Prologue

I was just a normal girl. At least I was supposed to be. I'd planned out my life since I was eleven. I would escape my family as soon as I turned eighteen, get on a bus and never look back. I would travel out to California where I could make my dreams come true.

Getting a job there was easier than I thought. I always looked older than I really was and living with my family had forced me to grow up faster than anyone my age. The bar was hectic, but I found that I was extremely good at bartending. I finally saved up enough to go to a graphic design school. I was going to make video games that allowed a person to literally step into them through virtual reality. Give other kids an escape like I had.

And then I fell. Bones shattered, brittle when they should have been strong.

Machines beeped around me, keeping track of my breathing, of my heart beat. A needle in my arm, my leg pointlessly in a cast.

I was dying. With no one else to explain my condition to, no family or kin, the doctor was forced to explain my options to me.

So I laid in this bed, wasting away and waiting for death to claim me. My last thoughts were of the games I'd played- more family to me than my own had been. The stories that had kept me going through my life.

It was late one night when I received a visitor- the first and last, I knew. She was beautiful, long hair and dressed in an elaborate dress. She moved to my bedside as if she were floating, eyes gentle as they took in my condition.

She looked like an angel. Was she here to take me to heaven?

A deep chuckle left the woman- I had said it out loud.

"No.. Not to heaven."

I blinked repeatedly at the deep voice, brows furrowing. A cross-dresser? I stared up at the person, picking out the masculine features. It was like he was from the clergy- he was wearing robes. It wasn't like I was in a position to judge, though.

"Make a wish foundation?"

He smiled kindly down at me, head tilting. It seemed to suddenly dawn on me that he had vibrant blue hair. "Something like that." He looked around the room, lips turning down as he saw how empty it was. "Your family?"

I forced a smile. "Disowned."

"Friends?"

My nose twitched at the questions. He was intent to make me see just how alone I was in my final hours, days. "Does it look like I have any?"

He grimaced, realizing he'd upset me. His fingers brushed over the skin where my IV was wrapped to ensure it wouldn't fall out before sliding into my hand. It was a strange sensation, but I decided it was because I'd not been touched more than what was strictly necessary and professional. He squeezed the digits lightly, his voice calming and soft. "Lillian.. You weren't meant for this life."

I had always felt that way but didn't know that someone else acknowledging it would make me so emotional. I took a deep breath, struggling to control my emotions. "Obviously. I am dying, aren't I?"

"What if I could promise you more time?"

"Are you hiding a cure under those robes?" I joked halfheartedly.

"Perhaps."

His answer caught me by surprise. Was I just supposed to accept what he said by face value? Or was he just getting my hopes up- trying to steal insurance money that I didn't have?

He continued, "It wouldn't be anything like this life. You wouldn't be going to school, working for a living. It would be hard. Difficult. You could die if you do not use your head."

Tears stung my eyes, my nose burnt. "I.. I don't want to die. Not like this, on this bed, waiting for it."

His long fingers brushed over my forehead, sliding down the arch of my nose before pressing on the lids of my eyes as he shushed me. A sense of calm drifted over me as his fingers rested over where my heart would be.

"Your life in this world is now over."

I sucked in a breath, my last one, as I felt my life draining from me. It wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be, dying. It was peaceful, still.

"Your life elsewhere... Will be wrought with trials and foes. You will live several lives over before you are prepared. It will be a gift and a curse to you."

Even though I knew I was dead, I could still hear his voice as I drifted. I felt a warmth through me as if I was being held gently, being carried.

"Just remember to never give up. Strive to see the ending every time. You will never be truly alone for you have an ally in me."

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