If There's Another Life

Chapter 6: Rebirth

Celine woke up in her dorm, drenched in sweat, heart racing.

“Sizz.” Celine woke up with a wince.

“Wait a minute, something's wrong,” Celine muttered, sitting up abruptly.

Suddenly it came back like a river's rushing torrent, the wedding, Bella's exposure, the betrayal from the two people she loved the most.

Her last memory was dying in the fountain.

“Is this the afterlife? I wonder how Whitney's doing. God I feel like such a fool, this whole time the truth was just staring at me right in the face but I refused to believe.” Celine said, visibly shaken and heartbroken.

“If only I could just redo this whole thing, I'd make Nate and Bella wish they were never born.” She said with an eerie smile.

A synth melody began to pulse from the dorm room radio, echoing like a heartbeat.

“Yeah, I've been tryna call..."

Celine frowned. She knew that voice.

Then, the announcer's voice cut through the static.

"That was The Weeknd with the track that has officially taken over the world—staying at number one for a record-breaking streak.

It’s 2020's Song of the Year, 'Blinding Lights'..."

The singer’s voice floated out, haunting and desperate: “I said, "Ooh, I'm blinded by the lights…

“Huh, The Weeknd's song has made it back to number one again?” Celine looked up with confusion written on her face.

Then she saw her calendar beside her window.

“September 24th, 2020.” Celine stared at the calendar with a blank expression.

“WAIT! Am I hallucinating or did I just read September 24th, 2020?” Celine said aloud and moved closer to the calendar on the wall.

“Oh my goodness, I love you Universe!” She gawked and then noticed her reflection on the mirror.

“I actually got reborn…” She looked at herself, still young and filled with life.

“If I'm not wrong this is a month before the engagement, I can still make this work. I'll make them pay dearly for this, Nate and Bella, the game is just starting.” She said and balled her fist tight in anger.

She suddenly recalled Bella’s mocking words.

“The funniest part? The one man you hated the most is probably the only one who could have saved you. Too bad you’ll never know.”

“I felt someone lifting me up, but I couldn't see his face. Just the feeling of strength. Who could it be?”

She wondered.

“I was so love struck, that I literally couldn't see anyone else. I didn't even have male friends. Now that I think about it I was quite miserable.”She thought with a wry smile.

“Ouch, that hurts.” Celine suddenly cried out and held her chest.

“Ohh no I got so carried away with the whole rebirth experience that I totally forgot what happened on this day.” She thought panickedly.

Celine remembered this time in her past life, she'd been so sick that she fainted, it took a long time for Whitney to find her.

“No... I refuse to let a stupid sickness take me. Not when I just got my second chance.” She sighed and quickly called Whitney before she collapsed totally on the floor, coughing blood.

Her chest tightened painfully. She stood up and staggered toward the mirror, her body trembling. A cough racked her lungs. Warm metallic blood splattered across her hand.

“Now I remember what that metallic feeling was, after taking that wine. It was— my blood…” She laughed bitterly but then quickly got a hold of herself.

Her knees buckled. Panic threatened to consume her. But with the last of her strength, she grabbed her phone and pressed Whitney’s number.

The line connected.

“…Celine? Hey, what’s—”

“Whit…” Celine’s voice cracked, weak, a whisper drowned by another violent cough. “Help…”

“Celine?! What’s going on?! Celine, talk to me!” Whitney’s voice grew frantic, trembling on the other end.

The phone slipped from Celine’s grasp, clanking against the floor as her body slumped to the ground.

“Celine don't you dare give up on me! Celine?

Celine? Are you there? Can you hear me please just answer me!” Whitney’s voice kept screaming through the speaker, scared.

Within minutes, she was racing across campus, with only one thought running through her mind as she dialed emergency services with shaking fingers.

“She has to be alright, Please God, let her be ok.” She prayed anxiously.

Whitney arrived at Celine's room 5 minutes after the call, because her room wasn't too far off from that of Celine. She opened the door with one of the spare keys Celine had given her previously in case of emergencies.

“Celine!!!” She screamed as she opened the door and saw Celine lying on the floor, blood stained the corners of her lips.

“Stay with me, you hear me?” She repeated and tried to lift her up to no avail.

Whitney's hands trembled as she brushed a strand of hair away from Celine's face.

"No, no, no..." she whispered repeatedly, fighting back tears.

Just a few moments ago they had been talking on the phone. Now Celine laid before her unconscious, Fear gripped Whitney's chest.

"Celine, you promised we'd graduate together, remember?" she said, her voice shaking. "You still owe me dinner for forgetting my birthday last year. You can't leave me yet."

She forced a laugh through her tears, but it came out rather choked.

"Please... just hold on a little longer.”

Whitney realized Celine wasn't wearing appropriate clothes so she stood up quickly and rushed to Celine's wardrobe. She pulled it by the handle and hurriedly brought out an oversized hoodie.

Whitney wiped her mouth with some wipes she found on the table and quickly helped put the oversized hoodie on Celine's body.

The wail of sirens soon cut through the night. The 9-1-1 ambulance arrived almost at the same time as Whitney finally managed to finish dressing Celine, her face pale with fear.

Together with the paramedics, she lifted Celine’s limp body onto the stretcher. And climbed into the ambulance with Celine.

As the doors of the ambulance slammed shut, Whitney’s hands held on to Celine’s cold fingers, refusing to let go.