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She came into his life in the rain and went in the rain.
Kellen tucked her in for the last time in his life. He remembered that he had done it years before the mayhem started, when he had tucked her in when she was still alive.
His eyes were blurry and wet with thoughts, memories, and remorse. He let forth a scream that shattered his soul.
He didn’t make any more noise after that.
We waste important parts of our life on things that don’t matter. What if we knew that our loved ones were going to die soon? The funny thing is that we already know that.
At the funeral, Kellen sat silently in a corner. He heard Lola, Ryan, and Damien crying. What was the name of the girl Damien married? Even after trying to recollect a few times by going through his jumbled thoughts, he couldn’t.
Dave sat down next to him and took his hand. The boy’s eyes were big and afraid.
Goodbyes and death are terrifying, aren’t they?
Kellen saw them drop Lena into her grave. He felt like he couldn’t breathe and wondered how she was going to live beneath all that dirt.
That feeling of being trapped didn’t go away after that.
He felt empty beneath the starry sky in the deserted graveyard when everyone else went, and he kept fighting everybody who tried to move him from there.
Even when Ryan and Damien arrived to get him hours later, he still felt empty. Or did they leave at all?
Nothing was obvious anymore.
He was glad they left him at Lena’s flat. He liked being among her things, her smell, and her memories. People would come to see him. He never spoke to them.
They could sit there and look at him as much as they wanted and then go.
Then, one day, his head began to feel heavy. He had this awful, throbbing pain on one side of his head and shoulder. He was glad for the discomfort since it let him forget about the reality he was in right now. And the ache continued getting worse till he threw up. His one eye became blurry. He tried to rise up from kneeling in front of the toilet seat after throwing up, but he couldn’t move his arm correctly. His tongue even felt like it had turned to lead.
He wiped his fingers across his top lip since the wetness was running down his nose.
Blood.
He was only amazed for a few minutes before darkness took over.
Death had never tasted so good.
*****
Kellen and Lena
Lena had seen all of this before: the brightness, the gorgeous field with so many beautiful flowers, the tranquility, and the relief.
She had been here before. She could remember a little, but she couldn’t say when.
Being here seemed so regular like she was meant to be here. But it seemed like a dream.
She was no longer a child, but she wasn’t an adult either. Her body didn’t want anything and didn’t hurt, and her spirit didn’t feel guilty.
She was running in a certain direction without thinking about it. But this time, the remote place on the horizon was unoccupied, unlike last time. But she could swear that her child, who she hadn’t held yet, and her adoring parents were there.
Where were they now?
And she was shocked to see that her legs felt like they were made of lead. She couldn’t move them enough. At one point, she was so annoyed with how sluggish she was going that she wanted to hurry up. But she didn’t even think about quitting.
It was all just instinct.
Someone else joined her in this annoying marathon all of a sudden.
At first, she was scared, but when she saw it was Kellen, she calmed down. He was staring at her, and it seemed like he was grinning like a fool.
She turned to look at him. It made her stop moving her feet. But, funny enough, that didn’t stop her from going forward.
Did they really have to sprint to get where they were going?
“Why are you here?” she said in a forceful voice. She was thrilled to see him, but she was also desperate since she had other important things to accomplish. It felt like a tug from something that was stronger than anyone could have imagined. It was like a basic instinct that went beyond any feelings, wants, or memories. Lena didn’t know how else to say it.
He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he continued as an afterthought. “But I think someone was nice to me.”
She frowned and wrinkled her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
He didn’t say anything; he just shrugged again.
She saw that they were moving forward now and becoming faster. With this transition, the grass, flowers, and light surrounding them started to blur. Even more startling, her parents were now running with them. They didn’t say anything, but Lena’s mind quickly figured out that they were waiting for them—for this moment. Lena’s mother cradled Lena’s infant in her arms. Kellen was staring at him with interest. A bright white light led them to their goal.
Kellen had held Lena’s hand through all of this.
They wanted to hold the youngster, but they didn’t try to. It wasn’t the right moment. There was some kind of tight rule in this strange land during this strange period.
You could only find lost moments in timelines that were meant to be.
Lena felt her mind opening up to a knowledge that had always been there but had always been forgotten just as she stepped into the bright light.
Nothing actually comes to an end.
They had been freed from their world and were now living in a new one with new names, new destinies, and fresh chances.
Lena turned to look at Kellen, who was looking at her.
He responded firmly, “We’ll meet again,” but his voice trembled.
She smiled softly and nodded. “And we’ll love again.”
“It will be different then,” he remarked. “I will be better and smarter, and I will have faith.”
She gazed at him with hope and affection till she had to strip down for the after, getting rid of all her memories and feelings.
They went back to the universe just to be sent back.
There was a new story waiting.
Still, the curse of the living world was that it would always be full of hard tasks and tests. Because of the decisions we make at certain times, fated circumstances might go anyway.
*****
Lola was completely in love with the young child Lena was holding in her arms. Lola smiled and grasped Dave’s hand gently. “What a nice blue coat you have on at your christening party.”  “And you smell like ice cream, too. Any girl baby within 100 meters would definitely fall in love with you right away.”
Dave beamed up at Lola without any teeth, as if he knew everything and more. He peeked over his mother’s shoulder.
Lena laughed with joy in her eyes. “Doesn’t my boy look the most handsome today?” Dave turned his face toward her and grinned like a little boy when he heard her.
“Aw…” Lola put her hand over her heart. “Of course he is.”
It had been two weeks since Dave was formally named Lena’s kid. He walked into Lena’s house and changed her life. Lola felt better and happy as she saw how the little bit of a person was gently pushing away all the sadness, worry, and gloom in her friend’s life.
Another thing that made Lola happy was seeing Lena start to write.
Damien had told Lola several times that Lena used to adore writing fiction, like novels, in her notebooks. When he saved her from the street, he found a journal with her things. But all the bad things that had occurred to her took away that creative side of her. It was coming back to life now, like a phoenix.
Lena could frequently be spotted writing in her notebook during breaks or free time at work when there weren’t many customers in the store. Her face would show a range of emotions, from darkening to playing to beaming.
Lola had secretly read a page or two while Lena went to the bathroom one day, just out of pure curiosity. She had started to weep. She made up her mind that she would always be there for Lena while she worked on her art. She still wouldn’t read Lena’s work again since the love, devastation, and heartache she wrote about were so real and powerful that they might destroy anyone’s heart.
Lola didn’t like to suffer or feel sad things in life. She had a purpose for keeping a knife in her bra. If someone threatened her, they may get stabbed.
People today don’t realize how much they damage others unless they are wounded in the same way. It’s as easy as that: suffering for pain.
Lola had a good life because she followed her own ideals.
The happy music in the background made the night feel happy. People were rushing up to welcome the little star of the party and wish them well.