I didn't have time to reel from the information dump my father gave me. He was unbothered by the details of the zombies, only surprised that I had named them as zombies. This world didn't have the concept of zombies, which is why there was so much bloodshed in the first moments. My father didn't seem too concerned about that. He just wanted to consolidate his power and maintain his grip in a world of chaos.

So, I was left to wonder how to do it. Enlightening the public was one way to help, but it would be challenging to do so in a subtle way. I pondered this as I watched the boys prepare for their bachelor party. I expected them to go wild with gambling and drinking, but they instead booked the whole Hub for them to game the night away.

Regina, Graham, and I were stocking up the refreshments for the party. I was helping on autopilot while this problem still rattled in my brain.

If I had my literary powers, I would be more confident in creating a book about zombies. I could only do it by completely ripping off the original timeline of this world. I'm not very creative, and if my father helped, there would be a way to boost sales to help inform people.

I was heading to the elevator, lost in thoughts, when Bryon's voice behind me stopped my feet.

"If it weren't the mods I created this game would be fucking pointless." His boisterous voice had me turning around in a heartbeat.

"It's better than nothing," Graham said, ever the calming voice, was already on duty for the night.

"I'll have to create a new…Dolyn, what are you doing?" Byron's voice stopped because I marched up to him instead of getting on the elevator and letting the boys have their night.

"I have an idea for a new game. You create mods and do computer coding stuff, right?" I said as I grabbed his hands and squeezed tight. He slipped his hands from mine and looked past my shoulder at Graham.

I ignored that as my thoughts raced. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner? Bryon and the boys loved games, but they also liked to take apart their consoles and VR sets to make them more interesting. Bryon's ability to create mental constructs meant that sometimes they just ditched the controllers and messed around with whatever they could think of.

I could see disinterest forming in his eyes, so I put a hand over his mouth. He jerked away from my possibly sticky hands and put a good two feet between us.

It was strange how he looked nervous. I had other things to focus on, so I said, "What if humans became cannibals due to a virus that made them lose reason and memories? They could be called zombies."

And that is how the game Brains was created. Just kidding, it took way more planning than that. I accidentally joined the bachelor party to work with Bryon and his powers to create the game's premise. Saul and Regina ended up leaving to watch a movie together. Alec joined Bryon, Graham, and me in working on the concept.

Of course, it would take some time before the game was released, but I knew with the backing of the families it had, it would be a hit.

Regina was far more forgiving than Clara. She was the only one who was accidentally left out of that moment. The bachelor party ended up going great but didn't work as intended. The boys did end up redoing it while Regina and I worked hard to get Clara to forgive us.

We took her to her favorite stores and shopped until it hurt to walk around. Luckily, she forgave us, and our bachelorette party ended at a famous spa. It was in a different country, and it was with trepidation that I boarded my first plane.

The lush seats and open quarters were unlike any I've ever seen in movies. I was used to seeing cramped seats and screaming babies on the screen.

Only a handful of people were on this plane, and drinks were served in champagne flutes.

"Money is the best," I said, bouncing a little on the seat.

Clara and Regina looked at me incredulously. I looked back, and a nervous laugh slipped out before I said, "What?"

"There are moments you act as if this is the first luxury you've indulged in," Clara said.

It's true. I've never lived in such opulence. It was going to be hard to come back from that. That was undoubtedly my devious ancestor's plan from the start.

I shrugged, unsure what to say.

"Dolyn is delicate enough to be a lady, at least." A woman who joined our little getaway spoke up, and I made a face. She wasn't part of our regular crew but a daughter of some big honcho who worked with Regina's parents.

My constitution was delicate, but I was by no means a lady of porcelain.

Clara and Regina joined me in laughter, and the poor woman's face heated up.

We made it to Queen Island for the spa trip of a lifetime. Everyone looked excited and bright-eyed except for me. Predictably, I became sick the moment we landed.

This damned body was going to be my undoing. I was too dizzy to even appreciate the luxurious suite that belonged to me. It was the third-best one, and its dazzling lights blinded me.

I crashed into the bed, uncaring about the plans made for dinner.

"Wendy." The man who still owned my heart said my name, and I could feel my chin quiver as I ran into his arm.

I could forgive everything we went through to see him again.

"You've forgotten me," Adam said.

