Elena

On Monday, October 12th at 6.000am in Ontario Canada, Elena’s alarm went off for the morning.

She hit the snooze button for ten minutes as was her custom every day. She did this three times in a row before finally getting out of bed. One time her roommate had asked why she didn’t set the alarm thirty minutes later. And even though she had given it a little thought, she had shrugged it off and thought, What’s the fun in that!

Elena had always felt like she needed a gentle awakening to get up into her ordinary and lonely day. And true to her predictions, her day was sometimes ordinary. And lonely.

You see, she had always been a lone ranger, and she enjoyed her own company. Being by herself always made it possible for her to enjoy ecstasy. Her kind of ecstasy led to an all-time high that only those who experienced it would understand. A kind of high where she transferred to the stars and the moon was her lunchroom. Being alone was her escape route, an escape she needed to survive in this miserable world.

Elena could not remember if she had always been this way. But she did know that having grown in a womb for nine months with two other sisters, and sharing almost everything with them while growing up, she couldn't wait to get out of the house. And on her eighteenth birthday, she said her goodbyes and hopped on a train to her wonderland. Well, that was what she thought.

It didn’t feel like a wonderland at that moment. Something felt different on that day as she stepped out of bed. She knew what it was as her feet touched the cold wooden floor… ah, October. She had turned down the heater sometime during her many bathroom breaks at night. Since she was getting too warm. That is what she liked to believe anyway. But somewhere at the back of her mind, she knew that the cost of running her heater high also had something to do with it. Her energy bill for last month had almost sent her running back to her mother's place so she had learned to make do.

In her ultimate wisdom, she had loaded her bed with the thickest duvet she had found on sale and woke up in bids of sweat.

In the minutes following, Elena had stood to stare at her image in the mirror. Her pajamas were worn out, the stripes fading away. She had unbuttoned the shirt and took a look at her body to appreciate it as she always did. she loved her body. It was her most prized possession. As she buttoned back her shirt, she tried to remember where she had gotten this pajama from. And she did; It was a Christmas gift from one of the twins two years ago. It had been delivered to her doorstep…. she stared at her sore nipple for a while then backed off a second.

THE TWINS!!!

And in that moment reality hit her.

It was October 12th! The triplets’ twenty-first birthday and the Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

And she was hosting! Well, semi-hosting since she wasn't responsible for the preparations. She didn’t care for these things. She would rather spend the day alone in her thoughts or at a park where she could transport herself into any space she wanted to be. But this particular day was her twenty-first birthday. And her mother had insisted they all celebrate it together as a family. They hadn’t had a birthday together ever since Elena left home at eighteen. And Elena didn’t see why they should anyway, they were adults.

She had kicked against it. But was knocked out by everyone. They wanted to spend thanksgiving and their twenty-first birthday at her newly rented place. A small condo she had gotten alongside her roommate a little over a year. She did not know if her sisters wanted to spend the day at her place or if their mother had made them but it didn't matter. At least not to her.

So, on that Monday, they were going to have a birthday/thanksgiving dinner at her place.

The twins, as she liked to refer to her sisters, were Alexis and Cassandra; even though they were triplets. They hadn't been to her place before. They both had their permanent residences in the united states. They had not seen their little sister in over a year, she had not seen either of them in that time as well. But their mother was always over. She stayed approximately ten kilometers away from Elena.

Their mother was not retired yet. She had taken on a part-time role at a branch of her company which was in Elena’s city when she clocked fifty-eight years earlier that year. Her hip wasn't what it used to be. She had a fall a couple of years ago. So she had sold their house and moved, taken a part-time role, and had some extra time on her hands.

She moved closer to her youngest daughter.

Elena didn’t like it. It seemed like a huge deal, having her mother move from Edmonton to Ontario, but she never mentioned it.

Their father had died a while ago.

Even though Elena was providing the venue, her family had insisted they make all the arrangements and cooking.

As Elena kept looking into the mirror, she couldn’t help but imagine how dreadful the day was going to be. She didn't look forward to so much company. She had one friend who doubled as her roommate. Cheryl. And Cheryl could pass an absentee roommate because she was constantly away at her boyfriend’s place.

Elena walked out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen area as she thought to herself “she needed to escape and her hot chocolate”.

By 9.00 am on the same morning, she was prepped and ready to receive her family in her home. Her two-bedroom condo was clean and tidy as always and her kitchen empty…. Typical! Hot chocolate in hand, she walked to the living area and sat on the only couch in the living area. Her gaze wandered a bit as she recalled the events of three nights before. On Friday the 9th of October. For the first time since Elena realized her ability to haul herself into others, (something she termed as ‘escape’,) she had sat on her couch and escaped into the life of a guest actor in her favorite television series. And she had enjoyed every bit of time there.

looking back at the events of the night, she said to herself, “crazy night”.

