Zero

Ice Cold

Ally didn't know where she was, but it sure was bland. The last things she remembered were screaming headlights rushing towards her and lots of pain.

Another little cloud of mist swept past her as she walked through a barren, dark world.

She supposed it was probably the afterlife, though she'd never really believed in the afterlife, so perhaps it was her punishment for her misdeeds on Earth to wander here forever.

No sooner than she'd finished that thought did a glowing doorway appear a little to her right, and another to her left.

She snorted a little, it seemed pretty cliche, but it was all too real.

A loud voice floated down from above. "Choose."

"Why?" She asked, her voice no more than a hoarse croak. She coughed and tried again.

"Why?" She asked again, her voice a little stronger that time.

"Choose."

She rolled her eyes and looked at the two doorways. They were completely identical, and made her think of Janus, the minor Greek god of doorways and choices, or something like that.

"Where do they go?"

"Choose."

'Wow, that was helpful,' she thought.

She wasn't very religious, but she wasn't ignorant. She assumed the two doorways represented two different places, two different journeys. Most likely one lead to some sort of heaven, and another to some kind of hell.

"Left is supposed to be bad, right?" She muttered, half hoping the voice would be helpful.

'Choose,' it seemed to whisper in her mind.

She imagined two faced Janus with the keys.

'Choose.'

She walked through the door on the right.

~

Wherever she was now was very bright and glowing. She couldn't see a damn thing, so she kept walking forward, until she stumbled and fell off of the threshold.

It must've been some kind of tunnel type thing, but when she looked back all she saw was a glowing door of light that got smaller and smaller as she watched.

"Well, hello there. Looks like you're the newest addition," said the same voice she'd heard before.

She looked up to see a tall, handsome man. She immediately disliked him, he looked like her older brothers.

He laughed, and started to help her up from her prone position on the floor of wherever she was.

"Where am I?" She asked, brushing away his hand.

"Wherever you want it to be. Heaven, Elysium, Valhalla, take your pick."

"So what does that make you?"

"Oh, I'm just the doorkeeper. You could call me Charon, if you wish, everyone refers to me differently, but I like the name Charon. It's cool."

"What's your real name?"

"No idea, I've been here a long, long time, Ally. I forgot my true name centuries ago."

Ally didn't notice that he'd known her name contrary to her not having told him her name, for she was looking down at her wrist.

Her third clock was still ticking, a dagger and a scythe were etched upon her wrist.

She shook her wrist in Charon's face.

"How is this possible?" She shouted. "Everything was supposed to be over, I thought it was over! I'm dead!"

"Yes, you're dead, but nothing is over. This is a bit like your second life, right now you're in the receiving room, but I can take you to town if you're ready to go meet everyone."

Ally nodded, silently fuming, and reluctantly followed Charon out into the sunlight.

She hadn't wanted this, she hadn't believed in an afterlife, and she'd thought everything would be over.

That's why she'd sped up her own clock by stepping in front of that train.

~

Ally had been in the afterlife for two years. Most everyone here didn't follow time, and there weren't many clocks, but Ally was keeping careful check on the time.

There were a few hours left until her last clock ended, but she didn't particularly care, and just put on a pair of ripped jeans and a hoodie.

She didn't do anything special like her friends had done when their clocks were to stop, she thought her soulmate should see her as she is, not a glorified barbie doll. 

Even with a soulmate somewhere in the future, everyone was still attracted to different types of people. Being there, in the afterlife, had given Ally the freedom to release the part of her she'd kept chained all along.

Her fellow highschoolers weren't there to call her degrading names.

Her best friend wasn't there to act supporting, then rip the rug out from beneath her feet and reveal that, when Ally told her the darkest secret she'd shamefully hidden, even years upon years of friendship couldn't hold them together.

Her brothers weren't there to completely ignore her, even when she desperately could've used a shoulder to cry on.

Her mother wasn't there to scream at her and call her disgusting.

Her father wasn't there to kick her out of the house.

It turned out that freedom had been just around the corner, if only she'd taken it when she was alive, instead of taking the cheap way out.

She was walking to the market when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Ally spun around

"Oh, sorry," the person said. "I thought you were someone else."

Ally laughed and looked into the girl's eyes, and her wrist tingled. She jumped in surprise and looked down. There was now a little heart on her wrist.

She looked back up at the girl and realized she could see her face in detailed color.

"Ally," she said breathlessly, holding out her hand. The girl smiled and took it.

"Celeste, but you can call me Cee."

And suddenly, Ally finally understood the meaning behind the saying Life after Death.

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Yes, this one is supposed to be about a girl who committed suicide because her family couldn't accept that she liked girls. I think this is an extremely important topic, mainly because it isn't talked about enough. Yes, this does happen, yes, it is a problem, and yes, it has to be stopped. We are all human, no matter our shape, color, size, sexuality, sexual orientation, and differences. I think that we, as humans, need to remember this, and remember that life is precious, no matter whose life it is.

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Song: Girls Like Girls by: Hayley Kiyoko

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So what'd you guys think of this one? Voting and feedback is EXCELLENT and you guys should DO IT :D

All you have to do is comment or message me about anything I should change or add or whatever, especially if I make grammar mistakes!!

~ Felicia Bradbury ~