“What do I say?” Alexia muttered to herself, her eyes darting around the office.

She sighed, "This is probably not the first time they’ve been in a situation like this. Superheroes and villains fighting it out is just another day for them. Why am I stressing about it?”

She glanced at the monitor. “Look at this! I’m the one that needs help. What kind of fucked up situation is this? Man!... I didn’t ask for this…”

Alexia fell silent, lost in her thoughts. After a moment, she decided to use her power to eavesdrop on her employees' conversations downstairs.

"Man, what a day,"

"I can't wait to hit the bar after work."

"Tell me about it," another replied. "I just want to get home, crack open a beer, and forget all this.”

In the other room.

“So, what’s everyone having for dinner tonight?”.

“I’m thinking of trying that new Destarian place,”

“Oh, I heard their Steak is amazing!”

“See!..” Alexia let out a relieved breath. “They are just fine.” She chuckled to herself, feeling a bit foolish for stressing so much.

"Whatever! I'll talk to them, just for formalities."

She stood up from her desk and strode purposefully out of her office. But suddenly, a realization struck her.

“Wait... I can’t just go in there like this,” she muttered to herself. “I need to be Ryland. Okay, Alex, channel your inner bitch. Act like a certified a-hole. You’ve played way tougher roles before; you are an award winning actress, you can do this.”

She fell silent, taking a deep breath. In a moment, her demeanor shifted like magic. Her expression turned cold as ice, her smile vanished, and her movements became deliberate and commanding. Now, she emitted the aura of an authoritarian boss.

With a deep breath, Alexia entered the cubicle area. The room fell into an uneasy silence as everyone looked down, avoiding her gaze.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded sharply. "Did I give you permission to just stand there doing nothing?"

Her gaze swept across the room, meeting the eyes of each employee. "You seem perfectly fine to me. Get back to work! Let's not waste any more time.”

As Alexia elegantly turned around, ready to stride back to her office, she overheard a muffled comment from one of the employees nearby.

"Man, that's cold," the employee muttered under his breath.

Her demeanor instantly shifted, and she whipped around, fixing a stern gaze on the employee. "What did you say?!"

The employee's eyes widened in fear. "I-I'm sorry, boss. But I didn't say anything, I swear," he stammered nervously, glancing around at his bewildered colleagues who hadn't heard a thing.

Internally, Alexia panicked. "Oh shit! Was I the only one who heard that? I must maintain my composure, or they'll think I've lost my mind," she thought, regaining her composure swiftly.

"I apologize. I must be hearing things. There's a lot on my mind right now," she said, trying to steady herself. "Now, get back to work, everyone. Chop chop!"

The employees immediately returned to their tasks, the tension slowly easing from their faces. Alexia watched them closely, realizing, "Their heartbeats went crazy. Ryland was truly a piece of work," she concluded silently, feeling the weight of her new persona settling in.

Back in her eccentric office, Alexia delved deeper into the myriad of emails and documents on her computer. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, scrolling through endless threads and attachments.

"Man, what are you into, Ryland?" she muttered to herself, squinting at the screen. "There's nothing but conspiracies here. Wait… another picture of Sunstriker but…" She leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued, but suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hallway, heading towards her office.

In a panic, Alexia closed all the tabs on her computer. Her heart raced as she quickly grabbed a random stack of documents from her desk, pretending to read them with feigned interest.

The door creaked open, and Clayton stepped in. "Oh hey, Clayton, everything's alright?" she greeted him, trying to sound casual.

"Alex," he began, a nostalgic smile on his face. "Do you remember when we were kids, we used to skip school and head straight to the arcade?"

Alexia kept her expression neutral, her poker face firmly in place. "Uhm… yeah?"

Clayton chuckled softly, leaning against the doorframe. "Do you remember that game we used to play, the title? I want to play that game again on my phone, but I don’t remember what it’s called."

She felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead. She racked her brain, trying to think of something to say. "Gimme a minute. The game is… I'm sorry, Clayton, no clue. It’s been too long, I don’t remember," she said confidently, hoping he wouldn't notice her anxiety.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“It’s a fighting game, please, I really want to play that game again,” Clayton pleaded, his eyes earnest.

“A fighting game? Road Fighters? I don’t know,” She said, mentioning one of the fighting games from her original world. "Shit... why did I say that? That’s it, my cover is officially blown," she thought, her heart pounding.

Clayton’s face lit up. “Yeah, right, that’s it! Let me type that in and see if it’s in the store... Yes, it’s available. Then let me press the download button!”

“Really? Okay then, enjoy the game!” She let out a relieved sigh, feeling momentarily saved.

Clayton’s smile vanished. “A ha, I knew it, you’re not Ryland! She hated the arcade, and the way you talk is totally different from that countryside cunt, and on top of that, she would NEVER apologize for her shitty behavior, especially not to her employees-slash-slaves”.

“You know what, fine, I am not Ryland but… I can explain!”

“Nope!... no time for that, you filthy Plutonian Lizard.” Without another word, he reached into his bag, his movements quick and frantic, and pulled out an egg. Before Alexia could react, he hurled it at her with all his might. The egg shattered upon impact, splattering her t-shirt with its sticky, gooey substance, “take that! you shapeshifting bitch, now die!!”

“Dude, eeww, what is wrong with you?!,” she exclaimed, her voice thick with revulsion.

“Nothing wrong with me, but you on the other hand… wait wait… wait…” He looked down, his brow furrowing in thought as he rubbed his chin, his confidence suddenly faltering, “how are you still standing? The egg should have sent you into a hallucinogenic trance!”

“Maybe because I am not a Lizard? Have you considered that?” She glared at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she wiped at the egg on her shirt.

Clayton’s eyes widened with realization as he met her gaze. “Uh… so you’re really not a Lizard?” His voice wavered, the certainty in his tone now completely gone.

“No, I’m not,” She replied flatly, her expression a mixture of annoyance and disgust. “And thanks for ruining my shirt.”

“Uh… sorry about that,” He mumbled, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he looked away.

Alexia let out a sigh, shaking her head as she continued to wipe the egg off her shirt. “Next time, how about asking questions BEFORE you throw eggs at people?”

Clayton nodded sheepishly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Yeah… probably a good idea.”

Alexia winced as the pungent smell of the egg hit her nose. "Ugh… the smell! Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, quickly pulling off her stained shirt and tossing it aside, leaving only her gym top to cover her torso. She shook her head, clearly frustrated, before looking back at Clayton.

"Anyway," Clayton pressed, his tone sharp, "who are you? Where’s Ryland?"

She met his gaze, trying to stay calm. “I am Ryland. What are you talking about?”

“Ha ha, very funny. You just admitted you’re not Ryland a minute ago… and look at you! Other than your face, you’re nothing like Ryland. When’s the last time someone gained muscle and height in just one night?”

She raised an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Thank you for the compliment! What's she like, by the way?”

His eyes narrowed, not amused. “No, no, no! It’s really not the time for you to ask questions, you need to tell me who you are, and what you’re doing impersonating that bitch first!”

She sighed, “Okay, fair enough… where do I begin?”

She took a deep breath and began to tell Clayton everything—how she ended up here, about the God who sent her, and how she had no idea why it happened.

Clayton listened, his skepticism slowly giving way to a mix of confusion and intrigue. “So, what happened to Ryland? Did she die?” he asked, his voice softening just a little.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her brow furrowing. “I think our souls got swapped.”

Clayton shook his head, frowning. “No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

She shot him a puzzled look. “If that wasn’t the case, how else do you explain the fact that her memories are in my head?”

Clayton crossed his arms, his expression skeptical. “If that actually was the case, you’d be stuck with her fake tits and fake ass.”

They fell into an awkward silence, the weight of the situation hanging between them. Both of them were lost in their thoughts, trying to make sense of the bizarre reality they found themselves in.

