It all started in the most cliché way possible. So cliché that I will never, ever, EVER, live it down.
I was as average high school student, and I mean AVERAGE.
Eh. Say what you will. Straight C's is pretty damn average.
I took up doodling as a pastime after I realized how boring my life was.
Well not totally boring.
My two best friends tended to make things interesting.
Alyss was a total klutz, and it was a miracle she never broke anything.
How the hell she did so well in gymnastics was anyone's guess.
…Especially how she had a tendency to trip over nothing.
Still can't figure out how she manages to do that.
Anyways, we're neighbors, and practically sisters.
…Scratch that. More like parent trying to remove all hazards in the room, before small child wanders in.
It's kinda hard not to mom her after you see her face-plant or walk into a wall.
Several times.
In succession.
But that's not important. At least not now.
Becca was my odd cousin, determined to never have a dull moment.
She had a rather… unique way of spending her free time.
How should I put this?
She's the type of person you never want to leave alone in a science lab.
EVER.
She once found a way to make an RC helicopter out of an orange, duct tape, a soda can, a gamecube controller, and a set of batteries.
It was funny until the orange exploded.
That was all in the span of 7 minutes.
To put it bluntly, She's Komui Lee. Without a Section Chief Reever.
God help us all.
...well anyways, I'm not a morning person.
Alyss would barge into my room, (via the window) and wake me up on school days.
I would throw a pillow at her; she would dodge it, and dump ice on my face. (She claims that cold water would make too much mess.)
She's an amazing lil jerk like that.
You ever read Fullmetal alchemist?
Well, she goes batshit if you imply she's short.
Kind've like Edward.
It's hilarious!
Also part of the reason that her nickname's Al.
I'm getting off track again.
Anyways, we were running to catch the bus, as per usual.
Psh, being on time is for normal people.
Once we got on, I pulled out my phone, ready to read the One Piece update.
...it was on a two week hiatus.
Dammit.
I looked over at Al, silently praying she had some sort of interesting news.
Al was fidgeting.
This was never a good sign.
She has this creepy sixth sense that has never been wrong.
She gets real fidgety right before something happens.
"Al? What's up? Something wrong?" Yeah, who's going to get hit by a bus?
I hope it's Ashley. Never liked Ashley.
"Huh?! ...Sorry... got lost in thought." Maybe its over that math test. She was pretty confident she flunked it.
"Ok then. I'm bored. Anything interesting?" If I have to wait until I see Becca to get interesting news, I'm gonna die.
"...Nope. Hey, after school, I've got volunteer work at the art center." Huh? Annnddd your telling me this why? We all kinda know you do this every Wednesday?
"Yeah, you do every week. You feeling ok?" Knowing her, she's just tired.
"...Yeah. Just tired I guess." Hah! I was right! "See you later."
Off she goes! I think she just sent a new record….
Lovely. We arrive at school and she ditches me at the first opportunity.
…..only to turn straight into that-
"WALL!" …..I totally saw that coming. Wall-35, Al-0.
"You ok?" If you're not, Becca will kill me! Via Robots!
"Fine. That wall came out of nowhere" Thank god for small mercies.
"Good Becca would kill me if you managed to cause another Al shaped indent~!"
"JERK!" and off she goes. Again. Sheesh. Sensitive much?
Might as well follow her.
"Wow. Ok, Al, ditch me like that! See if I care!" But she had already disappeared into the crowd.
I hate her when she does that.
We can't ALL be ninjas.
On a completely unrelated note,
My cat would be sad to know that Al's avoiding me.
She's such a cat whisperer.
Oh well.
Ooooh! There's Becca!
"Heeeeeeey! You're late! Where's Al?!" No, welcome? I hope your morning was nice?
"Ditched me as soon as she could, the Lil jerk." Al always violently twitched if someone called her short, regardless of if she could hear them or not. I swear she has ESP some days.
"Sucks to be you! Clearly your morning has been crappy. By the way, I'VE NEARLY FINISHED MY PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION!"
"Really? Took you long enough. What you use this time? Robots?" Fluffin Mad geniuses and there Robots…
"YES!" Good god, what have I done?!
"….I'm sure everyone in club will want details."
"I'll sick Sir Beccalin the Third on them if they don't~!"
"You and your fabulous naming ability. Why the third anyways?"
"OH! That's cause the first 7 exploded." Obviously.
"Of course they did. "
Any way's, you're seriously late! Get your butt to first period!" Ah, good old Becca. Her priorities were always in order. Doesn't matter that she was distracting me. Just that I was late.
I parted ways with her as I headed to English, ready to recite Shakespearean Poetry. Or fall asleep. Whatever happened first?
School was always boring and repetitive to me. The same things day after day gets old fast.
So I usually just did my work and tuned out the teachers.
It made school go by in a blink of an eye.
When lunch came around I ate with Becca, and she rambled about some robot she was building.
She handed me some plan(s?) And asked me to copy them when I got home.
But in all honesty,
I didn't really understand half of what she was saying.
After lunch, school ends pretty quickly.
The next two (and last) periods usually go by so fast my brain doesn't register that I was ever IN art or math.
So I ended up walking with Al to her Volunteer work.
