Jade
It was a pretty boring summer vacation. That was until my mom said she was taking us to Six Flags today. I threw off my pastel blue blanket and hopped out of bed with a sudden burst of energy. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror as I turned around to go out the door. Ooh, bedhead. I cracked open my bedroom door and checked to make sure no one was in the hall. The coast was clear so I ducked into the bathroom to brush my hair. The bristles kept getting caught in my tangled hair, so I gave up and just threw it back into a ponytail. It looked longer than before but I was too lazy to get a haircut. I had been keeping it long for soccer practice so I could tie it back.
I caught a whiff of pancakes cooking on the stove which only meant my mom was up. We both know my brother doesn't cook. He's a senior in college studying to be a police officer. I'm not sure whether I want him patrolling the streets. Ever since my dad died in that plane crash eight years ago, he really wanted to be a police officer. My dad was a crime scene investigator so we would always wait up late for him to come home from work.
I ran my hand down the banister as I ran down the stairs still rocking my strawberry pajamas. The kitchen was towards the front of the house so I only had to turn the corner before reaching my mom. I creeped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Someone's in a good mood." My mom said.
"Yep! Who's not in a good mood when they're about to go to Six Flags for the first time?" I answered as I inspected the blueberry pancakes. "Yum."
"Okay, back up from the stove. We all remember what happened last time." She said. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun. We had the same dark brown hair.
"I know, I know. I burned a hole in my shirt." I rolled my eyes and went to the kitchen island to grab a banana.
"Go get dressed while I finish breakfast." She shooed me off.
"Are you trying to get rid of me? I was gonna help out but..." I shrugged as. Took another bite of the banana before I sit it down on my napkin and ran back upstairs to get dressed. I guess I would just wear a t-shirt and shorts. That's all that inhabited my closet so the wasn't much of a variety. I had already picked out all the rides I wanted to hit first.
I threw on some clothes I'm out of my closet without ironing them. My motto is, "They're going to get wrinkled anyway." I heard a knock on my door and my brother Nick poked his head in.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I'm about to head out to my classes. You need anything from the store?" He asked. Really? He was asking me if I needed anything.
"Did you recently get a girlfriend or something?" I asked suspiciously. "Because I feel sorry for her." I laughed. "But no, I don't need anything. Thanks though."
"No problem!" He said smiling and threw something at me, "Have fun today!" He ducked out again and I could hear his footsteps get softer on the stairs. I looked at the object in my hand which was a new plaid blue scrunchie. I switched it out with the one on my hair and threw the old one on my dresser. Presents are rare from my brother so I better take advantage of this one. I grabbed my bag off my bed and threw my phone into one of the pockets. I grabbed a pair of socks out of my drawer and ran back downstairs.
"Mom! Can I eat now?" I yelled down jokingly.
"Yes, I'm ready to eat." She said as I walked into the kitchen to finish up my banana. I threw the peel in the trash and grabbed a plate from the cabinet and sat down to eat.
After I'd finished eating and had brushed my teeth, I headed out to the car and threw open the passenger door. My mom was outside now, locking the door. I snapped my seatbelt into place and placed my water bottle in the cup holder. I was shocked that my mom offered to take me to Six Flags. Most parents don't like roller coasters and I hate standing in line by myself. It's one of those few situations she where I need my brother.
My mom walked over to the car and placed her bag on the backseat before taking her seat behind the steering wall. She was a very safe driver so we usually had to leave an hour before our estimated arrival time. I'm always late for my friends' birthday parties. I'd brought a book along for the ride that I. Needed to finish for my English class. It's the only time I have an excuse to read.
It'd been about thirty minutes of turtle driving and I was pretty sure the drivers behind us were giving my mom the finger. She didn't seem to notice so I didn't bring it up.
"Mom, can you speed up?" I asked.
"We'll get there when we get there." She said keeping her eyes on the road. "Do you see how much fog is in the road?"
"It won't kill us if you drive faster. Look at how many cars you're holding up. They don't know if you're trying to switch lanes or what." I pointed behind us.
She gave an aggravated sigh and began to speed up. "This is a six lane highway. They can drive around." I rested my hand on my chin as I turned the page in my book. "It really is foggy today."
"Yeah." I said as I continued to read. I unbuckled my seat beat for a second to readjust it. It was beginning to tighten up.
"What's that?" My mom asked peering into the fog. I shrugged not really looking up. Probably some animal stuck in the road.
I didn't know what happened after that but the next thing I felt was my mom slamming down on the brakes before we collided with something. The windshield shattered and I felt the car begin to roll. My head slammed against the window as I felt myself being ejected from the car. The last thing I remembered was slamming down hard onto the guardrail on the other side of the median.
