Chapter One: If I Die Young

I expected death to be different.

I expected white fluffy clouds, harps being played, golden gates leading to the Promised Land. Instead, I found myself alone in a depressing grey room. It wasn't even a room. It was like I was just floating in grey nothingness. I moved my legs, to try and walk in any direction I could, but the grey still remained. It was surrounding me with no end in sight. There were no fluffy clouds, no golden gates to heaven. There was just nothing.

Was this instead hell? Had I been punished for the lives I had taken?

But where was the blistering heat? The demons and all that was evil to rip me apart, to torture me until I screamed in agony, where was any of it? There was just nothing besides seas of grey. It was enough to want to pull my hair out in frustration.

Where the hell was I?

And then suddenly around me, everything changed. It morphed into a scene familiar to my eyes. It was the battlefield. I was back inside of that warehouse as the battle stopped, body parts and blood splayed across every inch of the room. I looked around in horror as I took everything in. I could see Sophie-Anne crying over the goo that had once been Andre. I turned in another direction to see Alcide kneeling on the ground naked, cuts and bruises littered over his body and he caught his breath. I turned again only to be stopped in my tracks. If I even had a breath, it would have been caught in my throat as I took in the sight of Eric sobbing over my lifeless form. My heart ached as I watched him grip tightly to my body, screaming at anyone that came within a foot of him. Godric was the only one allowed, the only one who knelt down beside Eric and my body. There were tears streaming down his face, staining his pale cheeks. But he held himself together as best as he could for Eric as he laid a hand on his shoulder. Eric snapped however, pulling away from his maker and holding onto me tighter. It made me want to run over there and hug him. And I even attempted to do so. But before I could reach him, everything just vanished. I turned every which way, expecting to find Eric somewhere else. But everything had just disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"What the hell." I whispered to myself, feeling the tears pooling in my eyes. I went to wipe them away when I saw another form across from me. He looked miles away, and when I opened my mouth to call out to him, I didn't have a voice. A tear slipped down my cheek and I tried to run to him. But my feet couldn't move. I was frozen to the stop, an invisible wall keeping me from moving at all.

"Don't strain yourself, phoenix." A voice left the form as he slowly walked closer.

I could see him clearly now as he stood only a few feet away. He was tall, almost as tall as Eric. His dark brown hair was cut short and his eyes were the brightest blue I had ever seen in my life. He was beautiful, I couldn't deny that. He would never match Eric's beauty, but this man was handsome in his own way. I wanted to know who he was, why he was smirking at me like that. What was he doing here? Where was here? What was going on? Shouldn't I have been dead? Was this death himself, to take me to the other side? I was so confused and all I wanted was answers.

"I'm not Death." He spoke, as if reading my mind. "Maybe someday."

I was baffled, my mouth dropping open in shock.

"Don't you just look lovely." He rolled his eyes. "What I wouldn't love to just take you."

I didn't understand what he meant by that as he passed by me, the grey nothingness changing back into the scene in the warehouse. My eyes grew wide as I looked back around until my eyes fell on Eric. I moved quickly this time, ignoring the man who had started walking around the room. My only thoughts were on Eric as I reached his side, my hand moving out to touch him. But I couldn't touch him. My hand only fell right through him, like he wasn't even there. But it wasn't him that wasn't solid. It was me. It was like I was a ghost, able to float right through him.

I could feel my tears streaming down my cheeks and I fought with all my might to touch him. I just wanted to touch him one last time. I needed to. It was an act of desperation.

"You can't touch him." the man appeared at my side again.

I spun on my heel to glare at him through my tears. "Who the hell are you? Where am I?"

"Someone is a bit moody." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh just shut up!" I went to hit him, except he just disappeared before my very eyes.

"That isn't very nice, Phoenix. I've come here on my own accord and you try and use physical force. I'm hurt." The voice sounded from behind me.

I twisted around to find him leaning against the warehouse wall. I wanted to smack the smirk off of his face, to shake away the smug look in his eyes. Who was he? Where in the world was I? I just wanted answers. I needed them.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"Well if you must know." He sighed dramatically. "I'm the Reaper."

