In the te afternoon.

  The sun filtered through the branches of the towering oak tree, casting a myriad of dappled colors ranging from brilliant reds to vibrant greens. The chill of the autumn wind entwined with the scent of mildew from the great oak making a musky but pleasant aroma that captured the season perfectly. The sound was still, with only the rustle of the falling leaves all around. Nyxie stood beneath the tree, her heart fluttering from the view; she had pced her hands up to her chest, nearing the rhythmic thrum of her heartbeat, fidgeting with the cuff of her sleeve in embarrassment. Her short brown hair was gently tousled by the breeze as it shone in the beautiful rays of the sun, the edges of her school uniform flowing in the wind. Her face was beet red, blood rushing to her face.

  Across from her, her best friend Alice stood there glowing. Blushing, Nyxie knew she couldn't look away. Her eyes darted from her knee-high socks to her skirt, all the way to her white blouse before finally meeting Alice's beautiful crystalline blue eyes. "Are you alright... is it a fever?" Alice queried, shifting closer to her face, concerned, as she tried her best to cover up with her hands.

  Nyxie had spent the past few years fawning over Alice, though at first, she couldn’t believe it. How could she have fallen for her best friend? It was ridiculous; she had never been lesbian before, so why now? Her world changed after that, everything she did was with intention; she was far more conscious of everything around her. She had tried to convince herself it was nothing. She kept it inside, bottled up and hidden away, pretending everything was fine, and she was good at it too. But it didn't st; she became obsessive to the point where she was depressed just being away from Alice. It was unhealthy beyond belief, and she knew it, but she didn't care. As time passed, the pain of not knowing if she reciprocated these feelings became, unbearable. Standing under the old oak tree, with the gentle autumn breeze brushing against her cheeks and the warmth of Alice’s eyes staring into hers, she knew she couldn’t keep pretending anymore.

  She couldn’t run from it. The feeling deep in her chest, this love for Alice, was overflowing. This was her chance; she had to muster up the courage. If she didn’t say it now, she’d spend the rest of her life wondering what might have been. She had to tell Alice. Even if it meant risking everything they had now.

  She tried her best to speak up, only making a small noise before stopping again. After waiting there for a couple seconds, that to her felt like hours. "Alice," Nyxie finally managed to say, her voice barely a whisper. Alice looked at her, her brows furrowed in concern, her hands held loosely by her side.

  "I… I’ve been wanting to tell you something for a long time now," Nyxie continued, her voice trembling.

  Alice's eyes were wide now that she had backed away from her face, giving her room to talk.

  “I… I like you,” she blurted out, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I’ve liked you for a long time, but I… I didn’t know how to say it. I’ve been scared, but I can’t hold it in anymore. I like you, and I-” Her voice was shaky as she looked away.

  Alice seemed to pause for a moment, realizing something. She bowed her head eyes on the pavement "I'm sorry, I-" Alice whispered.

  That was it. The confession had been made; I knew she was straight and did it anyway, now I face the consequences. All she could do was cry. Nyxie’s chest felt tight as she tried to keep herself composed. But the hurt was too much, and the sheer crushing weight of the whole situation made her want to die and just disappear forever.

  And then, in a moment of panic, Nyxie turned. Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She ran as fast as she could; she couldn't bear the pain in her chest. Her ears began ringing loudly, and she completely drowned out Alice, who was chasing after her, yelling something she couldn't hear. It was too te for her to take it back... She ran all the way, not paying any attention to where she was going.

  In hindsight, she should have been more careful. She didn’t even notice the truck, not until the screeching tires sliced through the air. She felt a heavy thud against her side, someone pushing her, but it was too te... As she y her mangled body motionless in the street, the pain was unbearable, ripping through her with each breath. it was pure, unrelenting agony, as if her body was being torn apart, and she couldn’t escape it. Every inch of her felt shattered, broken, and in that moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would die ying there on the asphalt. Her mind drifted, and everything went bck...

  Death wasn't what she expected. It was nothing like the heaven she had imagined, or the dark void she'd read about in books. Instead, she was dragged forcibly along wherever they were. The journey was long, more than an hour of painless suffering. She cried, tears welling up from the corners of her eyes as the journey continued. She hoped that whatever she had ying in wait at the end of this cosmic tether was worth it.

  It was then that everything shifted, suddenly, and without warning.

  A collision.

  It wasn’t painful, not like she thought it would be. It was like the softest crack of gss against gss, the delicate sound of two worlds merging. She felt something splinter as she did, not her... but something else.

  And then, it happened again.

  Another collision.

  This one was different; she felt something tug on her mind, but before she could even react to it,

  Another collision. followed two more immediately after

  She heard the distinct sound of gss shattering.

  Just as she did she was enveloped by warmth, calming and kind. Her vision, if she had any, was filled with the faintest slivers of light, beautiful golden streaks, soft light. Her vision gradually adjusted to the brightness, shapes, and figures began to come into focus.

  The first figure that caught her attention was the woman, a beautiful, well-endowed figure sitting upright, gently cradling her in her arms. Her long maroon hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, glistening in the golden light. The warmth of her presence was palpable, her eyes wide and filled with tenderness as she gazed down at the tiny being she held.

  The second figure was a man, standing a bit further away but close enough to be just as present. He had jet-bck hair, short and slightly messy, with a stubbled jaw that gave him a rugged yet caring appearance. His eyes were a pale green and filled with concern and awe as he looked at the woman and the child she held.

  They both spoke a different nguage, it seemed, but it barely mattered; you can see their joy.

  “What are they saying..?” Nyxie muttered to herself, her voice thin and strained.

  And then, she heard it.

  Voices. Not just her own.

  “What… who is that?!” a voice demanded, as if it were coming from inside her own mind. She felt a strange pressure on her consciousness, like she just got forced out of something.

  "Query: What is this pce?” another voice asked, this one monotone.

  She gasped and looked around, her breath catching in her throat. “Who’s there?” she asked, but the voices didn’t stop.

  The realization hit her all at once: there was more than just her here. More than just Nyxie. The voices different, unfamiliar echoed in her mind, speaking over each other, asking questions she couldn’t answer.

  "What’s going on? *sniffle*” one of them squeaked. Another voice, panicked, joined in. “Why am I hearing voices? Who are any of you?!”

  Someone started crying, this forced tears out of all their eyes.

  "EHH?!?!??" Nyxie yelled out.