Thrice Upon A Choice

Chapter XIX

Aspen

I knew I wasn't really awake. But my eyes opened to the bright white light in front of me. I was standing in a room...not a room, a space. The only concrete part of the space was the white floor I stood on. Everything else was just white.

Then there was Andy. She had appeared out of nowhere, perched on a white wall, legs swinging. She wore a plain grey singlet and black cargo pants, and her hair had been combed and pinned back behind her ear.

"Andy," I exclaimed.

She looked up, "Hey Aspen."

The tone wasn't happy or sad; just neutral. Completely steady and indifferent.

"Where am I?" I asked her.

"I don't think it's my job to give a name to this place," she said, shrugging, "It sort depends on how you were raised I guess. What you do and don't believe in."

"I don't believe in life after death," I said firmly.

Andy smiled, "Well I guess this is all just in your head then."

"That's probably the option I'm most comfortable with," I told her, "But why are you here?"

"I..." Andy hesitated, "I died."

"What?" I was baffled, "No, Andy....no?"

She shrugged again, "It's no biggie."

"Andy, you're dead!"

"Yeah, so? I'm not the one who has to deal with it."

"But Emmy and Lamar...and Bess?"

Andy turned her eyes downcast, "There's nothing I can do about that. Bess doesn't even know yet. She was too far away when it happened and she currently trying to save your life so no one's gonna step in and enlighten her just yet."

"Wait...I'm not dead?"

"No...but I'm gonna be honest with you, it's not great."

Looked down, examining myself. I wore the plain green t-shirt and cargo pants, with my warm Kindaran boots, the same clothes I had worn into battle. Except they were...cleaner. A hand floated up to my hair and I found it to be as silky as if I had just washed and brushed it and when I pulled a strand of it in front of my eyes, it was no longer the dyed dirty blonde it had been, but back to my natural jet black.

"How am I here then?" I asked Andy, "If I'm not dead, but you are?"

Anastasia materialized before my eyes, "You're almost here. Not quite. That's why you can't come any closer."

I tried to take a step forward and discovered that she was right. My feet were glued to the floor.

"And it was Abraham, by the way," Anastasia said, "He poisoned me."

She was dressed in a pretty golden dress with sleeves decorated with bluebells. Her shoulder length hair had been curled up into a bun behind her head. She looked as poised as ever.

"We know, we have evidence," I said.

"Good, because I doubt that my word would stand up in any court," She smiled at this.

There was a silence between us and I realized that it was incredibly rude of me to be flaunting my not-deadness in front of them like this. I was on the verge of an apology when my thoughts were interrupted.

"Well I didn't expect Hell to look like this!"

I looked up to see the slightly scrawny kid with the dark buzz cut and thick framed glasses that illuminated his dark eyes, smiling wildly at me.