"Reaper?" I frowned in confusion. "As in, Death?"

"One day perhaps." He shrugged as he pushed himself away from the wall and began walking towards me. "But I'm only the Reaper."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I'm graced with the unfortunate pleasure of having to deal with the likes of you." He shook his head. "I wanted to snatch you right up the last time you were here. But that pesky little red head had to swoop in and ruin all my fun."

"Kyra." I breathed out, remembering seeing her after the car crash as I watched myself nearly die in that hospital bed.

"Yes, her." The Reaper's eyes roamed around the room before setting his sights on one of the dead witches. He was burnt to a crisp, and I knew he had been the one I had killed. The Reaper whistled as he knelt down to the burnt form, his head shaking as he took in his appearance. "You did a number on this one."

I watched as he laid a singer finger on his forehead before a bright light suddenly enveloped the body. I had to look away from the blinding light, shielding my eyes with my arm. the light had disappeared just as quickly as it appeared and I let my arm fall back down to my side as I watched the Reaper stand, dusting off his dark slacks.

"Where am I then?" I questioned as he began walking towards another body further away. I kept up to pace with him, needing to know the answers I sought out. When he didn't answer me, I let out a sound of frustration before jogging around him, stopping him before he could continue walking. He raised an eyebrow as he stared down at me with a bored expression on his face. I crossed my arms as I glared up at him, just wanting him to answer at least one of my questions without a snarky comment. "Well?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're in the In-Between." He answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world to comprehend.

He then moved around me and continued on his way to the next body. I stood there, not turning to follow him. I just stood there, trying to make sense of what he said. I was in the In-Between. I could vaguely remember when I had seen Kyra after the car crash, barely remembering when she had told me that exact same thing. I was caught between life and death, stuck between the world I had always known and one I was intrigued about. It was a lot to take it. I was shell shocked. A big part of me was still in that battle, still fighting for the lives of everyone I ever cared about. But it was all over now. As I glanced over to where Eric still sat, holding me to him as if I was just going to wake back up any second now, I felt my heart completely break.

That was when my I came to my senses.

I was a Phoenix. I couldn't die. It wasn't possible unless I gave my soul to another, unless there was another to continue on the legacy. I couldn't be dead. So why was I still here? I should have gone back. I should have woken back up by now. I hadn't stayed here this long when it happened the first time. Where was Kyra? Why wasn't she here to guide me back down to earth, to assure me that everything would be alright? She wasn't anywhere in sight, and instead, I was stuck with this arrogant Reaper.

"I can't die." I said suddenly, turning around to face the Reaper as he stood up from another soul he had just taken. "I just can't. I'm a Phoenix."

"Finally, you're using that pretty little head of yours." He smirked widely. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you."

"Oh just stop, you asshole." I growled. "Send me back. I want to go back. I can't be here, I need to be there. I need to wake up."

"I can't do that, Phoenix." He shook his head.

"Yes you can. Send me back. Now. I can't die."

"I can't make that decision." He shrugged, turning back away.

"Yes you can. You're a friggin Reaper! Send. Me. back!" I threw my arms up in frustration. "You can't keep me here."

"Oh I can keep you here as long as I want to, little girl."

"This isn't right. I can't be here."

"But you are here." A sly look crossed his face. "And whose fault is that?"

"Just send me back. Or take my soul. Just do your damn job!"

"I can't do that. It's not my place."

"Then who can do it? Because you can damn well call them down here and send me the hell back! Right now!" my voice began rising in hysterics. I wanted to go back. I had to go back. I needed to be with Eric. I needed him. I needed to feel him, to kiss him. I couldn't go on like this. I couldn't lose him. I couldn't be the one to lose him, I just couldn't.

"That would be me."

