3 Iris Gray

Cassandra Gray remained puzzled about why her naughty granddaughter had gone into the woods behind their house during a blizzard. Despite her warnings, the stubborn girl paid no heed. If this girl had not fallen into a semi-coma, she would have scolded her already.

For the past two days, Cassandra had been by Iris's side in the hospital, unable to do anything but keep her company.

The doctor had assured her that Iris' internal organs were intact. She was only shocked after being found in a nervous death state and ended up in a semi-coma. However, there was no sign of her regaining consciousness anytime soon, which worried Cassandra.

Sitting by the bed, Cassandra gently massaged Iris' hand. After a while, she saw Iris' hand move slightly. She gasped in surprise, her eyes widening with hope.

She initially questioned whether her eyes were deceiving her. Still, when she heard Iris' weak voice, she became even more convinced that her granddaughter had finally awakened from her two-day semi-comatose state.

"Oh my god! Iris... Iris, you... you're awake..."

In a state of panic, Cassandra swiftly pressed the emergency button to alert the medical staff. Still, her nervousness got the better of her, rendering her unable to wait. She rushed to the door, desperately calling for the attending doctor.

"Doctor, please check my granddaughter! Hurry, she's awake!" Cassandra's voice resounded through the corridor with all her might.

She ignored the disturbance her loud pleas might cause other patients. Her fear of her granddaughter returning to her semi-coma state outweighs any concern of disturbing the peace of the hospital.

...

'Granddaughter!?'

Iris was taken aback by the old woman referring to her as 'Granddaughter.' She couldn't recall having a grandmother.

'Why is this old woman calling me that?'

Amid her confusion, fragments of her conversation with the old man resurfaced in her mind.

'I reincarnated into someone else's body?' She regretted not hearing the old man's explanation.

Iris found herself even more confused as she had no memories of the girl possessing this body. She only knew that the old lady called her Iris.

'So, we share the same name, Iris? Iris Gray?'

Once again, Iris attempted to open her eyes, only to be momentarily blinded by a bright light. She shut her eyes once more, allowing them to adjust.

"Miss Iris Gray, can you hear me?"

'Ah, so we have the same name... Iris Gray!'

The voice of the man calling her name seemed so close. Iris made another try to open her eyes, and this time, she could open them.

Iris saw a middle-aged man with glasses staring at her, holding a small flashlight that resembled a pen. She recognized him as a doctor from his white lab coat.

"Miss Gray, please nod if you can hear me."

Following the doctor's instructions, Iris nodded slowly.

"Good! Now, follow this light..." he said, swinging his hand left, then right.

Once again, Iris follows the beam of light emanating from the doctor's small flashlight.

"Perfect! Now, try to speak..." The doctor pocketed the flashlight and smiled at Iris. He asked, "What is your name?"

"I-Iris G-gray..." She said in a slow and barely audible voice. Her throat hurts.

The smile on the doctor's face widened as he continued, "Do you know who this woman is?" He pointed to the elderly lady standing beside him.

Iris turned her head slowly towards the tall, slender woman, traces of beauty still evident despite her age. Her pixie-cut gray hair gave her a youthful appearance. The woman, undoubtedly pretty, was a stranger to Iris. This only added to her confusion.

'She must be the grandmother of the owner of this body, right?'

Iris was desperate to remember the memories of the body's original owner, fearing that others would recognize her as a different person.

"M-My Grandma..." She uttered the words slowly, concocting a plan to feign memory loss. It would be troublesome to pretend, and it certainly wouldn't be easy! But this is the only option for now.

"Ms. Gray, congratulations... your granddaughter is recovering," the doctor smiled politely at Cassandra. "You don't need to worry. She only needs some exercises to strengthen her muscles. She can be discharged tomorrow morning..."

After the doctor explained Iris' condition to Cassandra and instructed the nurse on duty to assist, he took his leave.

Iris struggled to sit up but found it difficult due to the stiffness in her body. The two nurses beside her offered assistance, helping her sit up and guiding her through muscle training exercises.

Cassandra silently observed the nurses as they assisted Iris. She felt happy and relieved knowing that her granddaughter had finally woken up and was on the path to recovery.

After nearly an hour, Iris could finally stand up and slowly take a few steps. She still had a long way to go, but overall, she had progressed in regaining her mobility. She just needed more time to continue her training.

With the nurses leaving the room, only Iris and Cassandra were there.

Iris felt awkward being alone with this old lady. She had no memory of her.

"You heartless little girl," Cassandra suddenly scolded Iris, who was sitting on the sofa next to her. Her hazel green eyes stared sharply at Iris.

