Party Til You Drop -- Dead

Party Til You Drop -- Dead Ch. 2

"I understand the pain." A young girl's voice appeared next to Paige. She screamed and jumped back. Beside her was a young, slender, brunette girl. She looked to be about seventeen years old. The girl's eyes filled with guilt.

"No, no! I didn't mean to scare you!" She waved her hands as she spoke. Paige thought she might hyperventilate. The girl smiled. "I'm Lauralee." 

Paige stared at her, both in shock and confusion.

"I'm--"

"Paige Taylor Henderson. I know." Lauralee held a newspaper and pointed to it. "It says so in 'After News'. In the 'Newcomers' article." Lauralee glanced up at Paige, only to see her with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open, before continuing.

"Paige Taylor Henderson. Age nineteen. Died of--"

"This is a mistake!" Paige interrupted the girl.

"Oh, it's no mistake." Lauralee corrected her. Her eyes suddenly filled with sympathy. She cupped her hand on Paige's shoulder. "I know it's hard. It was for me at first." 

Paige gasped. "You mean you're--"

"Dead? Sadly, yes." Lauralee stared at the floor and looked as if she might cry. But she looked up at Paige and smiled warmly. "But it's already. I've Adapted."

"But... you're so young. How did you... you know..."

"Oh. I died in a car accident. My friend was texting while driving. Foolish her, I know. She crashed into a tree. My head went through the windshield. All she suffered was a broken nose, from the impact on the steering wheel, and then the airbag."

Paige drew in a sharp breath. "I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Oh, don't be! It's all over now. I hold no grudges. She was my best friend. It was an honest mistake. It's over." Lauralee's words lingered in the air, taunting Paige.

It's over. It's over. It's over. It's over.

Life was over for her. Paige had one question for Lauralee -- why is it over?

"How did I..."

Lauralee nodded and relocated the article about her.

"Paige Taylor Henderson. Age nineteen. Died of a homicide--"

"No!" Paige felt tears about to fall, but not yet to her eyes. She was shaking. "Who," she started, "Who did it?" She demanded. Lauraleen looked somber. Sad at Paige's expense.

"What? You mean you don't remember?"

Paige was silent, but shook her head 'no'.

"Died of a homicide committed by Andrew Martin."

"No!" Paige cried out once more. "No, no, no, no, no! It can't be... he's... This is a mistake! A mistake." Paige nodded, her face red and streaked by tears. "Yeah. Yeah. A mistake. I'm not supposed to be here, I'm not dead." Paige closed her eyes and exhaled slowly out of her mouth. "I'm dreaming. I'm having a horrible, horrible nightmare."

Lauralee touched Paige's shoulder in sympathy. "It's hard to process. Hard to understand." 

"He was my boyfriend..."

"It's no mistake."

"He was my boyfriend!" She screamed. "He loved me!"

"Shh, shh. It's okay. It's over. Take a deep breath."

"Just leave me alone! Go away!" Paige crouched down and sat on her knees, her hands covering her face while she sobbed uncontrollably. 

Lauralee squatted down next to her. 

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You need to move on. Come to the After."

Paige shook her head and refused. Lauralee sighed and took Paige's shoulder in her hand.

"To the After."

All of a sudden Paige was okay. She wasn't crying. Her face was perfect and not streaked with tears. But she wasn't happy. Her eyebrows showed her sorrow and confusion.

"You can't cry in the After." Lauralee explained.

"Andrew didn't do it." Paige looked angry and determined. "He wouldn't. He had no reason. We were the perfect couple. Happy. Loving. Perfect."

"We know he did it. We've seen it. Through the Living Watch."

Paige couldn't help laughing at the ridiculous-sounding name, which sounded like a TV Show. But her laugh was in pity. No trace of humor in it.

"Living Watch." She stated sarcastically. "You're pathetic." She turned and stomped away. She stopped. She was surrounded by white. White empty nothingness. She spun around. "This is the After?" 

Lauralee giggled. "No. This is the Now. The After comes after you realize you are no longer living, in the Before, and you aren't skeptical."

"How long am I going to stay here?!" Paige demanded.

"Not long if you just accept now the fact that you aren't living and you believe it."

"I can't. What purpose would Andrew have of killing me?"

"Let me show you." Lauralee turned toward a computer-type monitor that Paige had not noticed before. "The Living Watch. I run it. I'm the Seer of my age group, after all." 

Paige began to worry. She did not want to see her own death. Maybe she should just accept it and move on. But curiosity overcame her as she stood in front of the monitor and began watching the scene of her death.