Somewhat Dead

02: Reborn

[02: Reborn] edited

Jaslynn Fine

Your body knows it's dying.

It feels the cold, the adrenaline, the pain. It's different from any pain you've ever felt. The pain of knowing that it's the end. The moment even your flesh can feel itself decomposing, shutting down, ending; is excruciating.

My death, was a lot of things. Slow was not one of them.

Tides, currents, waves, rocks, wind, blood, bones-

Fast also was not one of them.

Suffocating, sinking, heaving, gaging, gasping, chocking-

It wasn't peaceful.

Crimson, bones snapping, vomit rising, oxygen depletion, struggling, tugging, pulling, fighting-

It wasn't heavenly in the least.

Scratching, begging, pleading, praying, crying, dying.

It was-

When I woke up, all I felt was pain. A pounding against my temples that felt almost like a hangover on steroids. My eyes opened to a blinding light. The figure of a man moved above me like a friendly ghost. Don't mind me, I'm just passing through.

"I'm not God if that's what you're thinking. That was to the right of the rabbit hole I'm afraid, you, lovely, took a left." The voice spoke out and pulled back from my view. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the light and I could make out the source- a torch. I sat up and leaned on my elbows so I could support myself.

It was then I finally found the source of the mysterious voice. It was a boy who looked no older than me, his dark brown hair hung down over his eyes and over the clunky copper goggles on his face. His skin was clear and porcelain, he was beautiful.

"Alright, alright, if you stare any longer I'll have to charge you." He spoke again with a grin. His voice was smooth but rough, and held a knowledgeable yet childish undertone.

"Oh, where are my manners, I'm Jasper, and you're name madam?" He took off his googles and threw them aside, before shaking his hair out and tousling it with his hand. His eyes were dark-- so dark I couldn't make out his pupils. Like mine.

"What is this place? Where am I?" I questioned instead, my voice horse and straggly. The room was ancient looking. It was lit with torches and lined with bookcases all filled with books that looked years older than me. Millions of years. My question must not have been a surprise to him, because he simply took of the thick gloves he'd been wearing and shrugged nonchalantly, "Perhaps the better question is, what are you?"

My sat up straighter on the slab of rock I was laid out on. "W-what?" I drew out. Jasper took my hand in his and placed it on my chest.

"You, my dear, are dead."

I clutched my hand over my heart and realized, it wasn't beating anymore. My brain ran miles around in my head. I'm dead? How can this be? Is this heaven? Hell? Where is my mother?

"Shut up Jasper," a female's voice jolted me from my thoughts. A girl maybe a year or so younger than me walked over from a spiral stone staircase I hadn't noticed in the corner of the room, a group of people following behind her. "You aren't all the way dead. Just a little dead. Like, halfway."

She was tall and lean, almost like a supermodel. Her long sleek black hair fell down her back and flowed from under her hat. Her light brown skin glowed with a radiance different from Jaspers, but just as stunning.

She came to a stop next to us. "Hey," she held out her hand. "I'm Sahaya." I looked at her outstretched hand and wondered whether or not I should take it.

"Sure Haya, I'm sure she's dy-too soon- she'd love to be best friends with you and paint your nails right after the bomb you two just dropped on her." One of the boys who walked in behind her spoke. He was shorter than her, but still taller than me. He was pale and perfectly sculpted, and was a replica of the boy standing next to him.  They were both blonde and handsome. Wearing all black outfits and black Chuck Taylor boots. This one had a dog tag on, but he was too far away for me to read what it said.

"What do you mean halfway dead?" I questioned and raised an eyebrow. I was quickly becoming frustrated. It seems like no one around here would give me a straight answer. "Am I dead or not?"

"You're somewhat dead." The taller of the two blonde boys said. So, the day at the cliff, the day before-- it worked. I died there. I'm dead. At least,

I'm kind of dead.

"I'm sorry for them;" The boy spoke again as he and the remainder of the group slowly approached. "We don't get new people around here often. But, we're glad your here."

One of the two girls behind him stepped up closer, and looked right into my eyes. Her's were a shade between blue and gray, and reminded me of the water I died in. That I died in. She didn't speak, only giving me a glossy gaze, everyone around slowly started to blur and fade into the background, each of their distinctive features were insignificant. The only thing that mattered were her eyes.

"Wow." The word made me jolt out of my haze, I blinked a few times until I could once again see my surroundings. "Braxton sure knows how to pick 'em." She continued and I notice she'd stepped back into her place in the group.

"Look," the girl with the pale skin and long dark brown hair started. "I know this is a lot to take in. But believe it or not, we're here to help you. You're one of us now. Family."

And strangely enough, though I had no idea what being 'one of them' meant, I believed her. And I instantly became a tad bit more conformable in their presence.

"I'm Raven." The girl with the hypnotizing eyes said and gave me a small smile.

"I'm Leo," said the blonde boy with the dog tags. "And the boy next to me is my brother Levi, the one beside you is Kamina, I'm guessing you already know Jasper, and Sahaya already made it her bussiness you knew her." All of the people he mentioned greeted me with a 'hey' or a 'what's up'. Well, All except for Jasper and Sahaya.

"Where's Braxton?" Jasper questioned  and turned his torso to face the group.

"We told him she was awake but he refused to see her." Levi answered.

Jasper sighed and turned back in his chair to face me. "I don't know why I'm surprised. It's just like the bastard to pull something like this." He gave me a reassuring smile. "But that's fine. You've already learned a lot today, I suppose there would be no good to introduce you to too much new information. I say we give her some time to herself, it seems like it'll do her some good."

"Sleep." Said Leo. "Don't worry, we'll wake you tomorrow. Trust me, you'll be glad you have twenty four hours to get used to Braxton. Hell, it might even take a century. But I guess that's one perk of being a part of the living dead. You've got all the time in the world."

They all found their way up the staircase, leaving me alone on the stone slab I woke up on.

All the time in the world.