Cloned

She twitches, and her eyes open. She starts like a frightened animal and sits up, pulling the sheet up around her. She gingerly touches her face, her throat, her breast.

"What....what happened to me? Where am I?"

Tebryn, who had been sitting at her side, holding her hand, answers: "You died. You are back."

"So cold." She shivers. "How long have I been gone?"

"You were gone fifteen months. You are back now. I am so happy to see you!"

Veracity's eyes widen in surprise. "Fifteen months? It took that long to get me resurrected? Well. Thank you..."

"You don't understand. We tried to resurrect you the day you died. Your body refused to accept your soul. You were, seemingly, gone for good. I preserved you - and finally, got you cloned."

"Cloned? So this is not my body?" Veracity runs her hands over her body and pinches her flesh, examining it closely. "It looks and feels just like my body..."

"You don't understand that, either, little Poison Berry. This is your body. It was grown from a sample of flesh from your old body. It is enough your body that it was able to pull back and accept your wandering soul. Ask the death priests how that works; it's beyond me."

Veracity looks around the Necromancer's lab and wrinkles her nose. "Take me home, please, brother. I must meditate on this."

"I've brought clothing for you. Here, let me help you..."

Tebryn helps Veracity back to his Tower. Her muscles are weak and untoned; she's been growing as a clone for this body's whole life. It has all the potential of the old one, but she will have to train for a while to be back in form.

When they arrive home, Veracity insists on being shown her old body. She runs her fingers over it, and then over herself and then stands, head lowered, for several minutes, deep in thought. She looks up, reaches for Tebryn, and kisses him. "Thank you brother. It is good to be back. I need to think on this for a while. Thanks so much."

In her room, she again strokes and prods and pulls on her body, looking at it in wonder. Her soul had wandered for fifteen months, but she was back again, in flesh. A renewed resolve came upon her. She had had one chance at life and it had been cut short, and only through the efforts of a dear friend had she been given a second chance. Henceforth, she would live life as fully as she could, sampling all the physical pleasures available.