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"Ugh..." I groaned as I lifted my head, feeling oddly seasick though the ground was still. I opened my eyes and rubbed them as I looked around in a very familiar room- my room.
I slid my legs off of the bed and stood up, stretching as I glanced over the furniture as an odd feeling settled in my stomach.
The book that I had been meaning to finish was still sitting open on my nightstand with a small vase of dying flowers wilting next to it, the day's suit hanging next to a full length mirror, and a pile of papers rested on top and around my computer from working until 1 am.
I sighed and reached over to scoop up the fallen petals only to see my hand go through them. I stumble back swallowing panic that rose up in my throat and caught my reflection in my mirror.
A short brown haired woman with large bags under her eyes and pale skin looked back at me and carefully reached up to touch the mirror, sighing in relief as our hands touched the cool glass.
'ZZZZZZZZ! ZZZZZZZZZZ!'
I look over to see my phone lighting up with my alarm and headed out to take a shower.
::::::::
I quickly packed my things into my briefcase as I walked out of my apartment, making sure to lock the door behind me.
I spent the rest of the train ride feeling an odd sense of deja vu and tried to shrug it off as I power walked to my office building. I was halfway there when my phone goes off once more- a phone call from my sister.
"Hello?" I answered after fumbling around to pull out my phone, its weight feeling unfamiliar in my hand.
"Sis?" Hearing my sister's voice cause a lump to form up in my throat for some reason. "Where are you? I need to talk with you now!"
"I'm almost at work..." I paused. "Is something wrong?"
"Meet me over at the Starlucks café in five minutes."
"But I need to get to work-"
"Five minutes. Tell your work that you'll be late for once." She quickly cut me off before hanging up.
::::::::
I looked over my sister as she sat down across from me; panting as she slumped in the chair.
"You want some water?" I ask her with concern as I pushed a glass over.
"Ahh..." She grabs the glass and guzzles it down as I shook my head in amazement.
"Now what was so important that you made me call my work that I will be late?"
My sister pauses for a moment as she stared me down. "Sam- have you read the draft to my new work?"
I flinched for some reason as my name left her lips, feeling like I haven't it in a long time. "Ya... Of course I did, I told you what I thought of it right?"
"It changed." She leaned forward and grabbed onto my hand.
"Oh." I stared at her in confusion. "Then did you send me the new draft?"
"No."
"O..Kay...." I fidgeted a little. "What's going on? Your acting weird Emily."
"I have no idea how to explain this to you..." Emily trails off as she squeezed my hand tightly. "But you died."
".....What?"
The café suddenly went quiet as I pulled back while my heart started to pound. I glanced around to see that everything had faded into grey and the people were froze in place.
"Emily?" I looked over to the only person who was still in color. "You can't be serious... right?"
"I am." She looked up at me with sad eyes. "You died in this world."
"This world?...." I wince in pain as my head started to pound. I held onto my head as memories started to pour in, flashes of my death and new life as Celestia swirled in my mind, just like a tornado; leaving me breathless.
The pain slowly subsides and I lower my hands as the sick feeling finally disappeared. I had finally remembered.
I stared wordlessly at Emily as tears started to form in my eyes. I quickly got up and hugged my sister tightly as she started to cry too. We stayed like that for a few minutes until I finally sat down next to her.
"So.. Where is this place?" I asked once we had calmed down.
"I think that this is a place between worlds." Emily sighed as she wiped away some tears.
"I see.... What were you talking about earlier?" I glanced around for a moment before asking about her comment from a few minutes ago.
"After you died..." She sighed. "A few days after your funeral, I realized that there was a email waiting for me... from someone who called themselves 'GOD'."
Emily chuckled at the look on my face as she continued. "I thought it was a spam email or something but just as I went to delete it; I got another email from 'GOD', next thing I know- I had clicked on the link."
"Nothing happened of course." Emily finally says after a few seconds of tense silence, causing me to release the breath that I had been holding. "But I went to sleep that night and had a strange dream... about you."
Emily goes on telling me about watching from the side lines as I became Celestia and her being there for each of the events that I went through.
"After each dream; I would find emails with written chapters of what I had seen which furthered proved to me that they weren't just dreams."
Emily clenched onto my hands.
"I had just fallen asleep a little while ago and woke up just like this. I thought that this might be my only chance to talk with you again."
