2 Nevaeh is Back

Just as she was about to say "I miss you…" she heard him take a breath and sensed a pressure against her lips. She reached up and gently touched his cheek as he deepens the kiss, letting his fingers rest at the back of her neck and the other on her hips. She kissed back, slowly at first, then gradually with more need and passion. She felt the wonder of his mouth, his tongue slid easily past her teeth, the tip touching the ridges along the roof of her mouth. She tasted him and it ignited a fire in her soul. When she prayed the kiss should last forever, he broke the kiss; but didn't release her. Instead, he embraced her and she laid her head on his chest.

This must be heaven, she said to herself in his embrace. That is the only explanation that made sense. But, that's not possible. How did a murderer like her made heaven? Heaven is for good Christians not the likes of her.

"David" she called out without letting go.

"Hmmm"

"Is this heaven?"

"That's not really what we call it, but for your sake, let's agree it is…"

"Do you know whether my sister is here?"

"Yes, she is…"

"My father?"

"Yeah…" he nodded.

Compassion mixed with joy suddenly washed over her. Warm tears gathered in her eyes. "So… so they both made Heaven… after everything…" she began sobbing in a pitiful manner.

Giving her feather-soft taps on her back, he whispered. "Come on… don't cry on me".

She forced a giggle and released herself from his hug, wiped away her tears and asked "Can I see them?"

"They are coming" he murmured, grabbed her by the shoulders and gradually turned her around.

Suddenly, she was in the most beautiful garden there is. The whole landscape was carpeted with grasses and flowers so vivid, clear and colorful it defies description. To the left was a shimmering lake containing a different kind of water – clear, golden, radiant, and alluring. To the right was a grove of large, luxuriant trees, composed of the same clear material that seemed to make up everything. A celestial symphony filled the air with a psalm of oneness, played on unseen instruments of peace.

Beyond the first trees, two figures were approaching. They were transparent, yet so glorious in its appearance that no words can be used fully to describe them. As they got closer, she noticed they were dressed in a loosed white gown. Their body seemed almost weightless, and the grace and beauty of their movement fascinated her and at the same time filled her with awe. She recognized them, the young man her father in his prime and the girl, Heaven, her twin.

In a reachable distance, the two women fell in each other's arms, bursting into tears.

"Ne-va-eh!" her sister whispered excitedly with a broad smile between her lips. In the warm arms of Heaven, she was awake and more alive than she had been in a very long time. Her father joined, spreading his large arms around both of them. The scent of his favorite "Nivea body spray" filled her nostrils. She felt like a butterfly in a cocoon, safe and protected.

"I have missed you…" Heaven gave her a warm peck on her left cheek.

"We have missed you" her father added in a smoothening tone.

"I have missed the both of you" she responded, pressing and holding on to the hug. This was perfect, all she has ever wanted, to have all the people she loves in one place and not to be seen as a misfit or an outcast but to belong. She couldn't believe she will be staying here forever in such comfort and completeness.

"We would love to remain here and catch up but we can't," her father said.

"How do you mean?" she broke free from the hug and her eyelid went up in surprise. They can't be serious. They can't be thinking about leaving her here to be alone. She has been alone since their death and now they want to leave her once more. That won't happen.

"You won't be alone because you won't be here" her father responded.

"How? Where will I go?" she questioned already get nervous.

"You will be going back…"

"Back to where?"

"Back to earth, where you belong…"

"No!" she refused. Her shoulders pulled close to her body and she shook her head. "I don't belong on earth. I belong here with you guys. I have nothing back there. People there think I am crazy…"

"You still a job to complete and a lot to learn back there"

"No…" she ran her hand through her hair. "I don't want to go back there. I hate it down there. People hate me down there"

"Nevaeh, believe me, you are not yet ready to be here" her twin stepped in.

"Please… Heaven, I beg you" she got on her knees and held the flowing gown of her sister. "Don't allow them to send me back there… I want to be here with you"

"Go back and do something with your life. Seek justice for those who messed your life!" her father and sister voiced together in a rhyme looking away.

Right then, the tunnel reappeared and she was sucked back into it at the same fast pace at which she came. Nevaeh kicked, screamed, fought back and tried to grab the edges of the dark tunnel to prevent herself from going through, but, the pull was more powerful than anything she could withstand.

She zoomed back into a body as a ball of light and crashed into the solar plexus with such force it jolted the body back to life. Her heart began knocking rapidly and her eyes popped open to meet complete darkness with a strange light from a distance. Raindrops drumming off the tarmac. Shocked to the bone, she whispered "What the fuck just happened?"