"...How dare you do that to your grandma? How could you make me feel so scared these past two days?" Cassandra continued to speak, her voice choked with tears. This was the first time she had felt so lost and scared; she never imagined that this little girl would die before her.

Iris was stunned, her hands clenched, unsure how to handle this woman crying like a child. She didn't know how to comfort her. It was all foreign to her.

"G-Grandma..." Iris finally found the courage to speak. "I'm sorry if I worried you," she said slowly, feeling deep guilt and sympathy towards this woman because she knew her actual granddaughter was already dead.

"I-Iris, don't ever do that again..." Cassandra's voice was cracking as she was crying and sobbing. She pulled Iris into her arms, pouring her sorrow as she held her tight.

"Iris, from now on, Grandma will be good to you. I will never scold you again. I will never stop you from doing whatever you like. Grandma will always support you, dear. But, you have to promise me, never... try to kill yourself again. Never!"

'Suicide?' Iris was utterly bewildered, her blood running cold. 'So this girl wants to suicide!?' She immediately let go of her grandmother's embrace. The moment their eyes met, she felt warmth and affection through her gaze. It was the first time she experienced such warmth, feeling someone looking at her with love and care.

Iris felt the urge to confess to this older woman in that instant. She needs to know what happened to her. Why did she want to kill herself?

"Grandmother," Iris said, holding the old woman's hand, "actually, I have a problem..."

Cassandra's eyebrows lifted slightly at Iris' words. "A problem?"

"Mmm, I-I think I have some memory loss..." Iris's voice trailed off as she saw the older woman's face turn shocked.

Cassandra was shocked to learn that her only granddaughter had lost her precious memories.

"Why didn't you say this earlier?" Cassandra asked, rising from her seat. She needed to call the doctor for a detailed check-up on Iris. However, before she could walk away, Iris grabbed her hand.

"Why did you stop me?" Cassandra looked confused at Iris.

"Grandma, please, stop!" Iris pleaded urgently. "...Please don't say anything to the doctor about it, I beg you."

Iris didn't want to spend another day in the hospital. She wanted to go home and immediately learn about her new self, her identity, and where she lived.

If the doctor found out about her memory loss, Iris believed they wouldn't allow her to leave and would subject her to further tests.

Cassandra was confused at Iris' words. She couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you want the doctor to find out?"

Iris didn't immediately answer but motioned her to take a seat.

"Grandma, I haven't lost all my memories. Only certain ones. I can't remember what happened before the accident and a few other memories..." After lying to this caring and loving older woman, Iris paused to manage her emotions. However, she felt she had no other choice.

"And if the doctor knows, they will insist on keeping me here for more tests," Iris continued with a deep sigh. "Grandma, we have insurance to cover all the expenses, but do you want our cafe to remain closed longer?"

Cassandra was taken aback.

"All our customers will go elsewhere, right?" Iris continued, trying to persuade her. After a few seconds, she inwardly smiled when she saw Cassandra's gaze falter and nod in agreement.

"Alright, alright... You have a point, Iris. We can't keep the place closed any longer. Let's go home and reopen our business." Cassandra's voice trailed off as she realized Iris remembered their cafe.

"So you haven't lost all your memories... You still remember our cafe. Oh, Iris, that's very good, my dear." Cassandra smiled as she patted gently at Iris' hands.

Iris was at a loss for words. She still couldn't remember anything. She only heard what Cassandra said before she woke up. Thus, she only had part of what she had heard.

"Yes, grandma..." Iris forced a smile, though inside, she felt a bitter laugh. "In the meantime, let's keep this a secret." She was relieved to have convinced this older woman.

"But," Cassandra grasped Iris' hand. She squeezed it gently before saying seriously, "If your memories don't return within a week, we should see a doctor..."

Iris nodded, understanding that she had a few days to gather as much information as possible about the teenage girl Iris Gray.

The information Iris had about the girl was limited. All she knew was her name, Iris Gray, the same as her real name, and she was 19 years old, which she had seen on the patient identification plate at the end of her bed.

"Grandma, can you please tell me what exactly happened on the day I went missing in the woods? You said I tried to kill myself?"

Iris wanted to understand why she had gone into the woods during a blizzard. It seemed that the girl's experience mirrored her own to some extent. She had been killed in the blizzard, but this little girl appeared unharmed, with no wounds.

Cassandra's shoulders slumped. Her grip tightened on Iris' hand. She recounted what happened on that terrible day when Iris allowed herself to nearly freeze to death.