Chapter 1
When I was a little girl, my mother would tell me stories every night before I went to bed. She would fill them all with fire-spewing mermaids and flying llamas. But the one I requested most was the story of death and life. She hated how much I loved that story. It wasn’t typical for a girl like me to enjoy something so precarious, but there was something so beautiful about it. It was a story of love, hope, and hatred.
Before the universe was created, there were two beings. One was named Life, and the other was named Death. They were both bright and curious in the empty nothingness around them. They would dance and play for eons until they discovered their love for each other, and as their love grew, so did their powers. They learned how to create, and soon enough they made planets and galaxies. Life enjoyed creating the universe so much that she learned to create Beings by taking out a piece of herself and filling each Being with her light. She became so enthralled with her creations, she neglected Death. Death was amused and wanted to impress her by creating Earth. He created many Beings and tore himself apart so much that the light inside of him faded. When he presented the gift he made for Life, she was pleased and took Earth for herself. Still neglected by Life, Death explored what Life created after she was distracted with Earth. His darkness would terrify planets and create horror for the Beings who could not handle his dark form. Life grew angry and threatened to destroy him if he would ruin any more of her creations. Empty and broken, his darkness grew. After many more eons, the Beings they both created soon learned how to create each other and Life’s light never faded. Death’s anger eventually lashed out. World after world, he took the light out of each Being in hopes to shine once again. Life became angered. With almost every ounce of power she had within her, she cast Death out and made him a prisoner to the darkness of every creation, including Earth.
There was something about the story that made me want to become Death. I have always felt like there was something inside me that connected to him. I would pray to Death and Life each night, hoping they would bless me to join them someday. Not long after my prayers, I met my best friend for life, or so I thought. She would help me feel better whenever I was hurt. She was my protector, and I was hers, but one day I failed at my duty to protect her.
“Ms. Milan!” My body jolted into an upright position as I sat up on my desk and recalled where I was. The whole class turned around and giggled as they watched me compose myself, and wipe the tears that beaded at the corner of my eyes.
I cleared my voice, “Yes, sir?”
“You were a million miles away just now. Would you care to tell the whole class what you were thinking about?”
I tried the hardest I’ve ever tried in my entire life to not roll my eyes. He glared at me with his dumb know-it-all smirk and waited for a response that I would never give.
“I want you to see me after school.” He turned his back to me and continued to write some gibberish math problems on the board.
I continued to think about my friend Reina. She was so loving and kind. It was just the end of elementary school when we met. We ran into each other at recess one day and became best friends after we cried while apologizing to each other profusely. I remember our first sleepover. I forced my mother to tell us the story, and she fell in love with it just as much as I did. For years we pretended she was Life, and I was Death. We grew out of it once highschool came, but we still talked about it until the very end. Just a few months ago it was Death that knocked on her door. Nobody saw it coming.
After class, I walked across campus to make it to my next class. It was the center of the school, so it was a typical hangout spot for almost everyone on campus. I tried to find another way around that an introvert like me would enjoy but it was taken up by most of the couples who practically have sex through their clothes. People all around me were having meaningless conversations as I walked. Even with my headphones in, I could only hear people talking, which they always did. Oftentimes it was just them talking about Reina and how lonely I am. They would always whisper to each other and stare as I would pass by. They would see my hood draped over my head, hair covering whatever expression I wanted to hide, and a white wire lead down a groove in my jacket to show to them I refuse to listen to their bullshit. My look is almost enough to make sure they stay away from me. Even though I hated the surrounding people, I couldn’t help but examine them. They acted so strangely around each other, but so different when alone.
“Huah--!” before I could peacefully make it to my next class, I tripped over my own damn feet. Instead of my face hitting the ground, which I expected would be the more likely scenario, I fell into the body of someone else. I pulled myself up from the body who saved my face and looked up. It was Austin Tate. He was the biggest bully of the school. The whole shebang. The whole enchilada. The whole loaf of bread. He probably dealt with drugs whenever he wasn’t partying or getting arrested. He always had a chip on his shoulder, although it’s probably because he couldn’t stand the weight of his big ass head or his crippling obsession with torture. Last year there were rumors of him that his ex-girlfriend spread. She told the whole school that he would torture poor animals in his basement for fun. He never admitted or denied the rumors so everyone assumed he really did torture animals.
We stayed frozen like statues for almost a whole minute before he placed me back into the standing position. I was stunned for a second and somewhat scared and nervous and shocked and scared. Our eyes locked onto each other, wide and all. It was almost as if I could see through him, but it was also like nothing was there at all. Like maybe he felt empty too. I wonder if maybe he also needs to be saved. As if he read my mind, he pushed me onto my original destination: the floor.
“I guess bitches can’t stand to stay away from me.” He had a sly smirk on his face as his gang cackled around me. People stopped in their tracks as they stared at us.
I stood up, “I swear, one day you will regret even being born!” I shoved my finger into his chest, pretending to be brave, but he didn’t budge.
“Are you threatening me?” He shoved his hand into my shoulder, making me fall back to the floor. I tried to push myself back up. Before my knees could even extend up, he pushed my head down. I fell back onto my ass. I attempted to get up again, except this time he pushed me down by my shoulder. I gasped as I completely laid back on the cool concrete as everybody now started crowding around us.
“You think you could beat me after this?” He hovered over me, “Why don’t you go home and cry like the little girl you are.” He and his friends snickered as they walked past me. Everyone slowly dispersed as I laid on the floor feeling defeated. I can’t even stand up for myself, literally. Nobody would even try to help me...Nobody would’ve even cared if he killed me right there... Nobody would even care if I were gone at all.
