What happens next? (A love story in the afterlife)

Chapter 6 |What happens next?|

I awoke the next day to an icesant beeping coming from the otherside of the room. I grumbled to myself about it being way to early in the morning before swinging my legs over the side of the bed and reaching for the alarm clock. It was when the beeping stopped and I was allowed to think in the quiet did I remember what I was supposed to be doing this morning. With that I dressed in a pair of dark jeans, a black hoodie and trainers. I was well into the habbit of only wearing clothes that made me unnticable the kind that anyone would wear, the kind that make you invisable.

I left the flat and shoved my hands in my pockets, the day was cool with a sharp cold wind that turned my breath to fog. It was some real pathetic falousy, I walked up a path that led between two other blocks of flats and out onto the main road behind. It was a little way along this that the pharmacy stood, it was housed in a small, squat building that was starting to fall into disrepair and did not fill me with confidence of the medicenes inside.

A bell chimed above my head as I opened the door, the sound made me jump as I had become acustomed to the quite of the flat, my flat. That was going to take some getting use to.

"Can I help you dear?" The voice came from a young woman not much older that me sat on a stool behind the counter, as she played with her long blonde hair twirling and untwirling it between her fingers. As she spoke she shifted slightly in her chair leaning forward to show more of her breasts. I could not help myself but look. Seconds later I remembered Matt, alone in her flat.

"Er, yeah. Have you got anything for skin that has been slightly burnt?"

"Yes, one moment and I will fetch some callomine cream for you." She got down from her stool making sure that she leaned forward once more. She dissapeared from sight, I busied myself my looking at all of the remidies on the selves to see if there was any difference to Earth. I had found none when I was disturbed by a small cough behind my head. I jumped again and whipped my head round to find myself face to face with the woman. She smelt sickly sweet and her pulp red lips were pouted a little too close to my face so I stepped backwards and found myself up against the shelves.

"That will be 3 credits please." As she finished her sentance she allowed her tongue to linger on her top lip. I fumbled in my pocket for the money and handed it to her.

"Th-th-thanks" I stuttered as she places the tub of cream in my hand and let her perfectly manicured fingers lingure there for a second before turning to leave the shop.

"Don't be a stranger!" I heard her call out as the door swung shut behind me. So much for being invisable I thought as I walked back towards my flat.

I knocked on Matt's door and walked in. She looked a little better this morning and had changed into a skirt that came down to the knee and a plain light blue tee shirt. My heart started again when she looked up at me through her thick eyelashes. She had not been crying today and now that her eyes were not red I could see how beautiful they were. Light courted and danced across the swirling grey skies encapsulated in her eyes. I gathered my thoughts and moved towards her with my hand containing the cream stretched out towards her.

"Here, it's for you skin." I cringed at the sound of my own voice as it sounded childish and horrible. She took it from me and placed it in her bathroom. She then sat back down on her sofa and stared into space. I hovered for a couple of minutes and then sensing I was not wanted I turned to leave.

"I'll see you around then?" I had not meant it to be a question but that is how it came out. I left her flat cursing myself for making such a hash up of it when I bumped into two people in conversation.

"Sorry" I said and started to walk again with my head down.

"Ruben" Said a familiar voice. I groaned and contemplated running straight down the stair out of the building but instead I turned slowly around.

"Hello..." I left it hanging in a way that was clear I wanted a name of her.

"Carol, Can we go down stairs?" Behind her the man she had been talking to had knocked on Matt's door.

"Mattilda Crow?" He said to the door. Matt obviously reckonised him becaise she opened the door and let him in.

"Okay whatever" I shrugged and ocntinued to walk down the stairs expecting her to follow me to my flat. I walked in the door and left it open for her. I sat on my sofa and was faced yet again with my addmissions officer.

"As in the life you have just left money does not grow on trees. So I have come here to help you decide what to do. Now you are and were 17 years old so can you tell me if you attend college?"

"I was due to start this september"

"Okay, and do you still wish to attend college?"

"Yes, why not?"

"Well I shall get the papers sent to you to start in a week, you will have to pay them a visit beforehand to tell them what you wish to study. You will recieve a living allowence until you have finished you schooling and it will be posted to this address."

"That was it?" I asked indignant. I had already figured that I would have to find a way of getting money after the money I had been given had run out. I had heard of EMA back before, hell I was entitled to the full £30!

"No, one would assume you might have some questions to ask honey?"

"One shouldn't make assumptions!" This woman was really starting to annoy me. I was not her honey and she seemed intent on sticking her beak into my life.

"None at all?"

"NO!" I got up and stormed over to the kitchen sink to try to walk off my fustration and take some calming breaths. I heard the woman call out goodbye and something to do with coming back during the week.

"Dont bother." I uttered under my breath. I then grabbed my key and walked up the stairs with the intention of saving Matt from as much of this tourture as possible. I passed her officer on the stairs and gave him evils, it was childish and unfair but it made me feel a little bit better.

I knocked lightly on Matt's door and walked in to find that she was sobbing on the floor lying in the foetus possition. All bad feeling towards the administrators was lost by the feeling of an overwhelming urge to care for Matt. I sat beside her on the floor and whispered in her eat that it would all be okay until she had finished crying. Then something changed inside her and she sprang to her feet and paced across the room a couple of times before exploding at me.

"He killed me Ruben. That scum dragged me to his hideout drugged me and killed me. I mean why me? What the hell had I done? And then, and then I ended up here. It is the same as before but worse. Jem is not here, mum is not here and my brothers are not here. God, I miss them so much. All that has changed is that I am here and they are there and I have these scars on my arms and legs where that piece of dirt cut me limb from limb while I lay in a drug induced sleep. I mean, who does that, who! I have to live with his mark on me, it's like he owns me."

She paused to take a sharp intake of breath.

"And what's worse is that I find out that I am here because I am unforfilled and mean what the hell does that mean? I was happy with my lot, I had a mother that loved me and a boyfriend, Jem that loved me. I got good grades. I was going to start college. I mean nothing would have been better than this!"

"I know" I said in a sheepish voice. I completly agreed with what she was saying. And I was saddened, she had a boyfriend, Jem. She was in love with someone else. I looked at the floor afraid of tears.

"I mean, look at you, how can you be so calm? How can you act like none of this matters?" It was at that point that her voice broke and she burst into tears again. Insinctively I made my way towards her and held her tight. She hesitated for a second and then melted into my arms. I whisphered to her through her soft hair as we stood there while she cried and my heart fell slowly to pieces.

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