Angels In Disguise

Chapter 1: Rosalie Greymore

~Rose

I always thought that dying would hurt. That I would feel every wave of pain that came with my body drawing cold.  I thought that there'd be a rush of memories or something, like they always talked about in the movies. I guess having someone's life flash before their eyes was always a very theatrical imagination. As a kid I always thought that dying was something that only the old people did. Although as I got older It finally dawned on me that Mr. Hopper, the bunny I had when I was five, didn't just casually hop his way over to the tree farm on the far side of town like my parents had convinced me he did.

Then I lost my aunt to breast cancer when I was nine or so. She was always a happy woman, active and young. It wasn't until then that I started to really fear death. How can someone prepare for it if they have no idea when it's coming? I realize now that, although logical, the statement inst always true. Or at least not in my Case.

   The last thing I remember on November 18th 2018, was the flash of headlights...and then...just nothing . I expected there to be some white light or door or whatever, but that didn't happen either. To be honest, there wasn't really...anything. 

It was like coming home from an exhausting day at school, or work...or both for that matter. Instead of my head hitting the pillow and everything going dark because I was out cold, I think my head hit something else. Something a lot more solid. Like, a lot more solid. 

I was just cruising along on i-82, trying to get home for thanksgiving. Ed Sheeran was playing softly in the background as I just drove. Me, my beat up old jeep, and the open road. The nineteen hour drive from Stanford University to Whitefish Montana was far from a pleasant one. I had only just made it into Washington State before everything just stopped. 

It was late, maybe one or two in the morning, and don't even get me started on the weather. It was just pouring down snow. Sheets of ice were already layered on the asphalt and the blanket of white that sat atop it made things no easier. The drive had been smooth so far, nothing too major, just heavy traffic outside of Sacramento, but that was to be expected. There were some perks to living in such a small town such as Whitefish...very few cars being one. 

Anyways, yeah, it had been a fine drive. I had my jams going on the radio and was honestly just kinda chillin' when it all happened. The last thing I remember were those headlights. They came out of nowhere. One second all was right with the world and then next my screen just went black. I was almost expecting an end credit scene to start rolling...or maybe that was just the movie buff in me. I doubt I'd have a very interesting one, my family and friends, the usual. Oh, and there was that time I saw Taylor Swift at the airport! I don't think she'd be in there though. 

What was I saying? Oh yeah, the black thing, that's right. Basically it was like someone just flipped the light switch in my head. I didn't feel anything or see anything or know anything or think anything. I just kinda' woke up again. 

Part of me thought I'd be in the hospital, or heaven...or hell for that matter. But then there was the other freaked out part that thought I could wind up in a coffin six feet under with no way of getting out...yeah that would be bad...but no, that's not what happened either. I just opened my eyes again.

I wasn't still in the car, and it wasn't one of those "if I stay" situations where I was watching everything from a third person perspective. I was just standing. Barefoot. In the same clothes. In a classroom. Alone. By myself. White walls. Gray tiles. Desks. And a lot of confusion.

That's when I really did start to think I was in hell. High-school sucks for everyone. The whole coffin, grave thing was looking a lot more appealing right then and there. Or even the burning in fire thing...anything would be better than spending eternity in this metaphor for hell. 

I just kinda looked around, very confused as to why I was there and what exactly was happening. A row or two of brown desks faced me...or really faced the front of the room that I had my back to. Anticipating to find a murderous psychopath behind me wielding a kitchen knife, I slowly turned.

Felling very much like an idiot, I was met with nothing but the front of the classroom. It was just like any other normal class; desks sitting in neat rows with the occasional pencil engraving, chairs tucked beneath them, an old box t.v hanging from the ceiling in the far corner, and a white-board lining the front wall. On this said white-board, the words "Guardianship for Dummies" were scrawled neatly with blue dry-erase marker. 

"Ha ha very funny." I said aloud to the all of zero people that weren't there. Note the sarcasm.

I took a step in it's direction, scanning the walls for a door that would surely lead out of here. But no. Of course not. Like every horror movie ever. There was no door. Well this is just peachy.

I took another scan, my eyes landing on a small black remote that sat on a desktop in the front row. With a contemplative squint to my eye, I walked towards it. It was...well, just a remote. Taking a long sigh of defeat, I picked it up and hit the red power button in the top left corner.

The television I had noticed before came to life, the sound of static and electricity flowing off of it. Man I loved old T.Vs. After a moment or two of pixels, the picture on the screen formed. 

There, in a black suit, sitting at a desk, looking a lot like a news guy, was a man. 

"Welcome" He began in a weatherman type voice "to Guardianship for Dummies. Please, take a seat Rosalie Greymore, we're very anxious to get started."