"This is a lot to take in..." I sighed as she stared at me with wide eyes. "But... I remember someone pushing me into the road; so that couldn't be a coincidence."
"You were pushed?" Emily gaze became surprised. "The police report said that you had fallen at the wrong time."
"I was definitely pushed." I sighed once more, rubbing my chin.
"Maybe we can find out." Emily quickly pointed out the window to another 'me' who was heading towards work.
I glance down at my phone and saw that time had gone back: right before Emily had called me.
"Let's go!" I grab onto her hand and we quickly rush out the door. Just as the door opened, we stepped out into a black surroundings. "Woah!"
We stopped and started to turn back as the door to the café slammed shut; leaving us in darkness.
"Sam?" Emily clenched tightly on my hand as another door appeared ahead of us.
Strangely; I didn't feel afraid or nervous as I walked up to the door, opening it to a busy evening rush.
::::::::::
The door closes once the both us were through and I look down at my phone to see it was about three minutes before my death. I could see 'me' walking down the sidewalk as Emily and I stood besides the crossroad while the other commuters walked around us.
"This is..." Emily trailed off as she looked around, spotting 'me' as well.
You have a choice.
I flinched at the words that suddenly entered my mind.
Choose.
"Choose what?" I asked out loud, Emily looked at me in confusion but I got no response from whoever had spoken to me.
"Sam? What's wrong?"
"I'm supposed to choose something..." I paused, finally noticing that the 'me' had stopped before us and seemed to be moving in slow motion as 'I' pulled out my phone. "Wait..."
This what it was. The choice. I had to choose whether to continue living my life here or get iseaki'd into the world of Vesia.
I looked over at Emily as I quickly made up my mind. I already knew what I was going to choose.
"Hey Emily?" I hugged her tightly. "You were always the one who would bring me along and include me in your friend groups and always tried to make me feel like I belonged but I really envied you."
"I was jealous." I pulled away and smiled. "About how you were able to fit in so well in this world; in a way that I was never able to."
"Sam, I-"
"But I found my place." I continued, wiping away a tear from her face. "It just took me a while to finally notice it. I need to go on my own path and you gave me that chance."
"I'm going to miss you." Emily started to sob a little, hugging me once more.
"I'll miss you too." I squeezed her hard. "Tell Mom and Dad that I love them and that I'm sorry for not saying that more often."
"Of course."
"I love you Emily." I whispered into her ear before letting her go and turning to look at the other 'me' and pushed 'me' out into the street.
Sounds rush back as I touched 'me' and I felt myself change back to Celestia. I turned back to look at Emily who mouthed that she love me and smiled as a strange tingling sensation overcame me and my vision went white.
:::::::::
I slowly opened my eyes against the white light and sluggishly moved, my hand brushing against cool crystal. I glanced around once my eyes finally adjusted and realized that I was encased in what seemed like crystal.
'Sail*r M**n?' I mused to myself for a moment, thinking of when she had been encased in crystal but quickly shook it off as I realized that I couldn't get out of the crystal.
"Crap." I pounded on the surface of the crystal, glancing around to see what was around me. I could seen Suli standing besides my crystal cocoon and even Master Ilin was nearby.
I attempted to look to see what they were looking at but there was barely any room for movement. I wasn't usually claustrophobic- but I was definitely beginning to panic a little at the idea of being trapped here.
"Hey!!" I released a frustrated sigh as I pounded on the crystal and kicked my legs to get their attention. I reached for Suli's link with me and found it gone. "Oh come on!!!"
I found myself started to shake as my heart pounded hard, the longer I tried to break free of my crystal prison. Panic continued to build at the sudden thought that entered my mind:
'How much air do I have? Will I suffocate here?'
"D*mn it!" I cursed at myself as I punched the crystal. "Why did I have to think of that?!?!"
The feelings got worse as tears began to form in my eyes.
"ALARIC!!!!" I finally screamed, hurting my ears from it echoing back.
Seconds pass when the crystal suddenly shattered as strong firm arms grabbed onto me and held me tightly.
"TIA!!!"
I wrapped my arms around Alaric's chest and heard his heartbeat pound hard against my ear before gradually slowing down.
"I thought I lost you." He murmured, tightening his grip on me.