Dreaming about Araceli

"Hey,"

A familiar feminine light voice called upon her, something about the airy texture and the melody in which she spoke, brought her chills, the good kind of chills.

Her surroundings were a combination of everything and nothing, she couldn't make out anything except the lamp post and side street chair she was sitting on.

"Who's out there?" Rachel called out into the nothingness around her, her voice bounced back to her like she was in a room of infinite possibilities.

"Rachel,"

The angelic voice called out to her only this time she appeared, that's when it all clicked, the airy voice, the melody, the breathiness of the voice, it was Araceli.

"Fuck!" Rachel cried out in awe but still remained where she was no matter how hard she tried to stand up.

"For some fucked up reason I can't stand up to hug you,"

Rachel whined as tears streamed down her face, she wiped them away quickly, still looking at Araceli like she was a burning bush and she was not worthy of her presence.

"It's okay,"

"I'm sorry I siphoned you like this, I just wanted to check up on you,"

"How have you been doing?" Araceli asked, as she sat down gracefully beside her.

"I don't know honestly,"

"I'm close to revealing what Alice and Xander have been up to but I don't want to do it,"

"I don't want them to just take it at once, I want to emotionally torture them like they did to you," Rachel explained to Araceli but all Araceli had was a gentle smiling, she was still wearing the cloths that she had on the day she died, the first time they met.

"I trust you to make the right decision, honestly, I just wanted to thank you," Araceli said, taking Rachel's hands in hers.

"How have you been?" Rachel asked, staring at their hands intertwined with each other, it felt so real she could trace the lines of her palm, she found it hard to believe the person behind her is no more.

"Well as you can see, I'm in a better place," Araceli replied, pointing at their surrounding but all Rachel could see was just everything and nothing, she knew the darkness she was looking at held memories but she couldn't stand up to explore because she knew she didn't belong, she didn't belong here.

"I'm guessing this used to be your favorite spot when you were alive," Rachel inquired, staring at the road in front of them that led to nothing.

"Yes, how did you know?" Araceli gracefully cocked her head to the side.

"My grandma used to tell us that when we die, we create a place just like earth, and it would hold our favorite place and memories," Rachel said wiping off another tear, she could hear a faint song playing in the background.

"Wait, is this song from my world or yours?," Rachel asked as she leaned her ears to hear more but the music kept drifting in the night air and few of the melody only got to reach her ears but not enough to bring any form of recognition.

"Oh,"

"That was my favorite song or should I say is my favorite song," Araceli confessed with a smile shaking her head, afterlife makes everything so passive she got so used to it.

"What's the name?" Rachel asked her.

"Heaven by clairo," Araceli said.

"The song used to put me at peace when I started facing all those troubles alone."

"I have to go now, your mom is in your room," Araceli muttered, standing up.

"She's your mom you know," Rachel said, but Araceli was no longer with them and she finally came to full consciousness.

"Darling, were you crying?" Mrs. Garcia was alarmed as she started to think she underrated how hurt her daughter was, she hugged her tight while combing her hands through her hair.

"Mom, I'm not crying, what are you talking about?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Take a look," Mrs. Garcia showed her a hand mirror. She was right, she had a stain of tears and her eyes were a bit red, but she doesn't remember crying before she slept except when she cried in the dream and it felt so real, maybe she actually did cry too in real life but her mom won't understand.

"Mom,"

"I swear I'm fine, It must have really been a sad dream," Rachel tried to assure her, knowing Mrs Garcia, she was probably going to exaggerate the whole thing to Mr. Garcia.

"Look honey, I swear on our name I will fight this with the Millers alright, I promise." Mrs. Garcia assured her.

"Mom, it's okay alright?"

"It's actually what I wanted to talk about,"

"I don't want you and dad to make any hasty decisions about the Millers, let me handle this alright? Please trust me." but Mrs. Garcia only looked at her weirdly in return.

"Stop looking like that honey, you look like that possessed little doll, the one that sits on a rocking chair," Mrs. Garcia tried standing up from her chair, which made Rachel laugh.

"Annabelle?" Rachel asked, laughing.

"Yeap, that's the one," Mrs. Garcia said, drawing the sign of the cross and offering little inaudible prayer.

"Mom!" Rachel cried. She could be so extra at times.

