A World Beyond

Erebus

Dead? We were all dead?

"Yes, we are." The boy says. "I'm Jeremy, by the way."

Did he just read my mind?

"No, you're talking out loud." He states plainly

"Do you know... How I died?" I ask. Weird question, I know.

He shakes his head glumly.

Suddenly, the coffee-skinned man announces: "All shades in the office may proceed to Erebus! And you'd batter have your payment!"

"Payment?" I ask to nobody

The boy holds out a silver coin and presses it gently into my hand.

"You're gonna need this to get past Erebus, unless you'd prefer hanging out in Erebus for a century." The boy says

I shake my head vigorously. "By the way, what is your name?"

All he says is: "Names hold power." And vanishes. Like, he literally turns into a puff of smoke.

Oookay, then....

All of the other people (sorry, shades) in the office commence to an elevator of some sort. I follow along and we all pile in. The elevator brings us down a little, them begins to go sideways. Sideways? What is this, the Great Glass Elevator from "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory"?

Wait, how did I know that? My head suddenly plunges into a deep ache and all I can see is darkness....

FLASHBACK:

"C'mon, Alice, the movie is starting!"

The girl who is being addressed looks to be about four, maybe five years of age. Her hair is in long blond ringlets that reach past her shoulders to the middle of her back. She has porcelain skin and blue eyes that contrast with her hair. Her eyes look clean, fresh and pure, like she is innocent. She wears a long sleeved red shirt and overalls and a bright white smile. "Okay, Livvy!" She responds and sits on the floor.

The girl "Livvy" looks nothing like Alice. She has a deep tan and straight, black hair, which is worn in a braid. Her arms are thick, but not fat, as they are muscled, like that of a body builder. She wears a blue t-shirt and distressed denim jeans. She looks older than Alice, maybe twelve or thirteen years old. Her eyes are brown, with flecks of gray (like rocky soil) and they are not clear like Alice's, like they have seen the very worst parts of the world and have been hardened by it. She sits on the floor, cross legged, next to Alice. In her hand, she holds a DVD disc which reads "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" with a picture of a garden filled with candy on it and a curly-haired man with a cane....

END OF FLASHBACK

The elevator stops in its motion and the doors open. I scope out the scene, and we have all gotten.... Translucent? No, not translucent..... But ghost-like. The area is all very dark and there are thousands of us floating around the space. There are long lines of shades waiting. Did... Did the boy really mean for a century? I shudder at the very thought. I wonder where he went...

Anyway, there are three men at a table pointing at shades. Are they judging them? I see everyone else get on line so I follow suit.

"You!" Someone shouts. I turn my head towards the voice.

"Me?" I ask meekly

"Yes, you! Over here--now!"

I trudge over to the voice with my head hung low.

I see a tall man in a black suit and tie. He guides me over to a field with flowers.... What are they called? I know they were important.... I find myself drifting into the darkness once again....

FLASHBACK

"Haha bet you can't catch meeeee!"

The girl Alice screams and runs through a field. It is a pitch black, country night. Today, she wears a orange and red floral patterned dress. She is older now, maybe fifteen or sixteen years of age.

A boy follows her closely behind. "You're just lucky that you're on Cross Country or I totally would've gotten you, Ally!"

The boy wears a simple green t-shirt and blue jeans. His hair is snowy white (literally, it's white. Not white blond. WHITE.) (A/N: I just realized how weird the word "white" was. Seriously. Try saying it enough times and you'll see.) He catches up to Alice, panting and sweating.

"Why... Did... You.. Have to run... Three flipping miles?!?" He gasps for air

Alice just shrugs. "Sit down with me, Trigonometry."

"Don't call me by my full name! I had psycho math-obsessed parents! Call me Trig!"

"Fine, TRIG. Sit down!"

Trig obeys.

"So... I was thinking about something... Something that your mom said earlier..." He begins

"Which is?" Alice asks

"That... That we'd be.. You know, a good couple and all."

Alice blushes. "We're girls. Sometimes we say things we don't mean."

"Yeah, but... I don't wanna be friends."

"You... Don't?"

"No, I don't. I was thinking." He gently reached for her hand. "That we could be something more than that, maybe?"

Alice smiles. "You're in luck, Hagglestone. I feel the same way."

Then, Trig leans closer, closer, closer....

END OF FLASHBACK

"Are you listening?!? Get over here!" Yells the voice again

I run towards it. It is one of the men from the table. He has a tall, lanky figure and is the skinniest male I have ever seen (or rather, the skinniest male that I have ever remembered). He is a pale shade like the rest of us, only he is dressed in royal robes and wears a crown upon his head. On his face, he wears a smug yet dignified smile.

"We need to judge you." He says simply

"Why did you let me cut the line?" I ask

He exchanges a worried look with the rest of the judges. "It does not matter. I am Minos, one of the judges of the Underworld. Now let us begin....