Death by Love

Chapter 2: A Jumbled Mess

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The words floated around in the air. "What?" I asked finally.

Rebecca sighed twisting her fingers together. "The paper says that you're still alive. But it probably wasn't updated because mistakes do happen, and-"

I tuned her out as I wrapped my mind around her words. I was still alive. I wasn't dead. I could go back to our cozy apartment, I could see Mom and Dad and Brandi again, I could go to school, I could learn how to drive, I could go to college -

"I'm still alive!" I shouted, my face beaming. A few stray tears of joy trickled down my cheeks. It was all okay. This was just a big mistake. I could go back to living a normal life.

Rebecca put a hand on my shoulder. "But it's not as easy as that, dear. As far as death goes, you are dead. You can't go back once you come here."

I shook my head slowly. "No! But that's not fair! I'm not dead!" I shook my head frantically and held Will's arm. "Tell her! Tell her I'm not dead!" I shrieked.

To my surprise, Will gently uncurled my fingers from his arm and led me to the chair. "Sit down, Carys," he said. I sat down obediently, my breathing ragged.

"Okay, first of all, it's probably just a big mistake. You probably are dead." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. "Just hear me out. Even if you aren't dead, you can't just pop back into your life. You'll probably be underground in a coffin, and you'll suffocate to death anyway. And if you aren't in a coffin, how freaky do you think it would be if you just woke up from the dead and went about living your life? It's not that simple, Carys. You need to think rationally," Will said.

I buried my head into my knees and started sobbing. "I-I d-don't want t-to be dead!" I wailed. Rebecca patted me on the back.

"It's alright sweetie," she murmured soothingly. "Besides, I bet that it was just a typo on your file. We can watch a video of your death to verify that, alright?" she asked. I nodded, tears still streaming from my eyes.

She took out a remote from her cardigan, and pointed it at the screen.

All of a sudden, the screen flickered to life, and I saw me, wearing Minnie Mouse pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt. I was lying on my bed, listening to music, eating chips, and reading a book.

I vaguely remembered doing just that, but the memory was hazy and my head hurt when I tried to remember it.

I just lay there reading, when suddenly my head lolled to the side and I slumped over, like I was sleeping.

Or like I had never even been awake.

The screen went black, and I stared at it uncomprehending. How had I died?

"W-what happened?" I finally asked.

Rebecca looked a bit flustered. "Maybe you got poisoned, dear. There are so many possibilities. Normally I would just check on your file, but it seems as if the government made a mistake. I'll tell you how you died after I get the results. It takes weeks for the governments to get through all the papers, with all the people that beg for a second chance at life, and things like that," she said.

"A second chance at life? Is that even possible?" I asked.

Rebecca looked as if she was sorry she had said anything. "Err... hypothetically dear, but I- you-"

"It really doesn't concern you," Will said firmly. "Don't you think I would have tried too? Nobody really wants to die. There are no second chances when it comes to death."