"Just clean up and come downstairs honey, get some breakfast, you are getting skinny, you need flesh to put on a good fight," Mrs. Garcia advised like a typical Italian mother before exiting her room.

Rachel rushed up her usual morning routine, one thing Mrs Garcia was right about was definitely her messed up eating routine. Throughout yesterday, all she had was donuts and expensive wine, and the other day was just vegetables and wine. It seemed like she drank more wine than she ate food.

She headed downstairs but the she didn't really go to the kitchen unconsciously, no no no, the food called upon her and directed the path before her, she couldn't even understand what her nostrils was picking up and she wanted all of it in her mouth, but having a dirty mind like hers, she thought about a certain long rigid meat and shake her head, she really needed to get laid.

Ace was the first to greet her morning, and by greeting her good morning, she meant throwing a fried bacon her way before he was reprimanded by his mother who likely didn't waste food.

"So, what would you like to eat today?" Mrs. Garcia asked her, as she swayed around the whole kitchen like she was built for it.

"Honestly, I want everything," Rachel replied.

"Now that's the spirit, I want to see those hollow so-called model cheeks filled up before the end of this week," Mrs. Garcia warned.

"Mom," Rachel whined.

"I'm serious honey, eat up, you know if your nona saw how you were, she would throw multiple fits about how skinny you are," Mrs. Garcia pointed out.

"Mom, I'm like sixty three kilograms already," Rachel laughed.

"You want me to be overweight then?" Rachel asked, "Not necessarily," Mrs. Garcia said, shaking her.

"Just eat enough alright, we don't have all this money for nothing," Mrs. Garcia asked, pointing everywhere.

"So, do you wanna tell us what your plans are?" Mrs. Garcia asked while hinting at Ace.

"Ace," he didn't even let her finish as he replied "I know, I know, adults wanna talk, and kids shouldn't listen."

He stood up from his stool and left the kitchen leaving just Rachel and Mr. and Mrs. Garcia.

"So honey, what plan did you say you had that you wanted to tell us," Mrs. Garcia asked.

"Well I was thinking, we shouldn't go to the Millers today to start up any drama," Rachel muttered slowly.

"No!"

"He has to right down to what he did in front of his parents to show the waywardness they brought up as an excuse for a child," Mr. Garcia raged.

"Dad, I know, look I'm more pissed than anyone right now, but I don't think that is the way we should go about it alright, let me handle it, just follow whatever step I take," Rachel said, smiling mischievously.

"Mi amore, she has that look again on her face, that weird doll look," Mrs. Garcia said, throwing a napkin at Rachel, making them all laugh.

"Alright, we trust you to do whatever it is that you need to do," Mr. Garcia said, patting her shoulders before giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"Out to play golf with the club men,"

"Ace, wanna come play golf with your old man?!" Mr. Garcia yelled.

"No, thanks Dad," Ace shouted back prolly from the living room.

"Tch, kids nowadays don't appreciate quality time, just games and TVs," Mr. Gracia complained before stretching his form and cracking a few bones.

"God, you are old," Mrs. Garcia teased with a grin.

"It's the day's jet lag," he looked genuinely tired.

"Skip golf today," Mrs. Garcia suggested, getting worried for her husband.

"Not a chance, promised to meet the Tesla today and play friendly golf,"

"Golf is a game for old men with bad eyesight while smoking tobacco," Mrs. Garcia said laughing.

"You will bore the kid out,"

"Whatever, bye." Mr. Garcia left and Rachel stood up immediately and started rushing up the stairs.

"Hey where are you going?" Mrs. Garcia yelled after her.

"The Millers house," She yelled back.

She put on a light blue sundress and tied her hair in an old fashioned ponytail, giving her the 1980's rich wife vibe.

The Millers were old money and old school, and dressing like this gave her the impression they always want to see. She headed out of the house and drove straight away to the Millers, she knew Xander would be there, and because it was close to thanksgiving. She lit the doorstep of the huge mansion and rang the bell.

To the surprise of Xander's life, he wasn't the female figure by the door of their mansion. She had beautiful brown hair and looked strikingly familiar, yet classy.

"Mom.." Xander said in surprise. She was supposed to be at a book club meeting at the Daisy women club. Technically a snobbish club for millionaire wives.

"Araceli?!"