For One? He had started to make the occasional ludicrous claims of one day leading humanity into a new era, with him as their head. Was he really that scary to these people? 

     I shrugged the suspicion aside in the meantime. I had a lot on my plate now being a foreigner in a new country. Thankfully, everything from here-on-out was pretty well mapped out.

     We arrived at the new apartment I had already booked. It only consisted of one bedroom, which I split via curtains, and a small living room and dining room. The girls weren't all too excited about it, but I made sure to get a safe place close to a school ..and there was also a playground just outside from the view of the one window we had in the living room. Humble beginnings indeed, but I had already applied for two jobs and was projected to make enough money to move out in about three years.

     I stood at the small window to the apartment, leaning through it with my palms on the frame. Outside, I diligently watched the two girls playing. Looked like they had made a couple friends already despite the language barrier.

     Three years was all I needed to find All For One. The mysterious fellow was now a lot harder to find in great part due to how popular he was. It would take a lot of investigation on my part to track him down and ensure that he give me some answers about how these meta abilities really worked. But, for now, I should probably work on the basics..like actually learning Japanese for starters.

     I did decently the first year. Mostly just didn't talk to people unless I had my phone to help translate. This of course meant I made no friends. The girls were in a similar boat, but they learned a lot quicker since they were both entered into a mostly Japanese speaking school. Elaina learned especially quickly.

     The second year came and went really fast. I got a lot better at speaking the new language, resulting in raises and something of a social life. I also learned a couple things about myself, such as my liking of really obscure places, like the underground bar I occasionally frequented. Hardly anyone visited, so even though I only came on occasion, I knew almost everyone there. They remembered me pretty well as simply "the foreigner." I'd occasionally humor a couple drunken souls by speaking Spanish or English really fast while playing out popular scenes in movies they liked. They'd all laugh and I quickly became known as the bar's gester.

     The third year arrived so quickly, I literally stumbled when I had to reset the calendar. By now, the girls had learned Japanese almost perfectly and had several reoccurring friends who they liked to play with each. And of course since I was their dad now I continued playing that role. On top of the daily cleaning, cooking, working, and providing, I'd also take the girls out to see a movie on occasion or to a fair to ride some rides. All fond memories at the end of the day.

     But now it was the third year. It was time I split some time for this investigation of mine. All For One was more prevalent than ever. Nearly every newspaper or article online debated his legitimacy and what his motives truly were.

     I honestly didn't care what he was planning to do at the end of the day. As long as he could explain what was wrong with me, that was all I cared about.

---------------

     "Girls, you're going to need to brush your teeth!" I called from the bathroom. Both ran in and I handed them their toothbrushes and toothpaste. They just as quickly raced out and shoved their pajamas and a pillow or two into their bags. The two were now seven and eight -- almost nine, both growing up so fast as well.

     We had been living here in this crappy apartment for two and a half years now. Crappy unplanned mistakes like a villain destroying my car in a fight and being lain off my second job as a Uber driver meant it would take another year before I could save up enough for us to move out. The mold in these dreary walls meant the girls often had to do breathing treatments while doing homework and I was in no better shape, sometimes going into terrible coughing fits even while I wasn't at home. I held hope that I'd get a new job within the month. Today, though, I finally had some free time.

     I ruffled the girls' hair as they exited the apartment and bid them a fair well. They were headed off to a sleepover, giving me a full night of free time. A night which aligned perfectly with a conference AFO would be attending.

     I was too close to broke to afford a ticket to get in, but..perhaps I could meet up with him afterwards.

---------------

     I stood outside the back door of the large conference room in an alleyway. Very faintly, I could hear his muffled voice as he spoke to an audience of about five hundred. Not as big as some he had held in the past, but this one seemed to be about more personal matters, which was why it wasn't being broadcasted online. Oh, what great luck it was that he was holding this in the city I lived. Even travel was becoming far too costly, having to now pay for Ella's swimming lessons and Elaina's dance class. Both were growing up so fast...which unfortunately made them more costly.

     A faint cheer roared beyond the door and the event came to a close. My hands fidgeted with one another. My jaw tightened. I forgot what I was even going to say.

     The familiar voice was muffled but louder as the man himself drew nearer. "Check the door for me, will you?"

     This was it.

     His bodyguards exited first, each checking to make sure that the coast was clear. I stood there stiffly, trying to look as un threatening as possible -- not like that was an issue.

     "Hey! You! What are you doing back here?! This place is off limits!" The guard spotting me shouted. I froze up even more, a shiver rushing down my spine.

     "I-I-I-I-I-I just want to talk to him, please!!" My hands balled into tight fists at my sides moreso in an anxious way. I bowed courteously as I had learned to do.

     "Well the boss isn't interested in talking to nobodies! Get lost!!"

