Skyla was dreaming. At least, she thought she was. The real world was never this white and pure and...quiet. She blinked and looked around her. Where was she, and how had she gotten here? She was surrounded by white emptiness, and felt like she was in some great open space with no walls around her. She turned on the spot, looking for anything distinguishable from the white. Then she saw something, silhouetted above her. As she watched it seemed to spread and the outline of a building became visible. It continued to spread and then there were two buildings, then three and suddenly a whole city seemed to have sprung up around her. She could see buildings of all shapes and sizes, trees and other plants, and what looked like large rock formations. She recognised none of it, yet the sight of it all rang a distant bell in her mind, as if this was somewhere she had once known, but had encountered so long ago that all that remained was the barest wisp of memory.

Her eyes trailed over the buildings, taken them in one by one. They were made with skill, clearly, and the vegetation appeared real enough. Yet there was no sign of sentient life to be seen anywhere and everything was still, as if the whole area was asleep. Even the plants seemed to be frozen in a state of suspended animation with no breeze to give them any form of life. It was like time had halted in this place, where nothing aged, nothing died, and nothing lived. A city of white, and silence.

It felt ethereal.

Suddenly, there was movement from the corner of Skyla's eye and her body turned, ears shooting upright and her senses coming on the alert. She thought she saw a shadow move over one of the buildings, but she couldn't be sure.

"Hello?" she called, but there was no answer and her voice seemed to echo about the place, rebounding back at her in an almost mocking tone.

There was more movement, but she couldn't pinpoint it. She took a step forward, towards where she'd thought she'd seen the shadow. The ground felt odd beneath her feet, as if it wasn't quite firm enough to hold her and could give way at any moment. In fact, everything around her felt out of place, as if nothing was solid, nothing was real...as if all around her was simply part of a dream...

"Hello?" she called again, taking another step forward, followed by another.

"Stop," came a voice and she came to an abrupt halt.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Skyla demanded, fists clenched and rising automatically. A figure materialised before her, stepping out of the white like a ghost. She couldn't make out much of them, yet their form seemed to resemble that of a Lombax...but she wasn't certain. Squinting didn't help, and no matter how hard she tried, the figure would not come into focus.

"Who are you?" Skyla asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"A Spirit," the figure replied in a voice that sounded neither male nor female.

"Where am I?"

"You are in The Between."

"The Between?"

"Yes, The Between. It is that which lies between life and death," answered the figure. Skyla's eyes widened in shock,

"I'm dead?" she blurted.

"No, but neither are you alive," the Spirit answered. Skyla frowned and put a hand to her chest. There was no movement under her palm, no heart beat. Placing her fingers to her wrist, she felt for a pulse...and found none. But oddly enough, she didn't panic. After all, she was still conscious...somewhat. Instead, she swallowed,

"How did I get here?"

"You are not here, that is, you are not here physically." Skyla's brow knotted in confusion at the figures reply and she looked down at her hands, clenching them experimentally. They felt real enough, what did they mean?

"I don't understand," she murmured, glancing up at the figure, "what do you mean?"

"What you are now, who you are now, is your soul. Your real body lies back in the world of the living, but it is in no state to harbour your soul...thus you have come to be here, in The Between," the figure explained. Skyla blinked,

"I...still don't understand," she confessed eventually, feeling like she was missing something very important.

"Do not worry, it is always challenging for souls when they first encounter The Between," the Spirit informed her in something of a comforting tone.

"So, this is my...soul?" the grey Lombax asked with a small frown.

"Yes."

"Why don't I have a pulse?"

"There is no life in The Between, and neither is there death, thus you have not the bodily functions you are accustomed to. A soul in the between has no need of a heartbeat or breathing, it does not need them to survive here." Skyla instinctively tried to take a breath at their words, but found that her lungs did not expand or contract in any way. She looked once again at her hands. They felt so real, yet...

"I'm confused," she told the figure honestly, feeling no threat from them at the present.

"That is to be expected, but do not worry, you will get used to it soon enough," the figure assured her. Their words stirred a thought in Skyla's mind and she asked,

"How long will I be here?"

"That all depends on where your soul decides to rest. Your soul stands at the crossroads where life lies one way and death another. Where it decides to go is yet to be known."

"So...I'm dying?" Skyla asked.

'In the real world, yes." Skyla swallowed again but felt noticed that nothing moved in her throat, as if her body was simulating the movement rather than performing it. She looked around her again, taking in the buildings and plants. They looked so familiar...

"What is this place?" she posed, glancing from building to building.

"This is the capital of Fastoon, the Lombax homeworld...before it was brought to ruin," the Spirit told her. The grey Lombax's eyebrows rose in surprise,

"The Lombax homeworld?"

"Yes...you do not know it?" the figure enquired, sounding a little surprised.

"I...I don't know," Skyla admitted.

"Interesting..." the Spirit sounded intrigued and Skyla became curious at their tone.

