Just a Bit of Both

And the Award of Death Goes to... Jade Alahari!

A man stood there in front of me, with a gun pointed towards my chest. As much as I tried to concentrate, his face remained a blur.

Time seemed to slow down. I couldn't see where I was, for darkness surrounded every inch of the room.

The last thing I remember was taking a bullet to the chest.

Then darkness.

I woke up in a beautiful field, filled with tulips and flowers of all kinds. The sun made everything in sight shimmer and glow. However, while there was beauty, there was also darkness.

Shadows danced by the trees, and birds made chilling calls.

I would explain everything from the beginning like every normal person, but the thing was... I couldn't remember anything before the bullet.

Where was I?

"Congratulations, you're dead."

Well I guess that answers my question.

Emerging from the shadows came a girl, with curly black hair and black eyes that seemed to know your every move. I estimated that she was my age.

The thing that stunned me the most was her wings. They were huge, with elegant black feathers that looked soft to the touch.

I was kind of tempted to go over and touch them, but I'd probably look like an idiot. Well, more of an idiot since I just realized I'd been staring at her with my mouth open for a few minutes.

I snapped my jaw shut and got up from the ground. However, immediate pain came from my chest.

"What's your name?" She asked impatiently.

"Err... Jade." She raises her eyebrows and made a motion with her hand to tell me to keep going.

"Alahari," I finished. "Where am I?"

She frowned, approaching me, which made me nervous. I was never good with social interactions, especially in cases when strange women with wings popped out of nowhere.

"Where are your wings?" She asked, ignoring my question. "And your hair..." she muttered to herself while examining my hair.

"Sorry, I was too busy waking up in random places to do my hair. Now can you answer my question? Where am I?!" I snapped, agitated.

She studied me for a moment longer. "Definitely a demon," she concluded. I threw my hands up in defeat.

"Fine, if you won't help me I'll-" I was cut off by the same pain in my chest as earlier. I winced.

Turning away from the girl, who was still muttering random nonsense, I lifted up my shirt to reveal a scar on my chest where the bullet had killed me. I felt my head start to get dizzy from stressing out. I sat back down on the soft grass and focused on my breathing.

Don't freak out, don't freak out... actually I should probably be freaking out right now.

The girl went on talking nonsense for a few moments, and then walked over to me and sat down. "Alright," she started. "I'm going to let you ask me questions, but when I answer try not to freak out. I don't want to have to deal with any newbies passing out."

Confused by what she last said, I nodded.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Rhia. I've been a demon for... only about 50 years or so."

"Okay.... and where am I?"

"You're in the city that connects the worlds of the demons and angels. And before you ask the next question, yes you are dead."

I kind of figured the last part out, but it still struck me hard. I didn't remember my past, but I had the instinct that there was something I wasn't ready to leave yet. Or perhaps it was someone I wasn't ready to leave...