     "-Please.." All For One's voice jumped in, his hand landing on the guard's shoulder. "There is no need to act so brashly toward someone who merely wants to speak with me." His voice was so calm and collected; so demanding of respect! I bit my inner cheek as the man himself made his appearance from the door. A fine suit, fit form, and white hair that somehow was not due to age. As he turned his face at last to me, I was overwhelmed with excitement! The man I had been wanting to talk to for over ten years was finally here! He looked about my age, maybe a little older. And his smile was calm and inviting, the same as always!

     I bowed lowly in respect to him. "Thank you for your-your kindness, sir! If you will permit it, I have been wanting to speak with you for over ten years!!"

     "Ten years? My, you really are a fan." He chuckled. I rose my head and smiled up at him. He then waved the two men on either side of him away. "Go prepare my ride. I will talk to this man alone." He then turned his head back to me. "If he has been waiting this long, then surely it is important."

     "R-right, sir!" The two jogged down the alley to do want he said.

     Suddenly put under the spotlight, I trembled. I didn't quite know why, but I felt as if finally I had found someone I could confide in. Finally, there was someone to talk to about the troubles that had been eating away at me for nearly half my life! It was hard to pick out what to say first. I wanted to spill my whole life story right there and then, but knew it would be inappropriate!

     "Go on... Unless you just wanted to waste my time.."

     "N-no! I- I just don't know how to word it now that I am finally here! For almost half my life I have struggled with this weird meta ability! I- I just don't know what to do with myself!!" I exclaimed, now grasping onto every moment for dear life, knowing my time with him was limited. But still, I could barely speak...

     "...Hmm, I do not sense any power from you. Maybe seek psychiatrist if it is your Psychie that is being tested.."

     "I am NOT insane!" My breathing became erratic. Heartbeat loudly pounding in my ears. I clutched the collar of the nicest shirt I could afford and wept. Couldn't even hold it in. My knees grew weak as I realized just how much all of this had been weighing down on me.

     "....You are not being very convincing." All For One chuckled.

     "I don't blame you for thinking that..." I managed through sobs. "But just.. please hear me out..." AFO's feet shuffled back into place, facing me directly again. My shoulders shook. "I- I have died three times al-ready... I feel more lost than ever. I- I just want to know what's wrong with me!" I grit my teeth. I was so close to falling I may as well get it over with already. But, there was still that part of me that wanted to stand strong. I was just...terribly weak.

     The man's hand landed on my shoulder. A comforting touch. "I feel the heavy burden you carry... I too carry so much." He added, his voice sounding of genuine sympathy. "But... I will need more information if you expect me to help you."

     I looked up, tears in my eyes, and sniffled. "Y-you mean you're willing..?"

     "When you are feeling better, text this number with the full description of your problem. I should be able to help you better from there." He so kindly offered me a business card. But it wasn't just any ordinary business card. He never handed those out. No, this was so much more. I wiped my eyes and nose with my sleeve and smiled up at the man.

     "Th-thanks..."

     "You are not the only one who's curios about the new world we find ourselves in. I too take great interest in the things I cannot yet understand. That is how we grow as a species, after all." He then gently brushed his hand off of my shoulder and turned around. I watched in awe as the man slipped away into the shadows, a new hope filling my heart.

     How exciting...

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     I laid on my mattress on the floor. It had been a week since I sent him a brief summary of my origins. Didn't want to give away too much, though, so I kept it short. He had yet to respond. Was likely just really busy.

     Or he just wanted to pacify me so I'd leave him alone...

     I found myself up later than usual. The girls were quietly snoring on the other side of the dark lavender curtain. My own little antics keeping me awake.

     I had done this before. Search up the members of my old family online and read whatever I could about them. Tried to become online friends with my dad a while ago, but he's online so rarely that we barely get past the ritualistic "hello, how's your day?". I assumed my sister would only get suspicious if I tried to talk to her; essentially a stranger.

     It was strange. She was about five years older than my current body. A beautiful young woman with two children and a loving husband. As always, my eyes fogged up a little as I scrolled through her shared pictures. She had two sons. Both so cute and playful; around my girls' ages, too!

     My eyes lingered on each and every one of Anya's latest pictures. My parents were with her, as were a few aunts and uncles. Everyone was on one big trip to the Grand Canyon together.

     The family was growing so fast...

     I was already on the brink of tears, but one of the pictures completely stopped me. Anya, with her little drawing hobby, chiseled a picture of my face on a little rock and my name underneath it. It was so skillfully crafted for such a little rock. And on the back of it was written, "May your soul find peace. We miss you." A bitter sob jumped from my mouth. The gaping hole in my heart grew larger as I dwelled on this. The rock was so carefully placed on the cliff's edge, looking over the entirety of the canyon's natural beauty while the sun sat behind it.

     I wanted to be there. Screw the rock. I wanted to be there in person, alive and well. It didn't take long before I had to drop the phone and just cry. I grabbed my knees and pulled them tightly to my chest. Oh, how helpless I felt. Nothing I could think of would bring me truly back to life. I was forever stuck in this body living this life. My entire body shook under the pain of it all. The hopelessness was immense and I simply couldn't find a way out!

