After Goodbye

Chapter 2

Present Day.

I roll out of bed in the morning and make it halfway across my room before having to stretch. It's one of those amazing stretches. Where your eyes squeeze shut and you let out a happy sigh. But when I straighten up I nearly die of shock.

"Who the hell are you?" I'm staring at the man in my room. He's attractive, no doubt, but there is a man in my room.

"That is not important." His voice is pretty deep and it only makes my heartbeat pickup. Who is this guy? And why is he in my room?

"I'll scream. My brother is right across the hall. He'll kick your ass." This guy looks pretty muscular underneath his leather jacket, but Nate is my only hope. He shrugs at me.

"Go ahead," His cockiness is more than annoying and I take in as much air as my lungs can hold and scream. Not just an ordinary scream, a blood curtling I-am-being-murdered-four-minute-older-brother-come-save-me scream. But even after I run out of breath Nathan hasn't showed.

"Are you finished?" I glance at the door.

"Why didn't he come?"

"He can't hear you." I snap my head back to this strange man who is casually leaning against a wall in my bedroom.

"His room is right there. Of course he heard me." I'm looking at his closed door now, waiting for it to burst open.

"He can't hear you because you're dead." I lose my breath.

"What do you mean I'm..d-dead?" He points to the bed behind me. I spin around and see myself still laying there. My arms are above my head, legs dangled in the blankets, hair splayed out like I always sleep.

"But I'm right here."

"Because I brought you here. Really, you are right there." He points at the sleeping body. I refuse to say dead. I'm sleeping, not dead.

"You brought me here? What are you talking about?"

"When I'm not busy doing important things I spend my time with teenage girls who commit suicide. You were the most recent one to die." He shrugs like it's no big deal. Like we aren't talking about me dying.

"Suicide?"

"This is exciting. Usually I don't get to be there for this. When you realize your dead and your family finds you. It's different." I sit in my desk chair unable to stand anymore.

"You are going to have to explain this to me. I'm very confused." He walks forward and places both of his hands on my shoulders making me look into his eyes.

"Hazel. You're dead. Last night before you went to sleep you took a lethal combination of medication that killed you. You killed yourself." I drop my eyes down to my hands.

"Then why am I here?"

"Because every once in a while I like to show someone what happened to their life after they die. It helps to get closure. I know this is a lot to take in, but I'll be with you every step of the way." He lets go of my shoulders and sits on the end of my bed.

"Can I ask one more question?"

"Ask whatever you want."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Death," My eyes must widen since he explains. "Surprised? No cloak or scyth. Or pale skin and lifeless eyes. It isn't like that."

"But you're Death?"

"One of them." He leans back, not even jostling my, I've accepted it, body. Now that I'm actually looking I can see my body's chest isn't moving.

"What?"