Death After Life

Time to Wake Up

My bed was one of my favorite places. Feeling the warmth encompassing me gave me so much joy. Most mornings, I would lounge in bed, avoiding my alarm clock until Janus would find me and force me to wake up.

I rolled over, pulling my blanket up to my ears and cocooning my feet. My bed felt particularly soft and comfortable today.

Snug as a bug in a rug, as my father would say.

I'll just sleep for ten more minutes. Or until that pesky boyfriend of mine comes and ruins this moment.

I felt something shaking my leg. Right on time.

"Come on Janus, five more minutes. Please?" I whined.

I heard a melodious chuckle.

My eyes bolted open and I turned my head towards the sound that was most definitely not coming from my boyfriend.

Michael sat on the side of the bed I was lying in. A bed that was larger than my entire dorm room, with pristine white sheets. I had never owned white sheets, or clothes, or (Goddess-forbid) shoes. I was too sloppy, too messy, and too caught up in the moment to care about grass stains lining my sneakers or ketchup dripping on my shirt. Janus had always said the inspiration for my name was fitting; just like Mother Earth I was nurturing and giving, but I also wreaked havoc on my surroundings. I had always thought that was harsh, but maybe he was right. I felt like my presence alone would stain these white sheets.

Unlike me, Michael didn't seem at all concerned about stains. Why would he, when he himself was perfect? Even his tousled hair looked as if every strand had been placed purposefully, like an airbrushed picture of a men's magazine.

"Time to wake up, Ali," he said in a sing-songy voice.

I sat up quickly, pulling the blanket up with me to cover my chest.

"Right, sorry. I didn't even realize I fell asleep. The last thing I remember is the tunnel," I said.

His smile vanished as he studied my face. "Yes," he said. "You fell asleep. Such an odd thing to do. No one who has ever come through my gates has done that before. Then again, no one who has come through my gates hadn't been on my list before."

I frowned. "I don't know what that means."

He sighed, leaning back and resting his elbows against the blanket on top of my calves. "Ah yes. This is all still new to you. I suppose you'd like some answers then. Of course, I can't tell you everything; we'd be here all day. But I can tell you the basics."

I felt the side of my mouth quirk up, just a little.

"Thanks," I said. "I'd appreciate that."

For a second I thought I saw the start of a genuine smile on his face, not the sarcastic one that I had seen before, but I couldn't be sure. Just as soon as I saw it, it disappeared.

He cleared his throat. "Right. Well. As you already guessed, I am Death. However, saying it in that way seems a bit... wrong. Death itself is simply a structured event. I rule over all the logistics of death. I have a lot of creatures working under me and I delegate a great deal of my responsibilities to them. I rarely get involved. But then you came through my gates and without being on my list, that is my list of people who are meant to die."

I took a deep breath. "So, am I dead?" I asked.

He stared at me for a long time, studying my face before giving me an answer. "I'm.... not sure," he said. It sounded painful coming out of his mouth, almost like the thought of him not knowing something was foreign to him. "I would normally assume that there was merely an error with the paperwork and finally have an excuse to get rid of Dimness," he grinned, "but other things have happened that make me question what you are."

"Like what?"

"Well, you fell asleep," he replied.

I stared at him, trying to make sense of what he just said. "Is... that.... not... normal?" I asked.

"Not at all! Not for souls at least. I am able to sleep whenever I wish. It isn't necessary for me, but I enjoy the luxury of it. Most of the creatures working for me in this realm require sleep, but they are alive. Souls are uninhibited by the mechanics of a living body. They do not require food, though some still enjoy the novelty of it. However, none of them sleep. They aren't capable of it."

"But I thought you made me fall asleep," I said.

He shook his head. "No, I made you rest. I need to do that at times for souls that are particularly troublesome. I can't make them sleep, l just make them...Power down so to speak. They can still hear and see everything around them, they are just unable to speak or move."

I didn't even want to think of a reason he would need to do that.

"Not only that," he continued. "You didn't float in the water. Couldn't even swim. It seems as if the burdens of your human body have followed you into your afterlife." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Unless, of course, you're not human at all. But if that were the case, then why would you come here?" He got up on his knees and crawled on the bed toward me. "Perhaps one of my brothers sent you here to keep me in check. Make sure I'm doing my job," he scoffed. "As if they could do any better." Michael put his hands on either side of my head, trapping me against the headboard. "So, Terra, why are you here? Are you dead? Or just a spy sent by my brother who would like to be?"

I stared at him, trapped. I could barely keep up with his words. One moment I'm an interesting puzzle he's trying to solve, and the next I'm an enemy he's trying to threaten.

I didn't know what to say.

Not only because I didn't know how to answer, but because his face was only inches from my own. How was I supposed to think when the most beautiful man I had ever seen was right in front of me? His red eyes looked gorgeous from this close-up. They weren't filled with anger as they had been before, but from up close I could see a ring of yellow surrounding his pupil, followed by specks of orange. Even when they weren't lit up with his anger, they still burned with a fiery passion I had never seen before.

I turned my head, just so I could get a moment to calm my racing heart. I tried to study the room we were in, at least what I could see around his arm next to my face. The massive bed has a cozy chair next to it. The one you'd curl up in and read a good book. Next to it were mahogany bookshelves filled with books. I tried making out the titles,

His breath fanned my face and I lifted my hand to keep it from distracting me again.

The chair burst into blue flames.

I turned my head back to face him just as he gently took my wrist in his hands. He flipped my palm over and his eyes focused on the cuts and scrapes. I had completely forgotten about those.

He looked at me again, this time with his eyes blazing.

"What happened to you?"