I woke up in a haze with strange people hovering over my face. I couldn't feel anything except for the oxygen mask on my face. Everything was so blurry I couldn't tell where I was. Was I in the back of an ambulance? I felt myself drifting in an. Out of consciousness before I went to sleep, never to wake again.
Darkness engulfed my body and I fought hard to open my eyes. My eyes slowly flickered open. Where was I now? I tried to move my arms and legs but I was afraid they wouldn't be there when I looked? Maybe I was in the hospital? I wonder if my mom is okay. I lifted my arm slowly and wiggled my fingers around, happy that my limbs were intact. I'm surprised I hadn't broken any bones or anything. I was beginning to hear sound around me. I lifted myself up onto my elbows and noticed other people of all ages, shapes, and sizes wandering around in bewilderment. The sky was black so I assumed I was outside. Yep, I was officially dead. The one time I ask my mother to drive faster, we die. Or was I the only one who died? I had so much a wanted to accomplish. This couldn't be happening.
I clenched the grass between my fingers a tore it out of the ground. I rubbed it through my hands and looked down to see it had a silvery color to it. I turned my head from side to side frantically and got to my feet. I looked down to see I was still wearing the same outfit I had changed into that morning. My hair was still in the ponytail with the scrunchie my brother had given me. I felt it with the tips of my fingertips and took a deep breath trying to hold back tears. I'd gone out of the world just like my dad. In a vehicular accident. Like father like daughter.
My eyes were finally beginning to adjust to the darkness. The only light sources I could see we're tending to move around from place to place, almost as though they were flying. I began walking in. The same direction everyone else was moving in because I wasn't really sure where to go.
"Excuse me?" I tried to get the attention of a younger girl near me. "Do you know where we are?" She didn't seem to hear me because her eyes stayed focused on the emptiness in front of her.
"Okay..." I said continuing to walk. Everyone I passed had a blank stare on their face. Why wasn't I like that? I had been too busy inspecting the others that I couldn't focus on where I was going. I almost ran smack into a glowing pole.
"Please watch where you are going." I heard a loud voice say. The pole was talking to me. I looked up and saw that it wasn't a pole but in fact an extremely tall person. Or giant I should say. I took a few steps back quickly, nearly tripping over my feet.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Apus, the Gate Keeper." He said. His voice was much louder than my P.E. teacher's.
"Where's the gate go?" I asked.
"Heaven." Apus answered.
"So I made it? Cool, I'll just pass on through-,"
"Not quite!" Apus stopped me in my tracks. "You have been chosen to become a Sentinel."
"What's that?" I was utterly confused. First I find out I can't go to Heaven, and now I'm a Sentinel. Whatever that is."
"You will be paired up with a Star to help guide the souls into heaven."
"Stars aren't people, you do realize that?" I crossed my arms.
"Yes, they can take on a human form. I a Constellation."
I burst out laughing. "Look here Capis-,"
"Apus." He corrected me.
"Whatever." I ignored him, "I went to school, I'm pretty sure stars are just exploding balls of gas or something."
"Actually, here comes your star now. Right on time." Apus said. He will instruct you on everything you need to know. I have to get back to my duty."
"See ya!" I said turning I'm heels. Immediately I knew who my star was. She was impossible to miss. I almost had to shield my eyes. She wore a robe emitting light all around her body with a braid running down her back. She approached me with somewhat of a strange look on her face. I wasn't sure if she was happy to see me or aggravated.
"Hello." I said, not really sure what to say.
"I'm Capella." Was all she said. "You must be Jade."
"Yes." I nodded. She must have been at least seven feet tall. I look like a midget compared to her. It was just a tad bit intimidating.
"Follow me." She said. We began walking against the flow of people walking. Towards the gate. "You see these people? They are sounds on their way to Heaven. Your job is to guide them to safety. My job is to fight off predators. We'll be a. Team from now on. I look forward to working with you. You seem promising."
"Well thank you!" I smiled. Capella held a four pronged trident I her hand. "Is that what you use to fight?"
"Yes." She nodded. "It's important that you follow all of my instructions. The souls can tend to wander off the path. I just need you to distract them long enough to get them going on the rest of the way. It's a very important job."
I nodded. It didn't seem like too hard of a job.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you here. It's very normal to miss your family. Once you've been here as long as I have, you'll start to forget."
"What if I don't want to forget?" I asked,
"Trust me, you will." She smiled and placed her trident in front of her. "Are you ready?"
I gulped. "I thought I was."
TBC