I looked up into his dark brown eyes and started to protest. To my horror, Adam's eyes churned into a deep red. Adam's handsome features had morphed into Graham's, and I let go of him screaming.

I was startled awake by the dream. My heart raced, and I found myself soaked in sweat.

"I haven't forgotten," I said. It would be impossible for me to forget you. Worse, my brain feared I was replacing Adam with Graham.

I'm not. I repeated to myself repeatedly until I lulled myself back to sleep.

My cell phone woke me up the following day. I perpetually had it on silent, but some contacts like my father, Regina, Clara, and Graham could bypass that, thanks to settings.

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My room was covered in darkness thanks to the ceiling-to-floor curtains over the windows. The wealthy loved their windows, and this room was no exception. I barely glanced at them the night before, but someone must have come in and closed them for me.

I grabbed my phone, and Graham's smiling face greeted me. Why was he calling me?

I swiped to answer the call and flopped back on the bed with the phone pressed to my ear.

"Graham?" I said. I flinched and pulled an iced tea pouch from my space to sip. My voice was croaky and sounded like a frog.

Ever the prince, Graham's voice was smooth and gentle. "Good morning, Dolyn. I just wanted to know if you landed okay."

I was supposed to call him and my father each to let them know I had. "I became sick after we landed. And instead collapsed in my bed." I said, which was to be expected with this sort of body. I drained the cup of tea, savoring the tartness of the lemon on my tongue for just a moment.

"How are you feeling now?" There was concern in his voice, and that brought a smile to my lips.

"I'm fine," I said with a much nicer voice. "Wait, what time is it for you?" I pulled the phone away from my ear to glance at the time. It was already noon here, so that meant it was…

"Midnight," Graham said. "I wanted to give you time to sleep before I called to check how you were doing."

"You shouldn't have done that. Go to bed. Don't you have a meeting tomorrow?"

"I'll be able to do it properly, knowing you're safe." Graham's voice rasped in my ear, and I blinked. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Graham was sweet on me. His voice stopped being a substitute for Adam long ago, as he was my friend. His words, coupled with the likeness to Adam's voice, however, made me feel strange. I wasn't comfortable with that feeling or the dream.

I attempted to make an acquiescence noise, but it sounded like a grunt. I have to be wrong. Graham is just a natural flirt who is too kind for his own good. There was no way we could stay friends if I thought otherwise for a mere moment.

Silence passed as I tried to regain my voice. When I finally achieved that, I said, "Good night, Graham."

"Good night, Dolyn."

I made a face as I pulled my phone away. I needed to text my father that I was safe. Though, unlike Graham, he already knew. The pilot worked for him, and even though we were chilling on a vacation island reserved just for us, everyone who worked there also worked for my father. There were always eyes on me.

I put my phone away and shuffled out of bed and towards the bathroom. It was time to check the damage.

Big dark circles were under my eyes, and my face looked swollen. My hair had been swept up into a top bun to keep it travel-friendly. That had fallen apart during my sleep, and what once looked decent became an array of trouble.

"Girl, you have work to do," I said, moving my fleshy face around. Luckily, we came to this island for a spa day.

After two hot lemon honey teas, I was ready for the spa! The group chat told me brunch had already started, so I didn't bother changing into anything nice. We would spend most of the day in a robe anyway.

The mansion we stayed in had just enough suites for our privacy. The main dining room, however, is where we all ended up for brunch.

I was the last and by far the greasiest one to show up. Everyone was practically glowing with excitement. They all wore various summer dresses that showed off their thin calves and shapely shoulders. I felt absolutely haggard walking in and seeing them.

The point of a spa day was to feel like a million bucks after all the work. What was the point if you went in already looking like a million bucks?

I scrunched my face and sat the furthest away. The tea I drowned had not prepared me for the brightness that overflowed off them. All it managed to do was coat my throat with enough honey to make this light palatable. What was it with these rich girls being so damn happy and effortlessly together?

I hiccuped as a face I wanted to forget came to mind. Of course, there was only one lady I truly meant when I said that. Her name was on the verge of breaking through my thoughts, but luckily, Regina interrupted it.

"Dolyn, you didn't want to…prepare at all?" Regina said. I could tell she was genuinely worried for me, and I laughed a little at myself.

"I'm going to spend the day preparing and pampering at the spa." That is what I meant to say, but what came out was a hoarse cough.