Alexia leaned back slightly, her eyes searching Clayton's face. “So… what do you think?” she asked, her voice tentative.

Clayton folded his arms, his expression unreadable. “Let’s assume that everything you said is true.”

“It IS true!” Alexia interjected, a hint of frustration in her tone.

Clayton raised a hand to calm her. “Okay, okay. So, you must be some righteous superhero in your original world, helping people and stuff. That’s why the God sent you here, right? To save the people of this world?”

Alexia shook her head, a small, rueful smile playing on her lips. “No, there were no superheroes in my world. I was an assas— I mean, an actress.”

“An actress, huh? Interesting.” Clayton’s tone was dry, almost dismissive. “A world with no superpowers… whatever. Maybe the God was just tired of that bitch Ryland and decided to replace her with you. Whatever the reason, the important question is, what are you gonna do about it?”

Alexia sighed, her expression softening. “I just want to live my life—my new life, I suppose—in the simplest and easiest way possible,” she said, her voice sincere.

Clayton nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. “Alrighty, that settles it then. I’m gonna go downstairs and, you know, continue doing my job. Call me if you need me.”

Alexia blinked in surprise. “You’re gonna let me go, just like that? You’re not gonna tell anyone? Aren’t you sad that Ryland’s missing? I thought you were best friends.”

Clayton chuckled darkly. “Yes, just like that. I’m not gonna tell anyone—nobody would believe me anyway. And FYI, I hated that bitch from the bottom of my heart. I’m super happy that she’s gone. Bye…”

“Wait, wait… I could be a killer or a spy or something,” Alexia called out, trying to gauge his reaction.

Clayton paused, turning back with a smirk. “Still better than that bitch.”

“Clayton! Don’t just leave like that!” Alexia called after him, her voice edged with desperation. “I still need your help to figure things out! Like running this company, and these strange emails on the computer. You were the closest one to Ryland—I need to know what you know about her if I’m going to adapt to this new life.”

Clayton halted mid-step, turning back with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, honey boo, you don’t need to worry about running this company. Ryland didn’t run it either. She just sat around complaining—‘Clayton, where’s my money? Why are the sales so slow?’—on and on. She drove me up the wall.” He shook his head as if shaking off a bad memory. “And as for your ‘new life,’ you’ll fit in just fine. You don’t need me for that.”

He started to turn away again, but then he paused, his expression sharpening. “Wait—did you say strange emails? You have access to her emails?”

Alexia nodded, her tone earnest. “Yes, I do. Will you help me?”

Clayton’s demeanor shifted, curiosity lighting up his eyes. “Well, now you’ve got my attention. Let’s see what kind of mess she left behind.”

Alexia nodded, gesturing to the computer. “Go ahead.”

Clayton’s eyes widened as he began scrolling through the emails. “Whoa, this is fascinating. I knew she was into conspiracies before, but not to this extent.” His voice grew more incredulous as he clicked through the messages. “Wait, wait… she was actually one of the founders of the anti-superhero movement? What’s happening?”

Alexia’s patience was wearing thin. “So… are you gonna help me or not?”

Clayton’s head snapped up, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Yes!” He paused, studying her with a calculating look. “But only if you give me a raise… and 10% of the company.” He cleared his throat, as if that made the demand more reasonable.

Alexia crossed her arms, eyeing him warily. “5%.”

“7%,” Clayton countered, a playful smirk on his face.

Alexia held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Deal.”

Clayton grinned, satisfied. But his expression quickly shifted to one of curiosity. “Do you think Sunstriker, you know… slept with her?”

Alexia blinked, momentarily thrown by the sudden change of topic. “Sunstriker? The superhero?”

Clayton shrugged, as if it were the most natural question in the world. “Yeah. It’s just… with all this anti-superhero stuff, makes you wonder if there was something more personal going on.”

Alexia hesitated, then shook her head with a slight laugh. “Honestly? I have no idea. But if she did, I doubt it ended well.”