The voice sent a chill down my spine. It felt like my skin was ice cold the moment those four words sounded behind me. My face paled as I slowly turned around only to meet the gaze of the most terrifying man I had ever set my sights on. He was older than the Reaper, must older. He looked like he could have been centuries old, his face wrinkly and limp. His hair fell into his face in strings, looking like it hadn't been washed in decades. It was his eyes however, that caused a gasp to emit from my lips, for my legs to take a step away from this creature. His eyes were so dark. They were so dark that it felt like I was looking into death itself. They were pools of black, with just a hint of something else. It was like millions of souls were swimming in those pools of darkness, and that frightened me to the core.

"Leave us." The man spoke aloud, his voice booming.

"I was hoping to watch the show." The Reaper replied smugly.

"I said leave." The man snapped his fingers and the Reaper just suddenly disappeared.

I took another step back as my eyes grew even wider. I think I felt more frightened of him than of any other bring I had been faced with. I don't think I was truly afraid of Hallow or Mark. They had only angered me and pissed me off. I wanted them to die, and I ensured that at least Hallow met that fate. This man however, whatever it was that he was, scared me to the bone. I wanted to run away, curl up in a corner and just wish him away. I didn't want to look into those dark eyes any longer, but for some reason I just couldn't look away.

"W-who are you?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

"I am Death." He responded, his head tilting to the side as his eyes bore right into me.

Death.

He was death.

That only sent another surge of fear through me.

"Have a seat, we have much to discuss." He waved his hand in the air before two chairs suddenly appeared.

I didn't sit though. Death took his seat gracefully and stared up at me, waiting to do the same. But I couldn't. I was frozen in fear. I couldn't move a muscle. My tears had stopped and dried on my cheeks. It felt like my heart was pounding against my chest, and for a brief moment, I wondered if that was even real. Could my heart still be beating if I stood in between life and death?

"I said, have a seat." His voice sounded darker as he waved his hand and the chair behind me crashed into the back of my legs, forcing me down onto it. I tried to jump back out of it, but I found that I was restrained by invisible ropes, holding me to the chair. I struggled but it was no use. Whatever Death had done, I was stuck here.

Just like I was stuck in this hell hole.

Except that it wasn't hell. I would have even rather hell than this place, than to be able to watch the love of my life sobbing over my dead body. At that thought, I turned my head in Eric's direction, only to find him and all the others fading back to grey. I struggled some more, just wanting to see Eric's face again. I let out a noise of exasperation before falling limp in the chair, knowing that it was absolutely useless. I wasn't a part of that world anymore. I was here, in this place, sitting across from Death, and what looked to be no possible way back home.

"Send me back." I found the sudden courage to speak as I glared right at Death himself.

"I can't do that." He clasped his hands in his lap as he crossed one leg over the other.

"What? What do you mean you can't do that? You're Death! Just send me back damnit. Or take my soul. Just do something!" the tears began again, sliding down my cheeks like they had never stopped. I just wanted all of this to end. I wanted to either go back or find myself in my afterlife. Why did this have to be so difficult?

"That mark on the back of your neck ensures that I cannot do that." Death answered simply.

"What?" I asked in confusion before it dawned on me. The tattoo. I had almost forgotten all about it. It was in the form of an ancient drawing of a magnificent bird; a phoenix. I had wondered why I was given this tattoo, how it had just suddenly appeared. But I eventually just forgot about it. Why worry over something I would probably never find out about?

"I cannot take the soul of a marked Phoenix. Not until that is wiped from your body." His eyes lowered to my neck, as if he could look right through it to the tattoo itself. "It burns brightly. Yes, you are most definitely a strong one. That was evident in how you destroyed that pesky witch."

I gulped as I just stared at Death. "Send me back. You can't take my soul, so send me back."

"I cannot do that either, tiny Phoenix." He shook his head.

"Why not? You can't keep me here." I began struggling against the invisible restraints again.

"Oh I can. I can keep here as long as it takes."

"As long as what takes?" I demanded to know.

"As long as it takes for you to know what you truly desire."

"What? What are you talking about?" I was growing frustrated now. Why couldn't I just get a straight answer? I just wanted to know why I was here, why I wasn't back in my own body yet.

