LOLA IS DEAD [ COMPLETED ]

Chapter Ten

Now I felt ridiculous. So, what if I died a virgin? I shouldn't be punished because of that lame reason alone. I knew that being a virgin in the modern world Idmuria before I died was old fashion because as early as it seemed, girls at school were busy exploring boys the moment they hit freshman year. It was probably the trend but my being a virgin shouldn't be a big deal. I was proud to be labelled as conservative and there was nothing wrong with that. It wasn't a problem of morality; I guessed it was more about finding the right person. The modern girl might be laughing about how lame my excuses were, but I wasn't sorry for it. I wanted my Mr. Right; I was hopeless romantic that way. You must take that from the girl who grew up watching Disney movies. In the afterlife it was totally a different story because right here in purgatory, I was in big trouble and my virginity had everything to do with it. The General of hell was after me for the main reason that high born demons had this crazy preference when it comes to finding their Ms. Right. They only preferred virgin, such as me. Ironically, virgin imports didn't come in bulk orders via FedEx to hell. I guessed that told me one thing, no virgin dies often because we were limited item in the afterlife.

I woke up with a throbbing head. I slept the entire day that I almost forfeited what was left of the afternoon. I was so tired that I didn't even remember how I got back up in my room. All I could remember was the conversation I had back in Olga's chamber. I tried to shake the thought out of my head and considered it as a bad dream but the reality of it clung to my brain and wouldn't let go. When I opened my eyes, I saw the curtain was on the side, no wonder I was covered in blanket because I was cold. I peeled the fabric off my body and sat up. Outside the window the weather was gloomy. It seemed like purgatory felt for what happened last night. I stood up and walked towards the window and leaned over to see the damage outside. I could still see smokes rousing beyond the walls. Though there was no fire, but trees were burned and the groves mourned. Shutters downstairs from all the brick houses were closed and the resident souls of Iduri City were hiding inside. The entire city was intact; the giant wall of Iduri did a great job serving its purpose but for how long? That we didn't know. I looked down to see that I was wearing an oversize shirt and my underwear. My mind was racing with different possibilities and I was hoping and praying that it wasn't Keenan who put me in this fresh sleeping garb. I would kill him if I found out that he was the one who undressed me last night. I turned around to find my Guardian uniform properly pressed on the table with a note on the top.

I read the note and it was from Keenan telling me that Sula put me on the fresh clothes which was a gift from Olga. I sighed with relief thinking that Keenan didn't see me in the state of comatose undressing. Keenan noted that I slept in Olga's chamber and that he carried me upstairs to my room when the first light came. How nice of him to do that. I looked back at the window thinking what would be like outside. I was in purgatory for two days now and I knew that this would be my home for a long time. A crazy idea popped in my head. I decided to get to know the city and had a little exploring. In haste, I changed outfit and put on my Guardian uniform and stormed out of the room. The elevator groaned as it opened. In a minute I found myself outside the main door of Zion Headquarter, ready to take what the City of Iduri had to offer. I looked up and saw that despite of the gloomy weather, the sky was clear; no sign for the rain to come. I turned left and right to see if I could find anyone but there was none. The cobblestone alley was deserted and I was alone standing in front of the Headquarters' building undecided which way to go. I was about to make my first step when I felt a presence behind me. I turned to find Olga standing at the main door watching fondly. She smiled and I returned the gesture slyly like a grounded teenager caught by a parent sneaking out on a Friday evening. She advanced and the more she closed the gap between us, her grin widened.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"Uhmmm I just wanted to walk around... get to know the place?" I stuttered, waiting for the scold to come from Olga. I was surprised that she didn't reprimand me by my bold action of sneaking out. In fact, she smiled warmly and tagged me in the arm and ushered me to the alleyway as we moved forward.

"I apologize for not able to tour you around. I should have done this earlier but given the situation we are in..." She paused and looked at me. Her stares radiated earnestly that warmed my soul. She faced the road and tagged me along as we walked slowly. "There's no excuse Lola. You deserve to see Iduri; this will be your home for a while." She said.

We emerged in what seemed to be a courtyard. I saw Olive trees and garden with assortment of flowers on the side. There was playground as well but instead of children roaming around, or people chattering in different languages, the courtyard was empty. Olga and I stood at the middle observing. My eyes wandered around brick walls of houses and closed windows. There was a dreadful stillness in the surrounding. I couldn't hear a thing, only the whispers of chilly wind caught my hearing. I shivered and wrapped my arms around me.

"The souls are afraid because of what happened last night. I couldn't blame them because they have the reason to... We all have the reason to be afraid." Olga faced me and I saw sadness in her face. It was crazy to think that a soul like Olga could age in a second. How sadness could change a soul or even a person if you will. I closed the gap between us and unconsciously reached out for her hand to console her. She held my hand tighter and assured me that she was okay. We continued to walk and exited from the courtyard. The marketplace was emptied with traders and vendors as well... The place was supposed to be at the center of Iduri and known to be the most crowded but because of the recent event, the city was ghostlike and looked abandoned. How the attacked shuttered confidence and inflicted fear to a soul was overwhelming and I felt for the souls of Iduri. I didn't want to risk all of them to save myself. It wasn't right; my conscience couldn't handle it. All souls had the right to stand in the mirror of truth and proceed to a higher level in the afterlife. What was the next level anyway? My mind stirred with this question.

The moment we drifted out from the marketplace; I got the chance to ask Olga.

"What is the mirror of truth?" I asked directly.

Olga looked at me and she was amused by my thirst for knowledge. It seemed that she liked my enthusiasm to learn about the whole thing. She cleared her throat and said.

"I'll tell you everything about it but first I want to show you something."

"What?"

"The Temple ofSaint Peter."