She was acting weird, and I wanted to know what was up. When I asked, she told me to take the bus home.
Which upped the weird meter to 11, as she hated being alone.
So, I followed her anyways.
I'm such a stalker.
We walked for a while, until the awkward silence was starting to make me contemplate homicide.
But I wouldn't kill Al, so that plan needs to be re-thought.
She was never this gloomy...
Maybe Ashley was rubbing off on her?!
Deserves to die in a fire = Ashley.
Making Al gloomy.
I didn't think it was possible.
I figured showing her Becca's robotic plans for world domination would cheer her up.
So I dug through my messenger bag, and pulled them out.
The vanilla folder was packed with a doodles and part lists.
Maybe this insanity would bring back her usually peppy self.
This not talking was starting to realllllyyy freak me out.
I handed her the folder, and as predicted, she smiled, and started flipping through it.
It didn't occur to me at the time, that waiting to cross the road was not a good time to hand out world domination plans.
A strong gust of wind suddenly hit, which in retrospect was weird, because there had been no wind all day.
It blew the papers out of the folder.
Onto the road.
I reached for her wrist to pull her back.
I wasn't fast enough.
I heard the truck coming.
She didn't.
So I did the logical thing any good friend would do.
I tackled her out of the way.
Or at least I tried to.
Goddamn driver must've been half asleep.
He (or she) hit me.
Pain was the one thing I noticed. (My whole body felt heavy...)
It kinda smelled like iron.
And my world went black.
The first thing I noticed was that it was bright.
Like the sun had suddenly gotten very close to my face.
And suddenly gone Supernova. Did that mean the human race was gonna die out?
Cause then I'm seriously behind in my apocalypse preparations.
Either way, It was WAY to close.
I opened my eyes, expecting to be at...
Where was I exactly?
Doesn't seem familiar..
Pretty sure that I've never been in a white room with a glowing ball of light before.
Sound to twilight zone-ish for me.
"You're awake. Welcome to the white room." Hey the light could talk!
Waiiiiiiiiiit.
Talking light...?
"Excuse me, but am I hallucinating?"
"No. As I said before, you ar-"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"Excuse m-"
"THE LIGHT IS TALKING!"
"Yes, bu-"
"THIS CAN'T BE REAL!"
"Well-"
"I'VE FINALLY LOST IT!"
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!?"
"..."
"..."
"...Sass, much?"
"..." Still no response? What a rude hallucination.
"Why, oh why, did they pick such a human!? I KNOW I MESSED UP ONCE! BUT THIS WAS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR!" Ooh! I made it rant! I didn't know hallucinations could rant!
"Well, you not explaining anything is getting old fast, my dear hallucination of condensed light!"
"Fine. You. In white room. You. Dead. Me. Send you elsewhere."
"Anything to get out of here." Haha, what a joke... Me? Dead?
"Your taking being dead pretty well. The last human had a panic attack." I'm starting to not like Mr. Hallucination. "I suppose you can grab a fruit from that bowl and eat it. Maybe you won't pass out from delayed shock." Meh. Food is food~! Eenie minnneeeyyy mineeey mo! Apple(?) it is!
GAH! DISTRACTION VIA FOOD! This guy was good. Already knowing to distract me with food so I don't ask many question. Too bad I already saw through him!
"...? But I'm talking to you aren't I?" Psh, the dead don't speak. That's where the expression 'take it to the grave' comes in with secrets!
"What's your name?"
"It's-" Name.. Name? My... Name..?
"Do you even remember how you died?" I'm not dead!
"Look, Mr. Hallucination, I'm clearly talking to you, meaning I'm ALIVE. Say it with me now, A-L-I-V-E." Right..?
"Have it your way then. What were you doing? Where were you last?" More questions? This is getting creepier and more mentally scarring.
"I was with-" There was someone else..? Why can't I remember?!
"Exactly. Look, kiddo. You're dead. Welcome to limbo. Congrats, not many people end up here." Limbo? As not Heaven, Hell, the Underworld, Overworld, Valhalla, or anything interesting?
Drat.
"..So, let's pretend that I am dead,"
"You are." I'm not!
"Why am I here? You said this was limbo? And who are you any way's?" Not even giving me his name! Rude.
"Name's Charles. That's not actually my name, but it's easier to claim it is. It's my job to send limbo goers, like yourself, to a new world."
"Why?"
"My higher Ups are lazy. And apparently like pirates today. I believe you are entitled to 1 more question." I would get along with them fabulously.
"Good to know." I'm gonna pretend that was actually a valid answer! "Ok, last question. Who am I?"
"I have absolutely no clue! Sorry~! I'm a few centuries' behind on paperwork, you see." What a crappy excuse!
"But, I do have to tell you, if you find your name, then you can go back to your original world, like you never died. Like a get out of jail free card." Also good to know.
"Okkk then. Umm, so off I go?" I don't think I have a choice…
"Off you go. First door (only door really) to your right."
"Thanks.. Charles." What a helpful light! I opened the door, and stepped through.
"I wish you luck, ********!"
If only I had heard what he had said, then maybe the future would have changed for the better...
Yo. This is A collaboration piece with TripsFalls&Dies. Also my first FF story posted.
Feedback will be wonderfully appreciated.
~Smithy