How long had it been now since she had taken a dip in the River of Lethe? Three months? Four months? At least a season had passed by since she had joined the ranks of the Negaverse. She didn't have a civilian life but the Negaverse had been extremely accommodating. It wasn't long before the nameless girl was soon a successful model for an influential company in downtown Destiny City, living under the identity of Charlotte. Public Relations was a cozy job, and she simply seemed to glow under the spotlight.
It had been hard though. Every day she would wake up as Charlotte and every day she would question her life. Who was she, really? Was she really a model named Charlotte? She frequently made trips around the world, she lived in a high-end condo and she never had to worry about money Her life wasn't bad but it felt like there was something she was missing. Never once did she feel any regret over the choice she made to join the Negaverse but she often wondered why she did it. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like the reason was on the tip of her mind.
She was having morning tea on her balcony overlooking the city when she found herself crying. Her eyes were fixated on the chair across from her at the other side of the small table. This wasn't different. She never had company so why did she suddenly feel so alone? Why did this feel like it wasn't the way it should be? Why did it feel like she was forgetting something really important? Carefully placing the saucer and teacup down upon the table, Charlotte gently wiped the corner of her eyes with the back of her hands.
It was the sound of the teacup and saucer buzzing on the table that first drew Charlotte's attention back to what was obviously reality. From there, her eyes fell to the left where her iPad was sitting. What generation was this now? Generation 6? 7? Whichever generation it was, Charlotte had the newest model out there. It was connected to her iPhone, which had been ringing inside of the condo. She smiled a little when the name appeared across the screen, begging her to slide her finger across the surface and answer it.
A quick motion, and Charlotte replied to the deep voice that commanded attention.
"Yes sir, I'm on my way," she said as she tried to hide the fact she had been crying. He didn't notice, or otherwise didn't care. It wasn't the first time he had heard a woman cry, and it definitely wasn't going to be the last time. After she heard his call click, signalling that he was finished with her, prompting her to hang up the call too. She didn't get up immediately. Instead she found herself finishing the rest of her tea. It was soothing, a tonic she was in dire need of, but the effects didn't last as long as she hoped they would. Soon enough her eyes fell on the empty chair across from her again, and she grudgingly forced herself up onto her feet, turned her back to it and walked back inside.
She would pretend it wasn't there. She would pretend nothing was amiss. She would go live her life, or at least do her job.
