~chapter 3~

she learns that not everything is calm and questions have instantaneous answers only ever when they're meant to

~chapter 3~

    As she stepped onto the amazing-almost ridiculous amount of-steps that led to the temple where the Higher-Up's people resided, Kimi felt she was going to feel embarrassed and inferior in front of these people, something she absolutely despised feeling but knew she’d have to put up with it.

    “Kathy?” Kimi looked up at the woman now in a flowing light blue gown as they sat down waiting for someone to call on them. Kimi felt like she was in a doctor’s waiting room. “What are we going to be doing in there?”

    “Nothing entirely too special,” Kathy answered, not soothing the slight tension on Kimi’s shoulders any. “You’ll all become acquainted and you’ll be enrolled in types of classes to get you on your way here in what we all have come to call Heaven.”

    Kimi felt no more better about her situation but she felt she’d just endure until there were explanations.

    I at least hope there’ll be some explanations as to what the heck is going on… Kathy thought, rubbing her arms. Why do I feel so freaking cold?! She’d felt cold since the day she’d awakened, even though the others seemed absolutely content with the temperature.

    “Don’t worry, Kimi,” Kathy said, as if she knew what was on her mind. “The cold will go away soon enough, just be patient.”

    Easier said than done… Kimi thought, wanting to claw the woman’s eyes out for being so nonchalant. I wish we could just get this over with already. I’m hating this more and more by the freaking minute, it’s taking too long.

    As soon as she’d thought it, someone opened the grand doors, and just as in a waiting room, someone called the name, “Kimi?”

    She stood beside Kathy and walked behind her as they proceeded. The room was enormous, and it seemed to lead openly to the sky; the ceiling looked much like it. Kathy halted suddenly and Kimi almost bumped into her back most noticeably. She stopped as quickly as she could and carefully stepped back to space themselves.

    “Come out from behind me, Kimi,” said Kathy, chuckling. “There’s no need to be so formal, just stand beside me.”

    Kimi blushed and stood on the woman’s left side. There was what seemed to be a giant ivory desk in front of them, where four men and three women sat. They looked mostly at Kimi, but two-a man and a woman sitting on either side of each other in the center-were staring only at Kathy, staring back at them serenely, unperturbed by their piercing stares.

    “Stop staring at me, you two wonderful people,” said Kathy sarcastically, obviously annoyed. “Or I may become tempted to say something quite rude. I’m not a beginner anymore and you two know that, so please, begin questioning her, alright?” She ended this sentence with a blink, as if she just then found out what she was saying and was not only surprised by herself but extremely proud of herself.

    “Of course,” said the woman, who suddenly turned a motherly look and smile on Kimi. “Please state your full name and age before your death.”

    “Kimiko Naru Tomoe,” she stated, feeling as if she were back in her JROTC class on Earth. “I was sixteen before my death.”

    The woman’s eyes turned sympathetic, almost hinting at pity, and Kimi hated the way that looked, the idea of pity turned towards her. She conveyed this feeling with her own eyes, and the woman blinked, clearly amazed that she’d say such a thing to her with only her eyes. She just nodded, intending not to go any further. Kimi felt the need to run from the room, but judging by their stares, they absolutely commanded that she stay and not move.

    “So then,” another man who looked as if ordinarily he would be entering his lower forties, far off to Kimi’s left piped up. “How did you come to die?”

    The term, it was so easily used by everyone around her and was still a wound that stabbed her almost as badly as the bullets had. “I died by what seemed to be an accident. A woman and a man were fighting outside of a car and she got in and shot randomly. I was hit by two bullets, one in the shoulder and one in my upper left arm. The one in my shoulder was what must have killed me.”

    “Ah, I see,” the man said, nodding. “Are you cold?”

    This question startled her but she didn’t let it show. “Yes,”

    “That’s a good thing,” the woman on his right said. “Of course, you might find it bad. It means your body back on Earth is really dead and you’ve started to decay. By now…I’m wondering if they’ve done an autopsy on you or not?”

