Chapter 3

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"So basically, if you really want something, it might come to you. It depends though." Yes, I was getting a tour of Somewhere by Augustus Waters. He was explaining to me about how to receive things there. "And you have to have a reason for wanting it. You can't just say you want a million dollars." He told me.

I thought back to when we were alive, Augustus too. When Isaac egged his ex's car. I got one picture in that moment, and I never took another picture of Gus. Isaac and I had taken a couple when it was just us left, but I didn't have them anymore.

"Can I wish for something now?" I asked Augustus.

"Yeah. Go ahead. We will see if it works." So I did. I said the reasons I wanted it out loud in my head. wished so hard I thought my brain was going to explode. When I opened my eyes, Gus was watching me, waiting for me to say something.

"Okay. There. I wished." We looked around to see if anything had appeared or changed. And then I saw it. It had popped up right next to where we were sitting. As if it was made of pure glass, I picked the object up so gently.

"A camera? You wished for a camera?" He asked me. He wasn't discussed, just curious as to why.

"Yeah I did." Figuring I should, I explained further, "so we can preserve the memories not only in our minds, but in a tangible object. Even though the memories in our minds will be more special and vivid, I want pictures I can look at night and day and smile. I want us to be able to look at something and say 'yeah, that was amazing.'. Plus, I only ever had, like, three photos of you when we were people on earth." Me saying this only widened the smile that had already crossed his lips.

"Well, then. Preserve through picture we shall." Gus added quickly, "but Hazel Grace, you cannot abuse this great gift of making things appear out of thin air. You must use it wisely, as must everyone else here. The ones who don't lose the gift, and must be dead without it."

"I won't. I promise."

As we walked, hand in hand, I thought about abuse. I had been told the entire life that I had lived to not abuse anything. That since life was short, I was not to abuse or take advantage of it. I had interpreted this differently then some people would have. I regarded this as playing it safe, closing myself up, not hurting anything. This had caused me not to do extraordinary things with my life. The only extraordinary thing I did with my life was fall in love with Augustus Waters. But that was pretty phenomenal, so I guess I didn't failed completely.

I was processing this when I suddenly heard someone yelling my name. I spun around to see a very quick running Isaac.

"Hazel! Hey!" He bellowed in my direction.

"Isaac!" I let go of Gus' hand to embrace him. I held him tight, making sure he was real. After Augustus left us, Isaac was really all I had. I mean, yes, I had my parents and other friends, but he was different. It was like he was the only one who truly knew what I was missing.

It was Augustus himself who finally spoke, "wow. That was a better hug than both of you gave me when you saw me." He had this cute pouty face he was sporting.

"Psh! Yeah, right." Isaac scoffed. "With how much you missed her? And her you? I seriously doubt that." We all laughed.

After a while of catching up-more like me catching up on Isaac's life after death since apparently he had been spying-we did what we do best. Play video games. I had heard that the two boys had caught evil quite a bit since being together.

"Grenade!" Augustus shouted, "it's okay, I got it!"

"No no no no no! Gus don't - shit!" There was an explosion followed by a dramatic voice telling them they had failed their mission. "Goddammit, Gus! Seriously!" Isaac howled.

"I'm sorry, but I had to save the old man."

"He was just an old guy walking his dog! He had nothing to do with the mission!"

"Well, no dogs will die on my watch!" Gus stated with a smile on his face. It was nice not to play blind-people video games anymore.

"Gus," I said slowly as if to a five year old. "Maybe just focus on the mission so you can finish."

"Hazel Grace, If I can save a life, I shall." I didn't argue. For the meaning there was something I didn't want to question.

After hours had come and gone, and the darkness had taken over, I was exhausted.

"Hazel Grace, I thinks it's time we head out." We said our goodbyes to Isaac and left.

The things about Somewhere is that you can make your own rules. If you don't want to get tired, you didn't have to. If you never wanted to take another shower, you wouldn't. I didn't want to stop either. I wanted life after death to be somewhat close to life before it. And then there was aging. It was the same, if you didn't want to age, you wouldn't. If you did, you did. Augustus and I had known all along that growing old together was not in our grand life plan. So we decided not to go against it, and not grow old. Although we may age a few years out of restlessness. Many people in Somewhere do the same. Besides, you can't die twice, so why grow old?

The steam was sticky against my skin, but I enjoyed it so. I get a rush of cool air as I opened the bathroom door.

Augustus Waters was standing in the bedroom. Wearing nothing but a towel, I walked over to him and started playing with his hands. I looked up into the blue eyes as they stared back at me. Neither of us had said anything yet, and as he pulled me closer, I know words were not needed. I watched his fingers as they skimmed over the edge of the towel. He slowly untucked it, as gentlemen-like as he could. I looked up at him as the towel descended to the floor beneath. I knew his eyes wanted to wander, but instead they stayed locked to mine.

Gus moved his hands to my lower back, drawing me into him. My bare chest to his. We slowly walked over to the bead, where he laid my down even slower.

After certain events, we were lying in the bed, Augustus' lips pressed to my neck.

"Gus." I whispered, just to say his name. He transported his kissed up my neck to my cheek bone, across to my own lips.

"Can I ask you a favor?" He asked. It seemed like a unconventional time for a favor, but whatever.

"Mmhmm." I got out.

"Call me Augustus." He parted his lips from mine to look at me. His eyes radiant.

"Okay." I voiced with a smile.

"Okay." I couldn't speak anymore, But I wasn't dejected in the least with what was haulting the words.

"Hi! I'm Caroline."

"Hazel. Nice to meet you." yes, I was meeting the one and only. The one that Augustus had describes as 'kind of a bitch' - in the nicest way possible - was shaking my hand.

"Gus here told has told me a lot about you. So many wonders!" Her smile vast with bug white teeth.

"As have I you. I'm sorry about the brain tumor. Must have been awful." It felt weird apologizing for a cause of death.

"Oh yes, sorry about the lungs." She responded. I nodded. There was some silence following the end of the topic. Many girls might feel differently about the situation then I did. They might feel jealous, hateful, or territorial. I did not. Not at all. I loved Augustus enough to know that there was no need to be.

"You know what I want to do right now?" Augustus asked us. Both Caroline and I gave him a questioning look. "I want to go miniature golfing. Don't you guys?" I gave a slightly bewildered nod, looking at Caroline who did the same. "Great. Lets go."

Of course there was mini golf in Somewhere. Probably the grandest I'd seen, windmills and all.

"I call green!" Augustus yelled as soon as we got there. Such a kid.

After about six holes, I was about to smack my ball through the lighthouse when Gus interrupted my swing.

"No, Hazel Grace! You're doing it all wrong!" I knew I wasn't doing it all wrong, but arguing would get me nowhere. He stepped up behind me. "First, your hips are off." He placed his hans on my hips and shifted them. I laughed. "Secondly, your holding the club to far up." He adjusted my hands to they were supposed to be, accruing to him. He placed his lips to my ear and whispered, "perfect." I giggled as Augustus stepped away. But the my face grew red when I remembered Caroline was there. She was looking at her fingernails as if she hadn't even noticed we were present. The look on her face was strange, and I didn't quite know what it was.

I was watching Caroline out of curiosity. My main question was if her bitchyness Augustus had described was from the tumor or not. From the looks that crossed her face, I would say yes and no at the same time. She was a nice, beautiful girl, but it was the looks. They were hard to see, but they were there. Some were of disgust, others like she was repulsed, and some were hard to place. But I still liked her.

After 18 holes, we snatched up Isaac and did something apparently people in Somewhere don't so too often. We went to the land of the living.