This damn body was going to be the end of me.

I spent the first day of this bridal spa trip in bed, messaging Bryon on my phone. A fever made it just about impossible to do much, and the bed was comfortable enough to forget my woes.

Bryon made quick progress on the game and would credit me with the story writing. I barely managed to avoid using the plot of this world as the background.

I only partially pulled off an original thought. The character concepts on my phone showed me that.

Adam looked back at me with his deep, stoic gaze. It was so realistic my breath hitched in my throat. The character's name was something different, at least.

My phone beeped, and I saw that instead of messaging me, Bryon was calling me.

"So what do you think? I took what you said and improvised off the tips you gave when I was constructing character design with my power." He said when I answered.

For the first time, I was grateful for this weak body. I could blame this dizziness on my fever, not my heart. "It looks good," I said.

"Great. I was thinking of giving him a love interest."

"No!" I all but shouted and bit my lip. "This is a horror action game, not a romance. We should have him focus on rebuilding the world and becoming the hero he's meant to be."

Selfish greed and sheer jealousy prevented me from agreeing to a love interest. Even if I could accept an interest, who could suit Adam? Certainly not Wendy, Gwendolyn, or even Dolyn.

Gavin said it best: Adam's soulmate was predestined, but that didn't mean I had to witness it again.

"Okay," Byron said after a long pause, and I could tell my venom had shocked him. "I'll start on his team design using the notes we came up with. I'll get back to you when you guys return from your trip."

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

I was feeling better by the third day and could play catch up on what I missed out on the first days. The spa trip was supposed to last a week but became two weeks due to the weather.

Clara worked her magic, making it possible to plan Regina's wedding. I contributed when needed, but Clara was such a party-planning Goddess I wasn't required to.

Time passed, and I went from looking like I was on death's doorstep to practically glowing with youth and health.

"Watch this fade when we land, and I get sick again," I said with a head shake.

The girl in the mirror looked a little sad at that, but at least I had a headstart on my beauty before I fell apart again. The bags under my eyes were gone, and my cheeks looked dewy and soft. My hair looked lusher than ever and there was a spring to the ginger red hair. The only complication to this was the bandages over my right hand.

I accidentally dropped a piece of meat on my BBQ skewer into the firepit and dove for it with my bare hand like a doofus. My skin was salvageable, but I had to wrap it with some salves to promote healing. I had to stop everyone from fussing about taking off my rings. They were fine under the fire and, unlike my skin, hadn't heated up or become damaged in any way. Plus, they couldn't come off. That is something I need to ask Mordecai about. Instead, I used the spaces until the allotted time so they would disappear and stop the fussing.

"There's a slight delay because of our new guests." A sacrificial lamb of an employee said. Our plane was waiting because another plane was landing with guests.

I could see Clara's eyes narrow, but before I could step in, Regina dismissed the man and distracted Clara with some minimal wedding tasks.

I opened my mouth to join in the conversation, but my feet moved for some reason. I was headed to the new plane that had just landed.

A sense of urgency, unlike any other, overpowered me.

"Dolyn?" A voice called out to me, but I ignored it.

The last time I listened to this instinct, I was able to be there for Regina. What could this feeling bring me now? My heart pounded in my chest fiercely, and the sensation brought sharp tears to my eyes.

"Miss, I will have to ask you to step back." A big, burly man in a tight-fitted suit stopped me with one hand from getting any closer.

I blinked at him, confused and dazed, as I looked at the plane. Who was going to get off it? Why was my heart beating so painfully? Someone on this plane was…

Just as quickly, the feeling was gone. I blinked, then turned to look all around me. Why did that feeling disappear so fast? I took a few steps back and saw that the plane was emptied of baggage. A handful of people got off, but all looked like bodyguards.

My powers had never been wrong like this before, so what was I missing?

It was embarrassing and almost shameful having to trek back to my friends. Clara and Regina were looking at me with a question on their faces. They didn't ask because they both knew of my powers. Later, I'd get grilled and could tell them. What was there to explain exactly? Something meaningful and life-altering was supposed to occur, but it was ripped from me just as fast.

We boarded our plane, and I looked back at the island with pain. Mr. Brutus had to get pulled out of my things to squeeze. Maybe later, I'd understand why my heart felt like it was ripped out of my chest and as if something precious was stolen at the last moment.