When You Die

Chapter Three

6:32 PM, 4514 Magnolia Street, April 12, 2019

The truck was barreling down the street, almost about to run straight into Ada and Emma, when, suddenly Ada felt like she was going through something murky, like a wall of mud. Then everything in the world around them suddenly stopped, and then Ada felt light, as if she was suspended in a smooth, cool stream.

"Ada, we don't have much time," Emma said, holding down a button on her watch.

"Wait, you can stop time, too?"

"Yes, but there's no time to explain. Something- or someone messed with the time continuum; that's why he's early. But what I don't know is how they messed it up, or why." Emma had started to look weaker then. "Right when I start the time again, you're going to have to brace yourself for the impact. We'll talk after you're reborn."

"Wait, what, I'm gonna get reborn?"

"Yes, but I'm starting it, brace yourself, Ada!"

Then Ada once again felt like she was passing through the wall of mud, then right away, the truck hit her.

The next few moments happened in a blur. The truck rammed into the car, then it started on fire, she remembered her whole body searing when it burst into flames, then she exploded. It happened in a few seconds, yet it somehow felt like it took a lifetime, and two seconds at the same time. As Ada thought back at that moment, she remembered that Emma had said; that she wouldn't remember her death.

But she did remember the feeling; it was so much worse than when she saw Cleopatra. That pain was nothing compared to the actual experience. But right after she exploded, everything felt like it was in slow motion. Even though she had exploded and was still on fire, she remembered still feeling her body everywhere, and somehow felt all the pieces merging together, then she felt something leaving her body, then nothing.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

5:37 AM, room 15-b, rebirth wing, BODA central hospital, April 19, 2019

Ada slowly opened her eyes, confusedly blinking the murk out of them. Her whole body was numb, and all she could hear was a ringing in her ears and a faint beeping sound. Where am I? Who am I? She searched her memory only to find a quick flash of flames and a woman in blue running past with something in her hands. Ada couldn't place that memory; it was as obscure and irrelevant as an elephant skydiving and shouting "ASPARAGUS!!"

She tried to make out her surroundings, but without her glasses, she could barely make out the vague shapes of the contents of the room she was in, and she guessed she was on a bed in some sort of hospital room.

She twitched her stiff fingers, feeling some of the numbness go away. Then she moved her feet, her head and her toes again. She tried to rise herself up from the bed, but she found her wrists and ankles were bound to the hospital bed. She struggled against them with all her force, but they wouldn't move. She started getting angry and panicking, resisting even more, hyperventilating and sobbing, then crying out to no one in particular. After about five minutes of this, someone finally did come. Because of Ada's bad eyesight, she couldn't really see the person, but she could tell that he or she- it was a she, Ada decided- was wearing a blue sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"Ada, you're awake!" The stranger said, relieved. From the sound of her voice she sounded exhausted, like she hadn't slept in a week, and Ada was also confirmed that she was a woman.

Ada stopped struggling, and yelled at the stranger. "What? Who are you? Where am I? WHO AM I?!" She was very angry at this stranger for some reason.

"You know who I am, and you'll figure out who you are in good time. And as for where, we are in the rebirth section of the BODA main hospital. You've been here for a week, and we were really worried about you." Ada started saying something but the woman put her hand up to stop her. "It's not healthy for you to say much yet."

Ada was getting angrier by the second. "If you were so worried about me, why did you lock me up to this bed?!" The stranger walked over to a machine across the room, and pressed a button. Then with a satisfying swoosh, the bindings released, and Ada got up, shakily.

"Those are just for safety. When people get reborn, they can be very hostile sometimes." The woman crossed her arms. "It doesn't seem much different this time." She said under her breath. "Oh, by the way, we got your new prescription." She handed Ada a pair of teal and silver thin-rimmed glasses, and she put them on, angry that someone would do a nice thing to her, but also secretly grateful that she was finally able to see well. She now could see the stranger properly. She looked a little familiar to Ada; her startlingly white hair, her eyes... no, that's just my imagination. She dismissed the thought.

"Okay, you're going to need to come with me, but first some safety precautions." The woman said. "Why should I trust you?" Ada started advancing toward the stranger, her vision blurred red by her anger. "You keep telling me to wait, and everything will be revealed in time. I don't even know who you are!"

The woman backed away, reaching in her sweatshirt pocket with both of her hands, but pulled out nothing except her clenched fists. Then she put her fists together, and calmly walked over to Ada. She then put both of her fists in front of Ada's eyes, and unclenched her fists, omitting blue energy of some kind that wrapped around Ada's head, then her eyes went blank.