Chapter 229 - Life Goes On

The scene stopped and faded away. We were standing in darkness once more. I watched the true ending horrified by Millie's actions. But...

I shook my head, "This is your Millie. This isn't my Millie."

"No. This is OUR Millie. If you think that she won't do the same in your timeline, then you are wrong. When she found out that you died, she started planning. She will kidnap Dante, ruin Mary and William's life, and lead the Kingdom into chaos."

"But... I'm alive now... Right? So she shouldn't go forth with her plans."

The original Seri sighed, "You are, but if you die again then she will walk down this deadly path."

I thought for a moment before smiling, "Then I guess I better not die."

The original Seri stared at me intently. After a moment, she spoke. "Why? Why do you protect her so much? Why do you allow her to live despite knowing how psychotic she is?! I have watched you kill others for much less."

"I-"

I paused for a moment and furrowed my brows. Why do I work so hard to keep Millie alive? Why do I protect her to such a degree? Is it really because I plan on rehabilitating her? Because I'm doing a terrible job at that.

I shook my head, "I'm not sure why I do it myself... However..." I looked back into the original Seri's eyes, "My instincts tell me not to. So I'm listening to them."

"Your instincts?" She scoffed, "You really believe them so blindly?"

I smiled lightly, "Well... They haven't been wrong yet."

"You really won't kill Millie?"

"I won't." I scratched my cheek awkwardly, "Also, Millie did kind of save my life. I do owe her for that."

"Suit yourself." The original Seri strolled over to me. Her peach colored eyes filled with years of torment stared into mine, "I hate Millie with everything I have. However, I can't force you to do something. As long as you save Mary-"

"I will."

She stared into my eyes and gave a slight nod, "Good. Then, I suppose I should send you back."

"Wait." She reached out, but I quickly stopped her. I hesitated, "Could I... Ask for a favor?"

"Haah? A favor? You won't kill Millie, but you actually want to ask for a favor? Haven't I done enough for you yet?"

It was the first time I had ever seen the original Seri so irritated. However, there was something I wanted to know.

I looked away, "Do you know what happened... After?"

She tilted her head in confusion, "After?"

My voice became smaller, "After my death as Leia."

"..."

The original Seri stared at me closely, but I couldn't meet her eyes. It was embarrassing to admit that I was still thinking about my life as Leia. However, I had to know. I had to know if those who killed me ever got their retribution.

The original Seri spoke slowly, "I do know what happened afterwards. However, I don't think you want to know the truth."

I clenched my fists, "I want to know."

"Even if the truth is painful?"

I swallowed dryly, "Even then. I have to know. I have to know if my body was ever found. I have to know if those so-called friends of mine ever got what they deserve."

The original Seri stared at me closely before sighing, "Very well. Since I understand how you feel, I will show you. However..." Her voice was soft, "You may not like it."

I gulped and watched as the darkness receded. We were standing over my dead body once more. Or what was left of my dead body. I covered my mouth in horror as crows and vultures pecked at my bones.

I gritted my teeth, "F*cking birds."

"This is what happened to your body."

"Did they at least know I died?"

"..."

I glared at her, "Just tell me."

She continued, "Just as Brett had said, everyone who knew you just thought that you ran away. Since your house was paid off, no debt collectors ever came to check."

I took a painful breath, "Even the cleaning lady?"

"She thought something was off since you left so many things behind. However, she was an illegal immigrant so she was too scared to go to the police about her suspicions."

"F*ck. I love that woman..." I sighed, "At least someone was suspicious... That's better than nothing I suppose."

The original Seri spoke, "Even though she couldn't go to police. She did do something."

I looked at her intrigued, "What'd she do?"

The scene changed and I was in the home of the cleaning lady. She wrote a letter and put it in an envelope. She took a key and placed it inside. We followed her as she walked and soon found herself on a campus. I furrowed my brow as she calmly walked to the student housing, "What is she doing?"

She went to a door and slipped the envelope under the door. She rang the bell then quickly ran away. I stepped closer and saw the door open. Lydia looked around in confusion. She took a step and heard something crunch under her feet. She looked down and picked up the envelope in confusion. I held my breath as she read the letter.

"She told your friend." The original Seri said while watching Lydia's face change.

Lydia rushed in to grab her coat and purse before rushing out the door. She frantically began trying to call my cell phone, but there was no answer. Lydia bit her lip in a panic as she kept trying to get ahold of me. However, my cellular phone was turned off and at who knows where. She got in her car and went to the first place she thought of.

She was at the bar I always went to after work. She ran inside and quickly scanned the bar. It was a slow weekday so luckily she wouldn't have to wait to speak to the bartender. She ran over to him with a hurried voice, "Have you seen Leia?"

He turned to her surprised to hear that name. He recognized Lydia since she had accompanied me there before. Plus, whenever Leia was drunk she would always boast about Lydia's accomplishments. He didn't feel strange discussing this with her, "Leia? Actually I haven't. I haven't seen her for a few weeks now. I thought it was strange. She isn't the type to suddenly stop drinking. Maybe she found another bar?"

Lydia collapsed on the seat, "F*ck f*ck f*ck."

He put down the glass he was cleaning, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

She shook her head, "I have no idea. I got this super cryptic letter under my door earlier today saying that Leia hasn't been home for a few weeks. Also, I've been trying to call her and her phone is going straight to voicemail. It's so unlike her. She always has it fully charged and attached to her hip."

"Can't you go check at her house?"

