Lessons Learned

Part 6

"All right you win," Liam's cleared his throat. "Can we stop being quiet now?"

I cracked open an eye and saw that dusk had settled over Liam's limbo, the streaks of red, pink, and orange painting the sky. I hadn't expected to experience a sunset ever again and for some reason this threw me off. I guess the old saying is true, it really is the simple things in life.

I sat up, still not speaking. Liam was watching me from the end of the lounge chair. His hair had dried in waves around his brown eyes and his thick brows were crinkled as he studied me. I didn't say a word and I could see he was growing uncomfortable.

"Please say something. It's been six hours since you last spoke."

I didn't acknowledge him, choosing instead to study the chipped pink polish on my nails.

"I just wanted to be your friend," he murmured darkly. "I don't see why that's such a problem."

I sighed, "No one ever just wants to be my friend."

A warm smile broke his face. "It speaks," he teased.

I suddenly realized that I saw still wearing his shirt. The sun was dipping behind the strand of trees on the edge of the yard and I could feel the temperature steadily dropping. I pulled off his shirt and held it out, "This is yours."

"Keep it," he waved his hand. "I don't need it."

I shook my head and dropped it in his lap. "I get new clothes when I move on to the next limbo. I won't need it."

He shrugged in to it as I watched the muscles in his stomach stretch and dance with his movements. If he noticed me looking he didn't say anything.

"Why is that?" I blurted. It was another question that had been tugging at the back of my mind as Liam and I sat in silence. "Why do I change clothes?"

"It's just to match the situation so you are comfortable."

"Does it get boring? Being a Nephilim?" I picked at the polish on my nails. I always had problems with looking people in the eye.

"Not really. I get to meet lots of people and I can talk to the boys whenever I want."

"Can you visit them?"

Liam shook his head, "I can't go past the boundary either."

I wrapped my arms around my knees as I pulled them up to my chest. It was starting to get slightly chilly out. A whispered breeze danced over the surface of the internally lighted pool, making the water ripple and ruffle.

"Are you still alive in real life too?"

Liam looked a little uncomfortable, "Me and my real life form are two completely separate people. He's irrelevant."

"But you were once him," I rested my chin on my knees. "Even if you are separate now at one point you were one entity."

"I died five years ago," he finally responded.

"How?" I leaned forward in interest. I loved hearing about death.

"Kidney failure. I was only born with one working kidney. Why does it matter?"

"Just curious," I twirled a strand of dark blonde around my pointer finger. "Did you feel it?"

"What?" Liam's eyes flashed to mine briefly before I glanced away.

"When your real form died, did you feel it?"

"Look Annabelle, me and my 'real life' form are separate. Nothing I do affects him and nothing he does affects me."

"You're upset about dying," I pointed out. "So it does affect you."

I could see the internal battle taking place behind his shaded eyes. He was yearning to get it off his chest, but he didn't want to talk about it. But I had succeeded in my original goal, to get the topic of conversation away from me. Now I just needed him to show me his memory and I could get out of here and move on to limbo number three.

"It's just weird," he finally blurted. "Knowing that I'm gone. I'm nothing more than a memory now."

"But at least you're here. All the people you teach a lesson will remember you."

"No," Liam shook out his curls. "If you survive the limbo you forget me. You wake up in the hospital or whatever remembering a vague dream. You will know what we taught you, but you will never know who we are."

Zayn had forgotten to mention that part. "I won't remember you at all?"

"Not a thing," Liam was studying my face closely. "Does that bother you?"

"A bit," I mumbled.

"If you die you'll remember us," Liam spoke up unhelpfully. "You can go visit real me if you die."

"Well isn't that just something to look forward to," I muttered sarcastically. "You won't know who I am."

"Oh yeah," Liam's face fell. "Well then I guess you're just gonna have to survive and deal with not knowing me."

"I can't get out of here if you don't teach me your stupid lesson."

"Fine," Liam rolled his eyes. "We can do that now."

His words were still ringing in my ears as the scene melted away.