The Murdered and the Saved

The First Person

"Isabella Grace Ellwood, you are here in the "In-Between" until they decide if you go to Hell or Heaven."

"They?"

"You will see." The figure pushed the door open and walked in after her.

"Izzy?"

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Veronica Nicole Ellwood is here to judge you."

"I don't understand. Why is my, very much alive, mother here to judge me?"

"You will be judged by eight people. People who you have murdered and saved."

"I- I've never... My mother? Why?"

"She is the first one to judge you. The first you have murdered."

"Mom?"

Isabella was shown a memory of her younger self with her mom.

"You were 5 in this memory. Very smart."

Her mom kneeled down in front of her five-year-old, crying self.

"You would always ask me "why daddy wasn't coming home" and no matter how many times I would tell you daddy was in a better place now, you kept asking the same question over and over again."

The memory changed to her from almost 4 years ago.

Isabella remembered this fight.

Her then seventeen-year-old body and Veronica were in each others face yelling.

"Remember this? You wanted to go to a party and I wouldn't let you, because I didn't like the boy who invited you. The anniversary of your dad's death was tomorrow and we were both in a horrible mood. You screamed at me, "Maybe dad killed himself because he couldn't deal with how fucking controlling you are."

She stormed out of the house after grabbing the car keys from the kitchen counter. The door slammed shut, leaving the memory of her mother crying.

"You wouldn't pick up the phone. Your friends wouldn't either. I didn't know if you were okay."

"I know it doesn't fix anything I did, but I'm sorry. I really am, mommy."

Veronica Nicole Ellwood smiled and disappeared.

"Time for the next person, Isabella."