Goodnight, Socialite

IV: The Honest Girl

*Danielle's POV*

The light.
When i first opened my eyes on the other side, it was too dazzling. In an effort to shield my gaze from it, i threw my arm in front of my eyes, but to no avail. The light still shown too bright. I had no choice but to give into it. Lowering my arm, i found the sun. Well, a sun. Not like the one of my previous life. It's as if this sun wasn't meant to give off heat, but instead radiate... Peace. Hope. A sense of security. And it certainty shined brighter than any star i had ever seen. Such a brilliant white light.

Getting to my feet, and brushing myself off absentmindedly, i found stability. I looked in all directions, but it just appeared as a never ending room of white with the sun at it's center.
So this is it. This is my eternity. A white room and an unsettling sense of peace...
Is it heaven? Hell? Penance?
As if answering my thoughts, the sun's outstretched rays began to narrow. I followed the ray as it shown through a window that had practically appeared out of thin air within seconds. I was hesitant at first, but soon, i found myself eagerly waiting at the edge of the window seal.

The light spread across floors, the chairs, the people... All in my home. I recognized almost every face. There was my mother sobbing sloppily into my fathers coat as he gave minimal detail to a few policemen, a friend of mine, Annabelle McClintock whom i hadn't spoken with in months but was still called in for questioning, and him... The devil himself.
Alexander, grieving to an officer. Or so it appeared, but here, everything was clear to me. His grieving was really a mask for his worry; worry about the police finding out his real motives for marrying me. If anyone found out about his father's plans for my inheritance, their whole family reputation would be tarnished. As i watched him snivel and heard the cracks in his voice every time he said my name, it was enough to make me cry in my past life, but here they wouldn't come for some reason.
Watching this sorry scene in a life that i am no longer part of still made no sense to me. I closed the window and huffed.
"What does this mean? What am i supposed to do about any of that? I'm dead! Just give me my sentence and let me start my eternity."
I exclaimed to the sun or God or just simply anyone who would be listening. There was no point in dragging this out any longer. Be it Heaven or Hell, i was ready to move on from my mortal life.
But instead of my judgment, i was given something even more peculiar; A door.
A few steps from where i stood at the window, there was a large familiar wooden door, the door that stood between the rest of the house and my room in my past life. I was hesitant to turn the knob, but what else was i to do? Wait for some kind of absolution? Right now, the only absolution i seek is the one that i get on my own.

As the tumbler cranked and cluttered, i felt the large door unlock and with a deep breath, i pushed it open to find... Myself.
I was hanging, showing off all sorts of white and blue tones. All the blood in my veins had finally taken light and shown their colors brilliantly. I was a work of art, swinging back and forth, with my pale, dry lips agape. Though i looked quite lovely, no one else seemed to care. Policemen examined my body and jotted down meaningless descriptions on a notepad. I walked all around the room, until i heard his voice coming from downstairs.
Alexander.
I quickly made my way to the main hall where my parents, Alex, and Annabelle were being questioned. It baffled me that Annabelle, my childhood friend -whom i had not spoken with in some time- had been summoned to explain my suicide. The poor dear, she shouldn't have been dragged into all of this. What a way for her to remember me...The main constable was asking seemingly worthless questions for the case. What more could they do about a suicide?
"Mr. And Mrs. Ainsworth, could you tell me a little bit more about your daughter? Would she have any motive for committing such an act?"
My mother, through choked out words and muffled cries into my father's shoulder replied.
"No! Never! Danielle was always an honest girl. Never told a lie! Always listen to us, did as she was instructed, had a lovely suitor; why, i-- i don't know how this could have... Oh, my poor baby!"
Then came the rain again with mother's tears. Hard and cold and fast and unforgiving. She always was a sensitive creature, and very foolish. I feared she might never see past her veil of grief and understand why i had to go.
The officer flipped his notepad closed and tipped his hat to my family.
"Thank you for your time, we will see what we can do but for the time being, rest yourselves. I'm sorry for your loss."
With a shake of my father's hand, and a wave to his men, the house was practically empty once more, leaving the grieving party to toil in their sea of confusion and pain. I had never seen my mother so distraught and my father so... Constant. He was always cheery and lively and kind and rosy, but now... The rosy in his cheeks was replaced by a pale hue. Annabelle was quite distraught as well, so much so that she took the opportunity to cry into Alexander's coat. His strong arms... Those that i longed for all the days of my life, now held her in a close embrace. My rage was enough to fuel the fires of hell.
For I alone knew the truth,
And i was about to set it free.
~
As he walked home that night, Alexander mumbled his misfortunes to himself. I followed closely behind, still sensing the warmth of his human form that i once ached for.
"Foolish girl... Such a foolish girl.
Looks like there's no more inheritance, father... Plan B."
His comment made me shiver even in death. I had known of his plans for some time, but even after all that had happened...  After me... Doing what i did, this was all still a scheme to him. I was simply the pawn he never played.
Well, from that moment on, the pawn would play, but on her own terms.
"Alexander..."
I whispered softly in his ear, unsure if he could hear me, but confident that he felt my presence.
He quickly stopped and turned around, looking down the streets, nearby alleys, all directions in search of another human but there were none to be seen.
"Is someone there?!"
His words echoed throughout the wet, empty streets before returning to him. Alexander stood baffled in the moonlight until i spoke again.
"Alexander..."
"What-who, whose there?! Who are you?!"
I chuckled to myself before answering.
"Forgotten already, have we...?
If i can't have you... Then no one can."
And in that moment, though i knew he couldn't see me, his gaze went cold, and it was as if he was staring right at me.