The events of the night played in her head again. She had been waiting for the release of newer episodes of her all-time favorite television series on Netflix. And had even gotten popcorn and some bottles of white wine on her way home from work that Friday. This series was based on a real-life event and the season was featuring a guest actor who had been nominated for an academy award but did not get the award. She had not expected to escape into the actor’s life. That had never occurred before. Fifteen minutes into the episode, while the actor gazed into the camera as if reaching for her soul. Elena had imagined what his typical day would look like. And willed herself to experience it. In a brief second and as she tried to direct her focus back to the television, she found herself occupying the body of top American actor, Rick Ritz at his New York penthouse!

What!

Hollywood top actor, Rick Ritz, had gotten out of the shower on a regular Friday night, the 9th of October. He had a long night of parties with his friends and co-stars, a party he looked forward to. Not because it promised to be fun but because his co-star and Ex-wife, Samantha Ritz was going to be there too. And he had every intention of coming back to his penthouse with her.

Samantha and Rick had been married very briefly before going their separate ways. But she had always been his true love. Both of them had made mistakes that they talked about and were willing to work out. They had even had ‘a moment’ and Rick knew he was not mistaken, Samantha wanted him as much as he wanted her.

With that in mind, Rick had laid out his black Amari denim, white t-shirt, and his Givenchy chain logo jacket. A gift Samantha had given him on the night of his First Academy award nomination. He wanted her back and had every intention of getting her back.

Rick had his large white towel draped around his waist, as he applied his lotion and designer fragrances on his body. His attention had been drawn to a scene in the series he recently featured in; it was playing from his ninety-five-inch bedroom television. A series which he had starred in and which had almost won him the best guest actor in a series award. Rick had looked at the television knowing the next scene to come up. The scene played out and he admired himself. Also mimicking the same gaze he had made on-screen; eye to eye, soul to soul, passion to passion.

At that moment, Elena, who was miles away in Ontario Canada, took possession of Rick’s body.

It took Elena a while to realize what had happened and as reality dawned on her, she let out a scream

“oh my god”. She was beside herself with confusion, what had happened?

Don’t get it wrong, this wasn't the first time she had taken control of another’s body and mind. Whether male or female. In her almost twenty-one-year existence, she had taken over several bodies and minds. Starting as a sickly fourteen-year-old teenager who was constantly in and out of the hospital.

The first escape she ever had was into her mother.

Yet, this was the first time it happened virtually!

Elena typically had to look into a person’s eyes while sometimes holding on to their hands and willing herself to see what they were thinking. This process allowed her to fall asleep while she took over the other person. Over time, she noticed that her abilities had progressed or changed, every escape was different but she had never experienced it this way.

Even though she had imagined it briefly, and also looked directly at the screen, she was not expecting a virtual transformation into the life of a celebrity. It happened so fast even before she could get a grasp on what was happening.

Elena had stood for some minutes, her eyes scanning the room in which she stood and gaping in awe; it was the most luxurious room she had ever been in. Her eyes had wandered through the luxurious flooring system. The custom-made mattress and beddings, the widescreen television, and then stopped.

“Oh,” she thought. The ninety-five-inch screen displayed what could somehow explain the mystery of the night. Playing out on television that Friday, was the same series she had been watching on her couch back home with her forty-three-inch flat-screen television. The scene was getting done and moving to another.

“This must be the reason why,” she thought to herself.

She was still taking in the surroundings when the phone rang. She had panicked a little. Then caught herself. She noticed the very fancy receiver and then got her act together. She had done this several times, she owned the game.

She picked up the receiver and heard a voice from the other end say

“Sir, your car is ready”

“thank you. I would be down in a sec” she responded in Rick’s baritone voice placing the receiver back.

Her heart had raced which caused her to sweat while she thought again of what happened. She felt a little woozy and had sat briefly on the king-sized bed at which point it finally dawned on her.

She was Rick Ritz!

She lowered her back to drop on the bed and screamed “I am Rick Ritz” at which point she thought that nothing could be better than this.

Fully taking on her most recent escape, she quickly got dressed in the clothes laid out on the bed and wondered what shoes she would wear.

Every escape experience for her was different. Sometimes she had access to the brain of the person whose body she occupied, knowing every face and memory they held. And other times she did not.

On most occasions, she could access bits and pieces of things and people and their life, while she improvised for the gaps. In this particular one, she had bits and pieces and hoped the rest would come as time went by.

Elena walked a short distance across the room to what seemed to look like the closet space and sure enough, it was. The transparent automatic door slid open as she drew closer and she stepped into the closet with the lights coming on, revealing the wonders of the world embodied in the exquisite shoes that graced the feet of the top Hollywood actor.

Every kind of sneakers, oxfords, loafers, boots, trainers, and the likes were gracefully displayed according to their uses and colors. A little walk had further revealed the designer shirts, pants, scarves, jackets, suits, wristwatches, ties, and every luxurious clothing item that belonged to the star.

