Bounce Back

Chapter Three

"Can you let me go and explain for, like, one second. You keep just leaving at this exact moment every other time. Shit's fucked up, dude."

She felt the pressure all over relieve and she sat down on the downy grass.

"Not like I've got anything to lose." The gender of the voice was elusive. It just sounded like thinking. "It's sort of like... Oh, this is more difficult than I'd thought to explain in terms of movies. Ok, so, people commit suicide a lot generally, right? But they aren't meant to. Weren't designed to, you see. So we're testing out this initiative with people like you."

"Jesus Christ, you're talking in riddles! What do you even mean, people like me?"

"People with the propensity to... do weird stuff. Really weird stuff. Massively, world alteringly weird stuff."

A chill forced its way down Eliza's spine. "Great, so I'm gonna go gallivanting the fuck off to fucking Neverland with the Chosen Few and whatever the fuck you are."

"Oh, how'd you know? But seriously, you don't really have a choice. Your parents will do without for a while."

"'Do without'? What concept of reality do you have? I'm like 14, what the fuck? What plane of existence - oh, stupid question, whatever."

"Seriously. They'll deal."

Something in the tone told Eliza that the thing wasn't in the mood for questions, and something in the mass of curls tumbling over her face told her that her head was shaking 'no' very hard.

"The name's L, which was not my choice, by the way. Also, you need to move quick. We're getting the next train to London."

"London? No. No way I'm going to get on a train for 200 or however many miles with an invisible floaty weirdo."

"Ah, but you know that I can physically stop you from falling to your death. Do you really want to know what more I'm capable of?"

Eliza scowled.