A/N: Thanx so much for the great reviews. They really push me to write
more.
Chapter 3
*~ Rachel~*
My name is Rachel. And for the past twenty-three years I'd been sure I was dead. But suddenly, here I am wandering aimlessly in the construction site with a thirteen year old body.
The first thing I felt was confusion. In the blink of an eye I had been snatched from the vivid, vibrant landscape I had come to know as death, to the place which had originally sealed my fate.
Everything was flowing back. Distantly, I could recall scenes of the place as it was the night Elfangor's ship had crashed. The shadow covered buildings, only half finished and crumbling, the musty, stale scent all around us, the misty air filled with dust and remnant smoke from the bonfires of passer-bys. . The site had a story to tell of each traveler who had walked through, each fire lit, and each party thrown. The litter scattered about the ground told the story to anyone willing to listen.
One tale, though, would remain engraved in the atmosphere of the area forever.
Ours.
The story of five innocent kids whose need for the extra twenty minutes we'd have to talk on the phone or watch T.V. or go online if we took a shortcut instead of the safe way home. A decision that would haunt us for all time, even after death. I can tell you that because I've been there.
Thinking of all this, I wondered where my friends were now. Jake, Cassie, Marco, and Tobias…Tobias! Right then I wanted to see him so badly. But I knew I had been sent here for a reason, and it was not to catch up on childhood relationships.
That's when the group caught my eye. A group of five teenagers, probably about the age I was when I walked through here that night…or the age I am now…whatever. As they approached, I saw that one looked just like Jake and another looked shockingly like Tobias.
"Jake…Tobias?" I whispered.
A girl with dark brown hair answered my question. "No. That's Nick and Shawn. And you are Rachel," she commented, the last sentence sounding more like a question than a statement.
"How do you know my name?" I demanded, feeling my old self, Xena Warrior Princess, returning.
"Why are you back from the dead?" a girl with strawberry blonde hair retaliated. I laughed a little. That had sounded like a comment Marco would make.
"Look, I'm Clarissa Berenson. These are my friends, Jamie, Shawn, and Alexia. And my cousin, Nick."
"Berenson…you're…you're…" I couldn't bring myself to say it. I was overwhelmed by shock.
"Jake's daughter. And Nick is Jordan's son," Clarissa finished.
That surprised me as well. "Jordan's *what*? You're telling me that little squirt had kids?"
Clarissa sighed. "You wanna tell us what you're doing here? This is so cool."
I liked this girl. Here was something about her that reminded me of… me.
"Honestly, I don't know why I'm here. But I bet you're dad could figure it out. Can you take me to your house?"
"Umm…sure," Clarissa answered.
"Wait, Rissa. We're dealing with a ghost here. Should we try and maybe slow things down a little?" the girl named Alexia suggested, sounding a lot like Cassie.
"Where is your sense of adventure?" Clarissa and I exclaimed in unison. It was like we had one brain. We all laughed a little nervously then Clarissa spoke up again.
"We should plan this out though. I mean, it might creep my dad out a little if he sees his long dead cousin suddenly waltz into the living room."
Shawn sent her a very Tobias-like smile.
"Oh, great. Here she goes with the leadership and organization thing," Nick complained jokingly. He may have looked like Jake, but looks can be deceiving I guess.
"Shut up, Nick," Clarissa slapped him playfully.
Jamie interrupted their joking with one of her own. "So, we are gonna walk into your house and say 'Dad, I'm having my friend Rachel over. Oh yeah, and did I mention she's your dead cousin?'"
"Ha ha. How about this: I talk to him first. Make sure he's in a good mood, not to hyped up about anything, then I signal when he seems okay and you guys bring her in."
"Okay," we all agreed.
We headed down the dirt road to Clarissa's house.
Chapter 3
*~ Rachel~*
My name is Rachel. And for the past twenty-three years I'd been sure I was dead. But suddenly, here I am wandering aimlessly in the construction site with a thirteen year old body.
The first thing I felt was confusion. In the blink of an eye I had been snatched from the vivid, vibrant landscape I had come to know as death, to the place which had originally sealed my fate.
Everything was flowing back. Distantly, I could recall scenes of the place as it was the night Elfangor's ship had crashed. The shadow covered buildings, only half finished and crumbling, the musty, stale scent all around us, the misty air filled with dust and remnant smoke from the bonfires of passer-bys. . The site had a story to tell of each traveler who had walked through, each fire lit, and each party thrown. The litter scattered about the ground told the story to anyone willing to listen.
One tale, though, would remain engraved in the atmosphere of the area forever.
Ours.
The story of five innocent kids whose need for the extra twenty minutes we'd have to talk on the phone or watch T.V. or go online if we took a shortcut instead of the safe way home. A decision that would haunt us for all time, even after death. I can tell you that because I've been there.
Thinking of all this, I wondered where my friends were now. Jake, Cassie, Marco, and Tobias…Tobias! Right then I wanted to see him so badly. But I knew I had been sent here for a reason, and it was not to catch up on childhood relationships.
That's when the group caught my eye. A group of five teenagers, probably about the age I was when I walked through here that night…or the age I am now…whatever. As they approached, I saw that one looked just like Jake and another looked shockingly like Tobias.
"Jake…Tobias?" I whispered.
A girl with dark brown hair answered my question. "No. That's Nick and Shawn. And you are Rachel," she commented, the last sentence sounding more like a question than a statement.
"How do you know my name?" I demanded, feeling my old self, Xena Warrior Princess, returning.
"Why are you back from the dead?" a girl with strawberry blonde hair retaliated. I laughed a little. That had sounded like a comment Marco would make.
"Look, I'm Clarissa Berenson. These are my friends, Jamie, Shawn, and Alexia. And my cousin, Nick."
"Berenson…you're…you're…" I couldn't bring myself to say it. I was overwhelmed by shock.
"Jake's daughter. And Nick is Jordan's son," Clarissa finished.
That surprised me as well. "Jordan's *what*? You're telling me that little squirt had kids?"
Clarissa sighed. "You wanna tell us what you're doing here? This is so cool."
I liked this girl. Here was something about her that reminded me of… me.
"Honestly, I don't know why I'm here. But I bet you're dad could figure it out. Can you take me to your house?"
"Umm…sure," Clarissa answered.
"Wait, Rissa. We're dealing with a ghost here. Should we try and maybe slow things down a little?" the girl named Alexia suggested, sounding a lot like Cassie.
"Where is your sense of adventure?" Clarissa and I exclaimed in unison. It was like we had one brain. We all laughed a little nervously then Clarissa spoke up again.
"We should plan this out though. I mean, it might creep my dad out a little if he sees his long dead cousin suddenly waltz into the living room."
Shawn sent her a very Tobias-like smile.
"Oh, great. Here she goes with the leadership and organization thing," Nick complained jokingly. He may have looked like Jake, but looks can be deceiving I guess.
"Shut up, Nick," Clarissa slapped him playfully.
Jamie interrupted their joking with one of her own. "So, we are gonna walk into your house and say 'Dad, I'm having my friend Rachel over. Oh yeah, and did I mention she's your dead cousin?'"
"Ha ha. How about this: I talk to him first. Make sure he's in a good mood, not to hyped up about anything, then I signal when he seems okay and you guys bring her in."
"Okay," we all agreed.
We headed down the dirt road to Clarissa's house.