     "Daddy..?" Ella pulled open the curtains to see me in my sorry state. I tried to control myself but that was proving more difficult that I had hoped. My body was just doing its own thing now, crying without a care. Elaina pried past the curtain too. The two of them were so confused. And it wasn't like I could just tell them I was a hoax; that their real daddy would never come back.

     Both of the little girls crawled over to me and onto my mattress. Together they tried to pry from me why I was crying. They wanted to know if it was about "Mom" our home, or anything else. It was all of those things but none of those things at the same time... I just wanted to go back home.. 

     My home.

     Finally, the two gave up. But they still wanted to help. Both Elaina and Ella crawled under the blankets and laid down on the bed, hugging me closely as they too started to tear up a little. No doubt seeing their dad cry like this for probably the first time was a big deal.

     I had always kept my distance from them despite taking on the role of their father...but this was nice. Their cute little expressions of love were warming to the heart. Ella was hugging my back, so I could only hug Elaina in return. Fitting, since her smaller body fit so well between my arms. I could feel the stress and grief slowly begin to melt away.

     I may never get my old life back...

     But at least I'll have this one to treasure.

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     I was cleaning one afternoon after work when I heard a ring on my phone. I turned off the vacuum and asked that the girls be quiet in the other room, since they had just gotten back from school.

     When I glanced down at who the call was from, my heart rate increased. I could hear it thumping in my ears. My breath froze in my throat. Slowly, I brought the phone to my face, a smile crawling into palace. "Y-yes?

     "You have quite the interesting resume~" It was AFO himself. I nearly dropped my phone. He waited a little bit for me to respond, but when I failed to do that, he just chuckled again. "Hmhm, same man I remember from before. -So tell me. Since we are talking business matters, what is it you really want from my influence and power?"

     "M-m-me?!" My hands shook. "I-I-I just want to know more about meta abilities in general really- m-maybe run a few tests on me? I-don't-know!" I laughed awkwardly. A far cry from the well put together business man I was talking to. AFO hummed in thought briefly. For a moment, he just thought about what his next words should be.

     "So tell me then.. What is it you can offer me..? I already have media and fame circling me by this point, an ocean of followers, and countless allies at my side... If you want a spot at the table and truly learn all there is to power, I must expect something from you in return."

     My heart stopped. Was this a good or bad thing?? What was even going on?? Was this guy seriously offering me an actual partnership with him?!? I fought the urge to hyperventilate.

     "A-are you offering me a j-job, sir?"

     "Well you did say you were recently laid off by your second job.." I could hear his smile. I gulped. Forgot I even added that. "...So? Am I wasting my time with you, then?"

     To say my brain was in a whirl would be a major understatement.

     "W-well I am fluent in English and Spanish in-incase you need a translator!" That was all I could think of. Even after a full minute of thinking...that was it! Just a neat little party trick I used on occasion at the bar! Ohhh, I was so doomed...

     "And then the pirate flew away!!"

     "Noo-no-no! The wolf is supposed to catch her!" The two little ones ran out of the room, toys in hand. I waved my unoccupied hand at them to stop, but neither were looking at me.

     "Girls! Shh!" I whispered. They quieted down, but continued to play in the kitchen where I could still see them from the living room by the window. The day's bright light shined on me, its warmth like a hand on my shoulder just telling me to let it go.

     "So you're a family man as well in all of this?" All For One asked, genuinely amused by the prospect. My face reddened a little.

     "We-well. It's kind of complicated. They were already here when I..took over." Trying to explain while not giving anything away to the girls in case they overheard. "-Can't really talk about it while the kids are around for..obvious reasons." I hoped he would understand... He did. "...So, do you have a family?"

     AFO sighed and chuckled. This was followed by the sound of a leather chair moving, giving me the impression that he was probably leaning back in whatever fancy leather chair he sat in. "What a bold thing of you to ask... No, I can't say I do."

     "Oh.. well.. I'm sorry to hear that."

     "No need." I could still hear him smiling. "I have decided your place at my table." I was stunned. He actually was going along with this?? After I had given him hardly a reason to accept me?!

     "Wh-what?! Really?? What will I be doing?!"

     "You can become my apprentice." I nearly fainted. "You can quit your other job as well if you like. Your wages here should be enough to cover for yourself and your daughters. My secretary will email you more necessary information. Be sure you look the part."

     "I-I-I don't know how I could ever thank you si-si-si-sir!"

     "Oh, don't bother with that. There will be plenty of things for you to do over here. Toodaloo~" And then he hung up. I, in my excitement, dropped my phone and ran up to the girls. After two weeks of waiting, I got more than I had ever wished for! I squished the girls tight and shed tears of joy.

     Ohhh, this better not be a dream!

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This is getting too long as is. Guess I'll just have to do a part 2. 😅