Dear Ludmilla

Chapter 8

                                                             All she felt was a mist all about her. Her fists were clenched as she tried to figure out where on earth she was. When the mist cleared, she opened her eyes. It wasn't anything she'd seen before. She was in a room with ebony walls and snow white desks and chairs lined up in perfect rows. It was like a classroom, except instead of a whiteboard, there was a cinema screen. At the front, there was a larger desk (which, coincidentally, was also snow white), with a file full of papers in it. She walked towards the desk, grabbed the file in her hands and flicked through it. What she actually saw shocked her. It was full of her personal details. She was reduced to a case study. She read it in disbelief. 

                                                               Ludmilla Greene, 16 years old, quiet, shy, loner, described as an enigma by others, wanted to be a ornithologist when older. Hobbies: hiking, singing, painting, skateboarding. Cause of death:....

                                                                She shuddered as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She knew who it was and she couldn't believe she was back here again.

                                                               "Ludmilla Greene! Welcome back to purgatory, sweetheart!" It was her guardian angel, Luis. He had curly blond hair, the clearest blue eyes anyone had ever seen and a round face. He looked like a cheerleader's definition of a hot guy. And that was precisely why Ludmilla did not trust him in the slightest. 

                                                 "What am I doing back here? I already came here once already! Wasn't it enough for you to drag me here on the day of my actual death? What was the point of giving me an extended life if you just brought me back here? I could have just stayed here if your plan was to bring me back. I legitimately thought you were giving me a second chance. But you weren't! YOU WEREN'T!!" 

                                                                   Exasperated, she burst into tears and slumped onto the ground, her face cupped in her hands. Luis placed his arms across his chest and smirked at her, before proceeding to tell her exactly why she was back in purgatory. He explained that the contract clearly stated that because she had died in a fire, her dreams were burnt, so she needed a second chance to fulfill the most important desires, which were: 1. Friendship (for she was homeschooled), 2. Her desire to see more of New York (her parents were so overprotective that they didn't let her go outside at all), and 3. A guy who genuinely liked her for who she was (her favourite thing to do while staying inside was reading romance novels and she wanted what they had, even though she did  realise that some stuff which happened in her favourite books was very unrealistic). He clapped her hands which caused her to jump back on her feet in fright, even though he told her it was to congratulate her.

                                                "There's only one question I have for you, sweetheart. The contract that you signed also stated that as soon as you fulfilled these goals, you would have gone to the head angel for him to assess you so he could tell you whether you go to heaven or hell. You were supposed to never see me again." 

                                                                  She nodded, not really sure where he was going with this point. For her, this was all nonsense talk. All that blared through her mind was Ben's love confession. Touching as it was, he only knew her for three months. How much of that was real love and how much was just a temporary infatuation? Was he trying to trick her? If so, he was an excellent actor, conveying desperation so pure an emotion that even Brittany and Micky believed him. A click of her guardian angel's fingers startled her back into focus for his stupid speech (at least, according to her. For Luis, it was the most important one on earth...or heaven...or purgatory...at this point she didn't even know anymore).

                                                 "SO, why are you still here?! What goal didn't you fulfill? If you just admit it, I will give you a THIRD chance in life, and this time it will be long. Don't think that this offer came from me, because the head angel informed me of your presence here and told me that your final chance was this. If you don't admit it the next morning, you'll have that day stuck in purgatory with me showing videos and snapshots from your life, convincing you to see the truth. This is your first of your, hopefully not too many, chances to utter the truth. So, let's hear it."

                                                                      Perplexed, she looked down at her clothes and then back at him. She couldn't help thinking that any girl at her school would jump at the chance to have even two minutes with Luis and yet she was unimpressed. Forcing herself to stay composed, she told him with full honesty. "I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about, Luis."

                                                                     Sighing, he turned to the cinema screen, tapped it with his index finger and then marked a line on his wrist.  "So that's day one." he breathed to himself, as he prepared for his duty in guiding Ludmilla into doing what was right for her, as he had done all her life (and second life). This time, however, it was more crucial that he stood to duty. Because if he didn't, it may be too late for Ludmilla. And Ben.