Eternity

Eternity: Prologue

"I have Immortal longings in me."

~William Shakespeare

Breathing. And shaking. Mostly the latter. This was the chillingly familiar feeling. . . of life. Wait. Life? But how?

Oh yeah.

Second chances. They happen all the time, everywhere, everyday.

I was given a second chance. A crucial one. But maybe I was twisting with Fate. And Lord knows you're not supposed to do that.

One year ago I was finishing up 8th grade. I was sure of that now--I was sure that it was at least a year ago. My life was thriving with potential. About to start a new chapter in my life: high school. Entering Central Falls High School would be easy as anything with my best friend, Rosalie by my side.

If that day hadn't happened, I sure we'd still be invincible. Unstoppable. Best friends.

But that day is such a blur. . .so foggy and pixelated in my mind.

And that day after that thing, I made the deal.

"Hello," I had heard a voice say.

"Where the hell am I?"

"You weren't supposed to die, Elaine. It wasn't your time," the voice stopped for a 5 second interval. "So many people go...So many people die, and it's not fair. Too many people loved you. Too many."

"Die? Excuse me? I'm breathing. I'm alive."

"You may be breathing, but the life you knew as a mortal is far behind you. This is the afterlife. And Elaine. . .You deserve a second chance."

I'd felt hot tears slip down my cheeks. Was this really happening? "I'm dead? But how? Why!?"

"Do you know what immortality is, child?"

"Of course. It means never dying away. Ever."

"I have the power to render immortality to your soul. . .To you, Elaine." The voice had paused in this ebony vacancy, as I felt chills run down my backs, even in this feverish place. "You could screw with Fate."

"Why would I want to do that!?" I was almost yelling at this point.

"You never want to walk through Earth again? You never want to see the familiar faces and places of what was once your life? With immortality, Elaine, I'll send you back. Back to your life. You'll never  die again. You'll never have to suffer through this, Elaine."

I stood uncomfortably. This sounded...great. Was messing with Fate really that bad? I was sure afterlife didn't sound nearly as alluring as life. . .I had suddenly felt nostalgic. . .Home never sounded as enticing as right now. I missed Rosalie. And my family. If I was dead how were they coping!?

I froze.

"I miss my life," I had stifled. "My normal non-dead life. How's Rosalie? And Jo and mom? How are they doing without me? How long have I been..?" I couldn't manage the word dead. It was too painful. But, at this point, I had not known what I now know. I hadn't known the time that had passed.

"Do you accept the deal?" The voice's question lingered in the dead air.

I had hesitated. I guess there was only one way to find out if this was worth it. And I'm sure it was. I was doing this for Rosalie, right? For Jo, my boyfriend, and for my mom?

"Alright."

If Rosalie were here, she would have told me if I made the right choice.

She would have told me I didn't.