AT THE SAME TIME
ISABELLA
The system blinked twice, then spasmed across the ceiling like a dying hologram, red grids cracking, numbers colliding into nonsense. A voice, flat, mechanical, almost tired, spoke from the overhead speakers.
"PRIMARY HOST SPLIT DETECTED. SECONDARY ENTITY RESTORED. STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. STABILIZATION REQUIRED. EXPECT TEMPORARY INCONSISTENCIES."The voice said.
Bella turned to me, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, eyes sparkling like she had just discovered a secret cheat code.
"This is wild." She whispered, looking at the room. "I am alive. I am not supposed to be alive, and you, you are her."
Terrence, still kneeling, pinched the bridge of his nose, ears beet red, diamonds glinting off the chandeliers.
"Wait what does this mean for her?" He asked softly, almost too quietly. "For Isabella? The author?"
I opened my mouth, but the system intervened again this time with less urgency, more like a hesitant tutor.
