Earth was for the living.
Heaven and hell were for the dead.
Apex was for the dead who could not move on or who did not want to go to heaven.
It was in between life and death, and was among the clouds which humans gazed upon.
Gabriella was in Apex.
Her warm breath filled the cold room as she woke from vivid nightmares of the murders and the murderers she saw in her friends. Goosebumps began to form on her cold skin.
She walked outside into the bright clouds.
Birds flew across Apex. Dogs chased squirrels in Apex. Fish swam in glistening ponds in Apex.
People did what they wanted in Apex.
Every wish was granted in Apex.
Other than to be alive.
Everyone on Gabriella's side of Apex had been murdered (A/N: Remember this sentence! I will refer to it in the future!)
She pulled up her gown and walked down the steps, greeting the many people she cared about.
Ruthie, her best friend in Apex, pulled up on her black mare, Midnight. "You comin' horse ridin'?"
Ruthie was murdered in a hotel at a skiing resort two years ago. She was 16 and from Texas.
Gabriella smiled at her and walked up to Midnight, stroking her snout. "Not today. I have a couple things to do."
"Your loss!" She laughed and rode off into the trails.
She passed Joe's house, her favorite neighbor.
"Hi Joey! How's the flowers doing today?"
He turned around and waved at her. "Hello miss Gabriella! They're perfect as can be!
Joe had been murdered back in 2000. He was 76.
"Hey, tell Marsha I said I still want that date with her!" Joe yelled to Gabriella.
"Will do, Joey!"
As she strolled further down the street, little Evan ran out from behind his house towards her.
"Gabriella! Gabriella! Are we going to see Colt and Clyde and Ella today?"
"I am, but you're not!" She giggled and grabbed him in her arms, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "How are you today?"
"I'm doing well!"
Evan was a four year old little boy from her Pennsylvania whose father drowned him in a bathtub.
"I want to see them!" He whined.
"I'll take you riding on Colt later, okay?"
"Alright. I guess."
He crossed his arms as he watched her walk off towards the front of Apex.
Gabriella arrived at her favorite place in the world.
Her own personal zoo.
In Apex, you can have anything you want.
She had every animal in existence, even dinosaurs.
And she loved them all. They were all tame and very docile, even the large T-Rex with huge teeth.
She loved them all very dearly.
As she walked inside, chirps, roars, gurgles, and glass-shattering screeches from the dinosaurs greeted her.
She went through and pet every single one before going back to her stables.
These were her most dear animals.
The stables were her and Ruthie's, but Ruthie owned most of the horses there.
She grabbed a horse bucket and filled it with horse feed and filled the other with dog food.
Quickly, she rushed into her stable, where Colt woke from his sleep and whinnied happily at her.
"Hi Coltie!" She pet his mane and poured food in his bowl.
Colt was a Paint horse, with beautiful black and white spots covering his body.
She slid open another stall door which lead to her dogs.
Clyde and Ella.
A beautiful Saint Bernard approached her, wiggling his butt at her.
This was Clyde.
Ella was a large Newfoundland, covered in Landseer spots.
She poured all of their food into a large bowl, and watched as both dog gobbled their food down quickly.
And when they were all done eating, she mounted Colt, and rode off into Apex with her two dogs running behind her.