In This Life And The Next ✔️

Chapter 22: I'm a Dead Girl

ARI

I stared at the picture with shock.

"What the hell?" I asked myself.

Every single person in this picture, I have dreamed about. They're real. I started to shake in fear.

The girl, me, in the picture was standing next to a couple of people. Six guys and a girl. I or someone stood next to another girl who resembled Jen so much and by the picture I knew it was old. I assumed it was her mom but how...how the hell am I there?

I flipped it over to see writing on the back. Matt, Nathan, Damon, Mark, Chris, Me, Jennifer and Zander. Our little pack. :)

Jennifer? As in the girl in the picture who looks like me is named Jennifer?

I screamed in frustration and knocked down the clothes from the closet in anger.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" I yelled to myself.

I clutched the picture in my hand and charged out the door, down the stairs, into the kitchen and out into the backyard.

"JEN!" I screamed her name, tears threatening to fall onto my cheeks.

Alex turned his head towards me and put down a little boy he was holding.

A couple of children hid behind their parents back as they watched me huff and puff in anger even though it wasn't anger. It was fear. Fear of what I didn't know about this place, about these people.

Some of the parents had tears in there eyes as they watched me with shock. Most of them were smiling and gasping. Why are they smiling at me? Who are these people? I looked around the yard and noticed about 20 or so people.

"Ari, what's wrong?" Alex glanced around the yard, looking alert.

"Where is Jen? Jen's Mom? I need to speak to them NOW." I tried to calm myself down as did Alex.

"Okay, okay but you're shaking Ari. Tell me what's wrong." Alex touched my shoulder and looked into my eyes.

I breathed in and out and slowed my heart rate. "Tell me what's wrong, please?" Alex asked me again.

I showed him the picture of me. He scanned it over, his eyes widening in shock. He took it from my hand and flipped it over, reading the back like I had.

"Jennifer?" He asked me.

"What the hell is that Alex? Why am I in that picture?" I started to breath harder, faster.

"Jen?" I heard a women say behind me, her voice thick with emotion.

I looked at her and she gasped, the glass bowl she was holding fell to the floor, sprinkling glass everywhere.

I looked behind me expecting to see Jen but it was only Alex. I looked back at her to see that she was advancing towards me. My heart pounded with fear. I backed up into Alex who pushed me behind him, growling at the women.

I recognized her from the picture. She must be Jen's mom.

"NATHAN!" She screamed.

"Aunt Aimee, stay back." Alex straightened his back and growled again at his aunt who kept pushing forward.

"Jen! It's me, Aimee!" The women sobbed trying to talk to me.

The same men in the picture ran into the yard, looking alert just like Alex had.

"Aimee!" The guy, Chris, from the photo ran towards the women who was stuttering to him and pointing towards me. I hid behind Alex's back, my heart pounding. I was panicking.