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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9411
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9411
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

My suggestion would be almost the polar opposite of [Stephan's](https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9396); I think you ought to try switching back to Nicene/Cherry's viewpoint, at least temporarily, very soon after she's found by Shadow. While in her viewpoint, make sure to have Shadow address her as "Cherry", while consistently using her real name in narrative and any internal thoughts. Done right, this should make it clear to the reader that these two names refer to the same person.

In particular, one option would be to **retell the initial encounter from both characters' viewpoints.** That way, you can first describe from Shadow's viewpoint how he finds the strange unconscious woman, and have her introduce herself as Cherry, and then (immediately, or at least fairly soon) switch back to her viewpoint and show how _she_ feels about waking up and being confronted by a strange man, and then directly show what she's thinking as she decides to give a false name for herself. You can then continue the story for a while from her viewpoint, and then, if you want, switch back to his when a convenient opportunity presents itself.

Of course, giving some clues (like, say, a distinctive physical appearance, as suggested in some of the other answers) about Nicene/Cherry's identity even before you switch to her viewpoint could help further reduce the interval during which the reader might be unsure of who she it. Still, even if you deliberately go out of your way _not_ to provide any such clues, it could still work as long as you do the viewpoint switch soon enough. In fact, one possible opportunity for the switch might be _immediately_ after she introduces herself as Cherry:

> "You can call me Shadow," he said. "It's as good a name as any. And what's your name, sweetheart?"
> 
> The woman took a while to reply, her eyes flicking between his face and the room, as if she was trying to make a decision. "Cherry. My name's Cherry," she said.
> 
> #
> 
> The first thing Nicene became aware of was the pain in her head. The pain, and the strange fleeting lights and shapes that slowly gave way to an unfamiliar room as she opened her eyes. In the doorway, watching her, stood a man she didn't recognize. She wasn't sure how long he'd been there, but he seemed content to just stand there and wait as she gathered her senses.
> 
> "Who are you?" she asked the man. It didn't seem like the most original thing to ask, but then, she wasn't feeling very original right then. "What is this place?" she continued.
> 
> "You can call me Shadow," he said. "It's as good a name as any. And what's your name, sweetheart?"

(Apologies for stealing your character names for the example above. Any resemblance of the example, or of the characters in it, to your actual story should be considered entirely coincidental.)

Original score: 5