The falls

chapter 32

Neomi, Jessica, and Lilien sat at the small table in the diner, its retro-style décor clashing with the intense conversation they were having. Lilien's butler, dressed in a stiff suit, stood nearby, arms crossed and scowling in disapproval. He clearly couldn't understand why Lilien, heir to the Northwest fortune, would choose to dine in such a common place. But Lilien didn't care about his opinion right now.

Jessica was quietly sipping her milkshake, the straw making a soft slurping noise as Neomi picked at her fries, trying to get the conversation started.

"So, about that nightmare," Neomi began, her voice hesitant. "It wasn't just a normal bad dream, right? I mean, we literally found Bill Cipher trapped in a cage... and there was that angel. My dreamscape, but... this was way more real than just a dream."

Lilien nodded, absentmindedly swirling her coffee. "I've been thinking about it, too," she said. "If Bill can come back and recreate Weirdmageddon... it's not just demons we have to worry about. Angels might be involved, too. And if there are angels, doesn't that confirm that heaven and hell are real?"

Jessica stopped mid-sip, the milkshake suddenly tasting a lot less sweet. She hadn't even thought about that-about what it all implied beyond Bill Cipher. "Yeah, I guess it does," she said softly. "But... we don't know for sure how much of it applies to our world or how heaven and hell work."

Lilien stared into her coffee cup, her usual confidence shaken. "What if I die, and I go to hell?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if everything we do now, everything we've done, decides where we end up? I don't want to find out too late that I'm doomed."

Neomi frowned, shoving a fry into her mouth. "You're not going to hell. Why would you even think that?"

Lilien hesitated, her mind racing. "I mean, my family's history isn't exactly... spotless. And what if it's not just about me? What if it's about who we are and where we come from? I've tried to be different from my mom, but what if that's not enough?"

Jessica leaned forward, placing her hand gently on Lilien's. "You're not your family. You're not bound to their choices. And if what we've seen proves anything, it's that we have a say in what happens. You're a good person, Lilien. You're trying to be better."

The butler scoffed, his disapproval evident, but Lilien didn't care. She squeezed Jessica's hand, offering a weak smile. "I hope you're right."

Neomi, sensing the tension, clapped her hands together. "Okay, enough of the doom and gloom. We'll figure this out, like we always do. And if Bill comes back, well, we'll just have to deal with him again."

Jessica nodded, though the lingering thought of heaven, hell, and their fate stayed in the back of her mind.