Universally Screwed

Chapter 1

The weather is absolutely amazing today. The sun is shining and there's not a drop of rain this May morning. It would have been the perfect ditch day......But that is the furthest thing on Sera's mind this morning.

Sera Gillespe was trapped in her head, overwhelmed by grief. She looked in the mirror on the way out of her house. Her sun-kissed dyed locs were pulled up in a bun, her makeup lightly dusting her chocolate skin."This is as good as it's gonna get", she whispered to herself. Ugh, she already knew today was gonna suck donkey balls, and there was no getting around it. No one should have to bury their twin. Seven was a health nut. Who would expect him to just drop dead on his way to class. The doctors said it was a heart attack, but who drops dead from one at 22? It just didn't make sense.

As she walks out and locks her door, Sera hears a noise behind her. She turns to find a man behind her. "Sorry about that ma'am", he says. He looks around before reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm glad I caught you, my name's Ned Cruz". I recognized you from the news and came over to introduce myself, I knew you would understand what I have to say."

Sera isn't in the mood for people walking up on her today of all days. "Sir, let me stop you right there" she says. "I am on my way to bury the only family I had left, I cannot deal with anything else, at all."

She turns away from Ned and steps off her stoop. "Please leave," she says as she walks toward her parked car. Ned begins to follow her. "But I thought you would like to know why your brother really died," he shouts. Sera pauses at her open car door. "What do you know about it?" Ned swallows and walks toward the car. "My wife Maya, died ten years ago the same way." "Excuse me but what has that got to do with my brother,"she interrupts."Well as I was saying she died at the age of 26. She was athletic, healthy and at the peak of her life... then she dropped dead in the grocery store. Doctors said her heart gave out. Sound familiar?"

Sera had run out of patience. "While I am sorry that you lost your wife a decade ago, how can you think my brother has a connection to that? He would have been 12. Plus healthy people die everyday." She asked the man to leave her alone as she stepped into her car. "Wait, I have research that proves that alternate universes exist and that is how your brother died," Ned rushes to explain. Fed up, Sera slammed the car door. "Get the hell away from me you whack job," she screamed. "If I see you again I will call the cops." She starts up her car and leaves Ned standing in the street frustrated.

Pulling up to the small brick funeral home, Sera paused to take a breath. She wasn't prepared, had never even thought to plan for this as an eventuality. Her brother was the planner, which is why she could even afford to have the funeral at all. Seven had a life insurance policy, even as a college student. Sera's policy was to survive. That's what she was good at... surviving even as her world was crumbling around her.

Thinking back on the strange encounter she had on the way to the service, Sera was unsettled. What had that man meant when he told her that he knew the truth about Seven's death? She's not even entertaining the idea of foul play. Although Sera questions how a relatively healthy person drops dead like Seven had, wouldn't the M.E. have noticed if it wasn't natural causes? Sera took great exception to that term especially when you reply to someone as young as Seven.

Sera sat listening to the minister drone on about how they should hold onto their loved ones because "tomorrow is not promised". She could not escape the whispers surrounding her. Could not stop hearing, "he was only 22". How does a healthy, physically active 22-year-old just drop dead. It didn't make any sense. Sera figures that's why she can't let it go, can't wrap her head around Seven's death. It made it all the more tragic, there was no notice. He was here and then in a space of a breath, he was gone. Never even having the chance to actually live.