Two

Next thing Aleena knew, she was falling. Blackness covered her eyes, yet she could feel the cool air slide through her fingers. No matter what she did, movement was impossible. Despite the freezing wind blowing through, it seemed as if time had stood still.

Then, with a soft thud, she had landed on some ground. She was afraid to look in fear of where she turned out. She didn't know exactly what happened after life, but she wasn't eager to find out.

One by one, Aleena began to be able to move her fingers. She grabbed at what was under her, feeling a soft cloth. A-a cloth? she thought in confusion. She believed she was in a much worse place, considering the falling. So why was she on something with a cloth? Something with spikes seemed more appropriate.

Then, she got this feeling she was being watched, or hovered over. Her ears tuned into the buzzing going on about her slowly to reveal voices. "Hey, is she up?" a voice asked in a low voice near her right. "Yeah, is she up?" another whined closer to her ear. "Be patient, kids," a calm voice said as her hand was lifted, as if checking for some sort of pulse. Oh, how she wished she could open her eyes and see the people around her.

Soon, she twitched her fingers. "Ah! She's moving!" the one closer to her ear said suddenly, rattling her eardrum. "Yes, and you're killing her ear," the other voice said in an irritated tone. "You two, stop!" the once calm voice raised in annoyance. Aleena flexed her hands, then moved her arms slowly. Then finally, her sky blue eyes fluttered open to her surroundings.

At first, all she saw was white. Then, once her eyes had gotten used to the bright white walls and decorations about her, Aleena saw three figures about her. The one closest to her was a girl about her age. Her chocolate hair hung about her small face, which almost seemed smaller by her enormous brown eyes. In the altogether effect, she looked like a frightened deer, though she didn't act like one, bouncing up and down like a kangaroo.

The boy only a little further away gave her a tentative smile, pushing some jet black hair away from his bluish-green eyes. His pale face was angular, but somehow in all the right ways. He smiled again with a small wave. "Welcome," he said in the same low voice she heard before. To her right, an old man smiled warmly at her as she sat up. His snowy hair could compete with the white walls in the hospital-like room. The wrinkles etched into his face showed his physical age, yet there was a sparkle in his eyes showing his youth.

Aleena sat up immediately, causing a head rush in consequence. She groaned for a second as she held her head for a moment, getting rid of the ache. When the pain subsided, she looked up at the trio. "Uhm, am I dead?" she said softly. The older man smiled sympathetically. "Yes, I'm afraid so, dear," he said as he took her hand. It was freezing cold, but she refused to tear away from the man's grip.

"So, where am I?" she asked, looking about the snow white room. "My dear, this is what we like to call the Afterworld. I'm sure you had heard about the afterlife back in the Beforeworld, so this is simply that, only it's not just a life, but an entire world," the old man explained with a sweet smile on his face.

"So, let me get this straight. I'm dead, but I'm not in heaven or hell? I thought that was how it worked," Aleena scrunched up her nose in thought, slightly confused. The man smiled in amusement. "I'm sorry, but that was what someone made up to keep the order in civilization," he answered patiently.

"Oh, well, how does it all work?"

The man sat up and gestured to the two teenage people to her other side, who seemed to have their own conversation, which included looking over at Aleena. Creepy, she thought with a shudder as she looked at them with their newly fixed grins. "That's what these two are for. Normally, when someone is newly dead, as you may say, two people who have stayed here for a while are assigned to help the new person and 'show them the ropes' you might say," he said with a bemused smile.

The boy offered his hand with a smile. "I'm Nolan," he said as he gestured to the hyper girl bouncing up and down. "This is Kamile," he introduced her, pronouncing her name like 'Kami'. "Ah, it's nice to meet you both," Aleena said as she shook Nolan's hand. Though when she tried to let go of it, Kamile's hand took hers and shook it rapidly. "Oh my gosh it's great to meet you! As you know my name is Kamile and I'm sure we'll be the best of friends. We could share secrets and tips on things and return to the Beforeworld at the same time," she started to ramble, making Aleena's  eardrums pound.

The older man started to stand and looked at Aleena, then the two at her side. "All right, Nolan, Kamile, why don't you show her around? I'm sure he would want to start moving about," he suggested, then looked to Aleena, who had started to stand already. "Aleena, if you need anything, just return here and ask for Mr. White," he instructed, pointing towards himself. Mr. White waved goodbye as the two kids started to pull Aleena towards a pure white door with a golden knob sticking out.

When the door opened, light burned her eyes for only a moment before she saw the beauty of the outdoor surroundings. It was mainly green grass with the dark green of the forest lingering not too far away. Different buildings speckled the almost clear meadow. The sky was a bright blue with only a few white clouds set high up. Nolan looked amused as he saw Aleena's face awestruck expression. "Welcome to the Afterworld," he said as him and Kamile started to lead the way.

Author's Note

Gah! Sorry for the long wait! Major writer's block has clouded my head lately. ^.^;

Reviews

[Sseoni]

Awesome chapter! Great imagery! Writer's block needs to leave you alone! Lol! I really liked the chapter. Please post another chapter soon! Every chapter leaves me wanting more! :D