CHAPTER 2

Deep in the darkness, a void, surrounded by nothing, time seemed to stay still. A girl was floating at the center, her eyes closed from unconsciousness. There was nothing but silence and darkness around her.

For what seemed like hours, the girl opened her eyes. She scanned her environment but saw nothing. She tried to feel something like a wall or floor, but there was none.

"Aren't I supposed to be dead?" She asked herself as she struggled to move.

"What the....."

Panicked, she tried to move around, but all was in vain. Her body felt so numb like there was nothing there, she didn't feel comfortable. After minutes of struggling to move, she finally stopped, since it didn't help. She looked around once again but still found nothing.

She was muddled on what to do. Was she going to stay like that forever?

"Where am I?"

Suddenly, a bright light appeared, meters away from where she was. Alya quickly noticed it due to it being the only unusual thing there, she felt both fear and relief. She felt curious about what would happen if she touched it.

It could be her only way out.

She shook off her doubt and gazed at the light as the only ray of hope left and tried to move towards it. She struggled once again to break free.

After much struggle, she managed to move her right arm, later followed by her left arm and legs.

'Thank goodness.'

She then slowly moved her floating body towards the light, which was not easy. The closer she got, the harder it was to move.

After what seemed like forever, she finally reached it with a worn-out expression on her face.

Alya quickly noticed the light looked similar to some kind of portal. Alya stared at the portal in awe.

"This seems stupid..... but...."

She hesitantly placed her right hand through the portal.

She felt a rush of warmth on her hand. Seconds later she pulled it back and found nothing unusual. With a deep breath, she slowly went through the portal.

Minutes passed, and all she could see was white, the complete opposite of the last place she was. Her body felt unusually warm.

She started to have a funny feeling deep down in the pit of her stomach and could feel the apple she ate slowly come up to her throat.

'I think I'm gonna throw up.'

She dared not try to vomit there, so she tried to swallow it back.

Seconds later the place became brighter, to the point that Alya had to close her eyes.

The light suddenly faded, and Alya slowly opened her eyes again.

The first thing she saw was green.

She looked up and saw a bright blue sky with no clouds. Grasses and strange looking, but beautiful flowers covered the ground as far as the eye could see. The sun was bright, and the wind blew gently across the field of grass.

A forest could be seen about a kilometer away. Sounds of different creatures and critters could be heard in every corner.

Alya's jaw dropped in awe and disbelief. She just stood there with her mouth agape.

She took her time to take in her new surroundings. Her lips slowly curved up to a smile.

"What is this place?"

She paused her steps and then laid on the grass.

"Heaven?" She thought as she stared at the clear sky. Seconds later she nodded her head in affirmation.

'So I really died...'

She sighed deeply and rolled on the grass, smiling at the thought of being lucky enough to be here after sixteen years of suffering. If only she was able to be as carefree as this back on earth.

She stopped rolling and laid still.

'I wasn't able to...'

She smiled coldly as her hands balled into fists. In the middle of her thoughts, she felt something was attached to her lower back. It began to sway back and forth. Alya's anger turned to that of fear as she slowly turned her head.

Could it be a snake?

She gasped in shock to find something unusual stuck to her lower back.

"A.....a...a tail?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. She gazed upon the tail, dyed in firey red.

It was long and fluffy, and it seemed to shimmer under the bright golden sun. The fiery red color led to an orange hue at the tip of the tail, just like a blazing fire.

'Since when do people have tails in heaven?'

She tried to hold her tail but it evaded her grip. She sighed frustratedly.

"How do tails work?" she asked herself as she tried to hold it again, but the tail still moved out of reach. Feeling more frustrated, she slowly spun around, trying to catch her tail. If people could see her, they would see a dog. After a minute of spinning, she reluctantly gave up and collapsed on the ground, with her tail right between her legs. She pursed her lips and huffed in frustration.

She tried to sit up and touch her tail but was too exhausted to move. She laid back down on the grass and stared at the sky once again to trail back to her thoughts.

Then it hit her.

'Wait, if I have a tail, doesn't that mean I also have.....'

She quickly sat up and placed a hand on her head.

Her guess was right, she felt two fluffy ears on her head. One of them twitched and she abruptly pulled away. she slowly put her hand back on her ears and tugged them gently.

"Just how do I look like?"

She spotted a small lake a few feet away. she quickly ran to the lake and stared at her reflection. Her eyes bulged at what she saw.

Her once brown hair was red, with a few streaks of orange and yellow, like a sea of fire, reaching just below her hips. Her pale, unhealthy skin was now warm, smooth, and healthy. Her brown eyes also turned red with a touch of orange. She also lost her skinny figure, and her lips were blood red and attractive.

'I look stunning.'

She noticed that she still looked like a sixteen-year-old.

'I'm still starving though....'

She noticed her clothes had also changed. Her shabby clothes were replaced with a red sleeveless wrap top, white short shorts, black knee-high sandals, and a long black coat.

"Weird, where exactly am I?" She stared at her reflection once more in confusion.

"You're in Nyth."

A deep and abrasive voice boomed in her ears. Alya quickly turned around but found no one behind her. Confused, she narrowed her eyes and looked around, but still found no one.

"Who's there?!" she asked, waiting for the person to respond.

"I'm up here."