At that point, she wished she could take a picture to send to her actual phone and she almost gave in to her wish but then she thought about it a second time, that was not a risk she was willing to take. She knew she was a different person and a visitor to this body; she had promised not to punish herself by reliving a life that was not her reality, she always awoke or returned to her body. It was almost like a dream, but it was real.

“This is heaven” she had thought to herself.

The limousine belonging to Rick Ritz, later that night, pulled up to an exclusive VIP club, and Elena, now Rick got out. She walked into the cool night consciously enjoying every bit of the air, glitz, cameras, lights, paparazzi, and every single noise that came with the crowd at the door. She stepped into the club like she owned the place. And her walk with the very expensive shoes she had settled for, echoed a silent aura that spoke to every piece of the tan arabesque floors. Her entrance was graceful, elegant, composed, and intentional. She thought to myself “I was born for this, the life, glam, excitement and all”.

Two excited ladies had walked up to her as her eyes ran through them quickly. They were both blondes but she could see that one was a bit taller than the other and she had a small tote bag hanging across her shoulders yet pinned to her body. The other held a phone in hand as she spoke in her high-pitched voice as she tried to speak above the noise from the loudspeakers.

“Hi Rick, do you mind if we get a selfie, please?”

“Absolutely” Elena responded.

The blonde immediately unlocked her phone with facial recognition and the ladies both squeezed in for a selfie all smiles and giggly. “thank you” they said at the same time as they excitedly walked away. Elena was not sure if they heard her say “you are welcome”. She looked at them as they walked away and remembered her sisters, that was something she could see them do, but not her, ever. The real her would not be there at that time, would not ask for a selfie, but there she was, enjoying what she ordinarily would not take part in.

Just as she turned away, Rick’s friend and buddy, Adriel bumped her on the shoulder and said “hey you made it. We are over there” while pointing upwards to a table on the first floor overlooking the main dance floor. “come on let’s go”

“great” Elena responded as she ran up the short flight of stairs behind Adriel to the first floor. She took note of her surroundings as they came up, bodyguards were hovering around, the lights were visually stimulating, the music was engaging and she could feel the luxurious entertainment around her.

The table was filled up with faces and people she recognized, friends and colleagues alike, and greetings went by quickly as she took a seat. Adriel had poured her a drink saying “drink up man”.

While she took a sip of the drink, it registered in her that this was the most taste full drink her almost twenty-one-year-old lips ever tasted. She took another sip and scanned the table again; she was searching for someone but could not place who; she knew this was a memory or thought she had to work hard at getting. It felt as though something was missing, someone but she could not place her finger on it. This happened sometimes while occupying another person’s body and mind. Some things took a while to figure out. Elena stretched out her long hands and poured herself another glass. And then she saw her, and she remembered what had been eroding her. Samantha!

Samantha walked graciously towards them; her body graced in a long-sleeved short black glitz-embodied dress. Her hair was held up loosely revealing her tiny emerald earrings as she held her purse to herself.

She approached Elena, leaning in to give a hug. “she smelled like an erotic rose garden”. Elena thought to herself.

“hey you, nice to see you. Sorry I’m late, you know I like to make an entrance” Samantha said

“you look stunning Sammie” Elena heard herself say

“Thanks. I like your jacket. Suits you” Samantha winked

“Thanks to my Wife,” Elena said again

“Ex-wife you mean” Samantha replied with laughter in her eyes. Elena caught her eye and held it there, and this time, the moment lingered, they both yearned for each other, his eyes searched hers and she responded with answers which Elena understood so well.

In seconds, Elena leaned in for a full kiss and Samantha opened up, all the emotions they both held came rushing through them, bursting like a never-ending snowstorm.

Sounds of palms coming together brought them back from their magical escape as the rest of the table watched and clapped in awe

“Are you guys back together?”

“what going on guys?”

“I didn’t see that coming”

Questions and comments poured in from their friends as everyone laughed and smiled. People seemed to approve, they seemed happy at the reunion.

Elena held Samantha closely “I want you back”. Samantha took a sip of her drink and didn’t respond but in her head, she thought, “he is bolder than I remember. I want you too.”

The rest of the night went on quickly with Samantha ending up in Rick’s king-sized bed for the night and by morning Rick woke up to a view of a naked woman with the most perfect skin and body standing by the window, her back to him. He recognized that body; he thought. As if she heard his thoughts, Samantha turned and walked up to him saying

“you sleep deeper than I remember”

Rick couldn’t believe it. Is that his ex-wife, Samantha Ritz? In his bedroom? How did that happen? He could not fully remember the events of the night. It all seemed so hazy.

And at the same time, on the morning of Saturday, the 10th of October, in Ontario Canada, Elena had woken up from her couch where she had drifted away. Her television now turned off via power save. And she remembered she had enjoyed every bit of her night as a make-believe celebrity star.

She had enjoyed being Rick Ritz!