"You say you want to return, but I can see inside of your heart, tiny Phoenix, and I know the truth." His lips curled into a smirk.

"I want to go home. Send me back!" I ordered as if he wasn't Death, the most terrifying being anyone could possibly meet.

"You and I both know that isn't what you truly want, not entirely."

"It is. I want to go home." I was pleading now, begging for him to send me back.

"You don't know what it is you want." He sat forward, his eyes meeting mine once again. "You say one thing, but your heart says another."

"That's not true." I shook my head.

"Yes it is." He nodded, his eyes growing even darker if that was even possible. "You say you want to return to your loved ones, and part of you truly wants that. But deep within your soul, you don't ever wish to return."

My face paled. "No. That's not true. I want to go home."

"Maybe. But your heart tells me something different. You're tired of the pain. You're tired of the hurt. You're tired of the sacrifices you've made. Part of you never wants to go back. You just want to move on, to wherever that may be."

"But..." I couldn't think of a thing to say though. How could I argue with Death?

How could I argue the truth?

I didn't want what he had said to be true. I tried to fight with my own conscious. But it was true; it was as simple as that. As much as I wanted to go home, as much as I wanted to return to Eric, to kiss him all day and night, I knew a part of me didn't want that at all. I knew that a part of me did want to just move on, to find myself in heaven, to be with my parents and brother again. I felt ashamed for feeling it. I hated myself for being so selfish. But it still didn't change anything. I was confused; I didn't know what I truly wanted. And that was why was keeping me here. It wasn't the Reaper, it wasn't even Death. It was myself. I was the reason I was here, stuck in this nothingness.

"What do I do?" I asked desperately.

"You decide what it is you want." He shrugged his bony shoulders under his loose suit jacket.

"And then you'll send me back?" I asked hopefully.

"If that is what you decide, yes. I do not keep souls here, that is not my purpose. And I certainly do not keep Phoenixes to myself, even though you would round off a nice collection of mine." He chuckled to himself. It was the most frightening chuckle I've ever heard in my life. "But unfortunately, the one who created all of his precious little phoenixes wouldn't be very happy with me."

"God?" I whispered out, my eyes growing wide.

"Yes, I believe that is what you call him." he nodded.

"You...you work for God?"

"Of course not. He has no domain over me." Death shook his head, disgust on his face at the mere thought. "But he is not an entity one would like to witness angry."

I was just startled to the point that I was speechless, not knowing what to say. I just watched as Death stood out of the chair, the restraints holding me down vanishing. I didn't move from the chair however, knowing that if I stood, I wouldn't be able to hold myself up.

"Rest, tiny Phoenix. You'll need it." Death waved his hand and a four poster bed suddenly appeared to one side, dressed in stark white sheets.

"How...how do I decide?" I questioned softly, my eyes rising up to meet his.

"That's up to you." He answered before he snapped his fingers and just vanished into thin air.

It didn't take long until I was pulling myself out of the chair and throwing myself onto the bed. I couldn't stop the tears as they flowed out of me, the sobs racking my body. I cried for myself, I cried for Eric, I cried for every single person I had lost. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I ever would. I just wanted to wake up and have all of this be some horrible nightmare. This couldn't be real, it just couldn't be.

A/N: I couldn't be that cruel and just leave you without a sequel in the same day. well I could have been that cruel, but I have no self control and I already have the second chapter done that will be posted later tonight as well. so you don't get breathing room from this series just yet! unless you want breathing room, then I would suggest sitting out on reading these chapters for a bit. because it gets heavy quickly. Ellie is dead...but she's not really. she's stuck in the In-Between because she's confused on what she wants. either she can go back to Eric and the ones she loves, or she can rest peacefully in her after life. I know it seems silly that she would even consider it, but look at what she's been through. the thought of seeing her family again, being free of pain and heartache, it's welcoming to her. but we'll just have to see what she decides! oh, and for this Reaper character, I totally imagine Gerard Butler for some reason. and a second oh...if your new and this all sounds messed up, take yourself back to Make This Go On Forever and read on from there. this is the 4th fic in this series.