    The thought of her body having been ripped open slightly disturbed her, but she really didn’t let it show one bit. She hated it when others thought of her as weak, and she had already told herself to tough it out, to get through this quickly and never have to come through this room again unless she absolutely needed to.

    “Don’t scare her like that,” Kathy said, smiling apologetically in Kimi’s direction. “And don’t worry about it, Kimi, the cold will go away as soon as you have your funeral.”

    “Funeral, huh?” she asked, glancing down at the ground where she imagined earth was eons away. “When do you think that will be?”

    Kathy seemed struck dumb and so did the others.

    Why is that so amazing? Kimi thought. Maybe everyone is scared of the thought normally? Hmm…it’s making me uneasy, damn it! Someone say something already!

    “Um, do you want to watch your funeral take place?” asked Kathy quietly.

    “Why shouldn’t I?” Kimi asked, looking at her. “Is there something wrong with that?”

    “Not…” she looked up at the people she wasn’t friendly with. “…unless these ones say it’s wrong.”

    “Hmh,” the woman was suddenly looking condescendingly at Kathy. “You know I don’t care much for funerals. If she wants to see it she can see it. The picky one over here is this one.” She turned to the man who was looking at his spot at the giant desk.

    “Why do you always, always, always…” Kathy shook her head, angered beyond all reason suddenly. “Pick now old man or I swear I’ll find a way to get you. Don’t you dare put this child through that kind of stupidity.”
    He looked up and smiled sweetly but it looked absolutely maniacal in his face. I felt that the minute he tried to open his mouth to say something in response he’d just start cackling like a mad man. Instead he just kept on smiling, and out of nowhere and without my noticing he softened up and sighed.

    “Honestly, I shouldn’t be scaring you right now, huh?” he said, and I almost started laughing at the way his eyes twinkled with a joking manner. “I’ll scare you later or something.”
    “I’m tempted to let the Big Guy Upstairs know that you’re not exactly the greatest, most kind thing in the cabinet,” Kathy said, her stature suddenly changing to that of a lioness ready to attack. “It makes me wonder what you’re still doing here.”

    “Ohh, deary me,” one of the women at the giant desk looked worried. “Kathy, Lionel, my friends, please be a dear and don’t do this again. Look at the one standing next to you Kathy, she’s already scared senseless.”

    Kimiko noticed her own hands were trembling and it wasn’t because of the cold she could still feel. This kind spirit that Kathy seemed to be to her was obviously like anyone else. Kathy noticed this small trembling in Kimiko’s hands and returned to her regular standing position but was now in front of her, protecting her.
    “I’m hoping that this means you accept her,” Kathy said. “If there’s anything wrong with her, please, you just need to tell me. I’ll be taking my leave.”

    I almost protested that I still hadn’t found out enough when a giant pair of white wings came from the seemingly endless sky-looking ceiling and landed right next to her with a gleaming dagger positioned next to her throat.

    “I wouldn’t move if I were you,” it was a man, and he was ridiculously blond. “You’re going to need to hear the verdict before you think about leaving.”

    She stared at his hand that held the dagger in line with what would have been her jugular vein in normal life. Kimiko started worrying that this gentle, motherly woman might start to go berserk right in front of her. She then turned her gaze to the table slowly, and sighed.

    “Are there any other questions?”

    Silence. Thinking seemed to be emanating from the entire table.

    What else would they need to ask me though? Kimiko thought. I never committed any crimes in my life, save cursing when I was angry or something.

    “Excuse me,” the woman from earlier who had calmed the almost-fight piped up. “I was wondering, Kimiko, do you like writing?”

    She didn’t even notice that she was going to answer, that she was going to do anything really. She didn’t know she was ever going to answer anything but asking for her name and death date. So completely out of nowhere…

            “DO I?!”

Author's Note

randomness!!!