Welcome to Gaia! ::

I woke up in my own bed, the rain pouring outside. It was amazing I still had my bed; it had been six months since the accident. I pulled myself up and walked through the hall into the kitchen. My sister was making coffee; I sat down at the table. It smelled great. I just wish I could have some. I followed her into the den of our two-bedroom apartment. She sipped at the coffee.

I had been living with her when it happened. Our apartment was downtown near one of my favorite clubs, The Venue. I remember the day perfectly. I was at the venue with a few friends and my boyfriend. Our favorite band was playing and everything seemed perfect. In the middle of the set my boyfriend, Julian, jumped on stage and the lead singer handed him the mic. He started giving a speech.

“For those of you who don’t know me my name is Julian. I have been dating the wonderful Zoë for a while.” He looked straight at me and continued. “ I love her dearly. She is my sun and moon. Zoë I have a question for you,” he got on one knee, “ will you marry me?”

The yes flew from my mouth, and tears streamed down my face. My friends gave out a scream all at once. He slipped the beautiful ring on my finger. I was only eight-teen at the time and he was twenty but we didn’t care, we were in love. The show continued and I was never happier. When the set ended we walked outside to smoke and talk. I realized my cigarettes in the car and walked across the street to where it was parked. I was searching for them, finally finding them I slipped them into my pocket. I looked up just in time to see the car hit our car.

Julian was standing over me.

“It’s ok Hun, I don’t even feel any pain. Please stop crying.”

Then he appeared.

“Zoë you’re dead. He can’t hear you. This is what really happens, there is no Heaven or Hell. You walk Earth with the living and the dead now. The living isn’t aware of you 'til they die. You will know when their end is to come you can feel the closeness to death. Look at Julian and tell me how much longer he has to live.”

Suddenly, the new sense over took me.

“….A year”

“Do you know why so short?”

“No?”

“You are meant to be with him, even in death.”

“Then why take me now?”

“It’s your time.”

“Time is written before you start living it. You just have to wait ‘til his time.”

So that’s basically what I’m doing… waiting. I have to watch over my family and friends until his time. Then we can go from this world to another.

When I’m not watching over the living I’m greeting newly transcending souls. See the kid in the blue shirt crying? He just died; I have to go do my job now.

“Shh Steve it’s going to be ok, you are transcending.”

“Trans-what?”

“Transcending, you’ve left one world and are ready to go to the next.”

“So I’m dead?”

“Yes.”

“Wha-what happened?”

“You overdosed on that coke over there.”

“But my family there’s so much I have to do.”

“You’re going to have to wait until your soul mate dies to transcend to the next world.”

“Huh? My what? Are you god?”

“So, let me give you a bit more of an explanation than what had been given to me. Souls travel in pairs. When one soul is ready to transcend and the other isn’t, the soul watches over the living. Each soul only spends a certain amount of time in each world, only aware of the other worlds while transcending. In the next world, we forget about the others. After transcending to another world the pairs are separated and are born to a family. Later in that life they are reunited to their “soul mate.” This whole waiting thing is kind of like limbo.”

“So what happens when we go through all of the worlds?”

“You dream of whatever you thought was going to happen when you die. That’s how the concept of heaven comes in; it’s your perfect dream world. Ok enough questions it’ll all come back to you in time.”
“Wait what do you mean come back to me?”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve transcended you’ll remember everything in time. Now I have to go.”

Ok now that I’m done with him back to my story. It’s been about six months. At first I tried to communicate with the living. I broke things, wrote messages, and I threw some stuff. The living ignored my attempts. The messages erased themselves and the things fixed themselves. It was kind of creepy at first. Ok extremely creepy. What was the creepiest thing though was my own funeral. I only went to get a ride to Julian’s. I caught a ride there with my sister. I went in and walked to my own body. What the hell did they have me in? It was completely pink and I looked like little Bo-peep. I was looking for my sheep when he walked in. I remember longing to touch him, to pull him in close and tell him everything would be ok. I knew I couldn’t be there for him. I helplessly watched as tears rolled down his cheeks. I wanted to take away his pain. It had always been that anything that made him feel pain hit me twice as hard as my own obstacles. I examined my surroundings, everyone was in tears. My Family, my friends, my sister, and my grandmother. No one wants to bury their child or friend. I just wish I could keep them all in the next world.

I rode with Julian to his home up state. When he was eighteen and I was sixteen we decided to both go to college upstate. When I was seventeen that all changed. My grandfather died. I moved in with her to take care of her. I felt it was my duty after she practically raised me. I spent some nights at my sister’s apartment because she lived closer to my school. She would have to take on my duty. I hated knowing when everyone was to die. When Julian dies, we’ll be together again but soon separated. I couldn’t communicate, but I still had him.

Keeping Julian out of trouble proved harder than I thought. Once, I had to keep the steering wheel straight while he messed with the radio. I was always saving him from something. Some nights I stayed with him, others with my sister. Sure in six months I won’t remember her, but I couldn’t detach myself from her. It was strange to know they would all be gone except for Julian. He was all I really needed; I just wish I could keep a family.