"Interesting?" she echoed, turning it into a question.

"Yes. You see, when a soul comes to be in The Between, the environment it is surrounded by is usually the place the Soul would call home, the place where they feel most comfortable and at ease," explained the figure.

"Home? I've never been here before in my life!" Skyla exclaimed.

"Are you sure about that?" the figure asked. Skyla hesitated,

"No," she said eventually.

"Then it is possible you were born on Fastoon, and although you may not remember your birth...your soul does. Your soul knows all," the figure told her ominously. Skyla studied the figure before her, still unsure of their identity,

"Who are you?" she wondered aloud.

"I am a Spirit."

"What's a Spirit?"

"A soul in its purest form."

"Are you a Lombax?"

"No..." the Spirit took too long to reply and Skyla sensed there was something that was not being said, but then the figure went on, "but to you I would appear a Lombax."

"Why's that?"

"It is more comforting for souls to have one who resembles their own kind with them in The Between," the Spirit answered somewhat vaguely. Skyla continued to scrutinise the evasive Spirit, she still had not clue as to their gender, age, anything like that. But the more she looked at them, the more she became convinced that they really were a Lombax.

"What's your name?" she asked, beginning to probe for information, hoping to draw some solid conclusions.

"I have no name in this place," came the reply.

"But you said you're a soul...souls have names, don't they?"

"They do indeed."

"Then what is...or what was your name?" Skyla rephrased.

"You do not need to know that."

"But I want to know. Who were you?" the grey Lombax pressed the Spirit. There was another pause,

"No-one of any importance," the figure murmured in reply.

"Were you a Lombax?"

"You are very curious," the Spirit said in an amused voice but mixed with an element of...something Skyla couldn't place.

"I'm a Lombax," Skyla said as a way of explanation. The figure chuckled lightly at this,

"Yes, you are," they muttered softly and another silence descended over them.

"What are you doing here?" Skyla asked eventually.

"I am the guardian Spirit of The Between, it is my job to ensure souls are kept here safely and that the journey between life and death is smooth," they told her, as if reciting a job description.

"Ah, I see...what's that like?"

"It is a...necessary job," the Spirit told her carefully and Skyla frowned ever so slightly. It might just be her imagination, but the figure sounded almost...sad, and disappointed. She thought about asking more about the figure, but decided against it. She knew that when it came to sadness, you should never press anyone for details, they told you when they were ready and not a moment before; you simply needed time and patience. Thankfully, at that moment a thought came to her that captured her attention entirely,

"Have...have there been others? Other Lombaxes, I mean?" she asked and she knew that, had her heart been beating, it would be beating very fast.

"Every soul passes through here when travelling from life to death, so yes, there have been Lombax souls, like yourself."

"What were they like?" the grey Lombax asked eagerly. There was a moment of hesitation before the Spirit replied,

"I do not know."

"How come?" Skyla said with a frown.

"I...have not been here long," the Spirit said slowly.

"So, you've never met another Lombax...soul?"

"No, I am sorry," came the soft reply. There was something in the Spirit's voice that gave Skyla the feeling that some things were not being said aloud. It was like the Spirit was hiding something...but what? Then again, even souls were entitled to keep secrets.

"What's it like on the other side?" she asked gently, changing the subject while trying to find out more about the Spirit though a...less direct route.

"I would not know...I have never been," the Spirit replied somewhat wistfully.

"What do you think it is like?"

"I...I hope that it is a paradise beyond imagination, where the lost are found, friends reunited and there is no war," the Spirit said in a dreamy voice. Skyla nodded in agreement; that sounded like a place worth waiting for.

"Then why are you still here?" she enquired delicately.

"Someone must care for the souls," the Spirit replied evasively.

"Yes, but why you?"

"I volunteered."

"Why?"

"Questions, questions, you ask all these questions!" the Spirit suddenly snapped and Skyla's eyebrows rose in surprise at the hurt evident in their voice. The figure seemed to sigh heavily, "I am sorry, but there are some things I cannot answer...not just yet." Skyla opened her mouth to herself apologise for her intrusive questions, but before she could speak there was a tugging sensation in her chest and she felt herself begin to stretch like a rubber band, yet she felt no pressure on her limbs. It was as if she was being pulled someplace...and was remaining stationary.

"It is time. Your soul has chosen a side," the Spirit murmured.

"Where am I going?" Skyla asked, momentarily panicking, what if she was dying? Then again, would that be such a bad thing? She would see her parents again...and everyone else she had once known.

"Your soul is returning to the world of the living, your body will survive. You will return here, one day, but I do not know when," the Spirit informed her quietly.

"Will I remember this place?"

"No," came the reply with a hint of sadness.

"Then please, tell me your name," Skyla asked, feeling herself begin to fade, the world around her dissolving into a white blur.

"There is no time," the Spirit's voice began to dim and Skyla nearly didn't catch their last words, spoken softly as her soul took flight, "until we meet again, Skyla."

Then she was falling.