"I have her key... But..." Lydia chewed on her lip, "What if I find... Something?"

"Then we can call the police and have them check."

She shook her head quickly, "No way. Unless it's something serious, I can't get the police involved. Leia and the police aren't necessarily friendly towards each other."

The bartender nodded. He had been serving Leia for several years and although they never hung out outside of the bar, they were close enough to be considered somewhat friends. He knew just how wild Leia could get. She wasn't afraid to stand up to gang members or lone sharks. A person like that certainly wouldn't be on the side of the police.

"Then wait a few hours. When I close down for the night I will go with you to her home. While you wait, maybe you can call a few other people who may know where she is."

Lydia sighed, "Thanks."

Lydia did just that. She called around. The bookstore owner sadly admitted he hadn't spoke to her in months. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he was just too busy with the kids. Lydia felt the same way. She had been so busy with her schoolwork that she didn't even notice Leia go missing. A wave a guilt crashed over her when she realized how long it had been since she last spoke to Leia.

Could she even be considered a friend?

When Lydia called Leia's boss, what he told her made her bad feeling get worse. He was convinced that Leia skipped town. After all, she had always been a drifter. She accepted the job on a whim so who was to say she didn't just leave town on a whim?

Except Lydia knew this wasn't right. Leia may just leave a job on a whim, but she wouldn't leave her things or house behind with everything in it. Leia valued money more than anything. She wouldn't just leave behind priceless valuables. When Lydia and the bartender went to Leia's house, Lydia knew that her hunch was correct. All the valuables were still there. If she really had been skipping town, they would have packed something. Yet, this wasn't the case.

Lydia wondered what could have happened. Could Leia's past have caught up with her? Leia had always been screwing over the wrong people. It's possible one tracked her down and killed her for revenge. Or maybe Leia just got in an accident on her way home. She always has been a crazy driver. That would explain why her car couldn't be found... However...

Why would her boss be certain she skipped town? Why wasn't he alarmed to see she wasn't there at work nor called him to explain her absence?

After searching the house for clues, the two were certain something was wrong. They went to the police with their suspicions. Months after my death, the police announced they were searching for a missing person. The news got ahold of the story and amplified it. Lydia sat holding the bartender's hand as they watched the news special.

The anchor spoke, "A seemingly innocent car saleswomen, yet she was shrouded in mystery. The more the police look into her, the more questions they had. Turns out, Leia was just an alias. When they ran her fingerprints, they found that this girl was actually someone presumed to be dead in an orphanage fire years ago. Just how did the police announce her dead in the first place? Could it be that the one who killed her was in the police force? So many questions. So little answers."

I sighed as I stood behind Lydia, "At least they are investigating my death. They find out... Right?"

The original Seri looked away from me, "Well..."

"They don't solve my death?"

The original Seri explained, "Your case became a cold case. They suspected your coworkers, however they all kept their mouth closed. Nobody came forward to tell the truth."

I felt myself break down mentally, "My... My body?"

"Eventually some hikers would find your skull. It was later linked to you, but it would take over 70 years. If it hadn't been for that message you carved on the rocks, no one would have ever known it was you."

I groaned from the pain I felt in my chest and crouched to hide my face. "I can't believe that those bastards will never be brought to justice."

"It's not all bad news."

"It can't be good news either..." I mumbled feeling disappointed.

She continued, "Brett was in a car accident 20 years after your death and died. Most of your coworkers led unhappy lives. Turns out money isn't everything."

"Who cares if they led unhappy lives? Not a single one will face justice for my death let alone admit what they did."

"That's not true."

I looked up and noticed the scene had changed. I stood up and looked around in confusion. This scene felt different.

I was in the middle of a hospital. People walked past us not noticing our presence. The original Seri turned to the door beside us and gave a nod. I slowly turned toward the door and gulped. I felt like there was something strange behind that door.

I opened the door and stepped in.

Hooked up to many tubes in the room was an elderly woman. Although she looked older, I knew who she was. I walked towards her in disbelief. My breath was caught in my throat as I stood at the foot of her hospital bed. I looked exactly as I had on the day that I had died. However, I didn't realize this as I stared at this woman.

I whispered, "Sidney..."

The one who ignored my plea for help as I was held down.

A young girl sat beside her hospital bed reading a book. She looked up and frowned in confusion, "How strange. That door just opened by itself."

The elderly woman opened her eyes as if she heard me. She stared right at me with a shocked expression. It was almost as if she saw me. Her voice shook, "Leia..."

How strange... It really feels like she can see me. But this isn't real... Right?

Sidney's shocked expression dissolved into one of great sorrow. Her eyes watered, "Leia... I'm so sorry..."

Sorry?

The young girl was also confused, "Grandma. What are you talking about? Mother's not here right now."

Mother?

Sidney forced a smile, "I named my daughter after you..."

Why would someone who watched me die name their daughter after me? It feels... Wrong.

Sidney began to cry silently. Her tears rolled down her wrinkles, "I was so jealous of you... You were perfect. You were beautiful and charming while I was not. You were always selling cars like it was nothing. Yet, I always had to work so hard..." Her voice shook, "I was consumed with my jealousy... I thought that if you were gone then I would feel much better... However I was wrong."

I could hear her heart rate monitor speed up.

She forced herself to continue, "That day I watched them hold you down, I felt like I was being freed. However... I soon found myself thinking about your expression. Every day. Every night. The guilt was becoming too much for me to handle. I thought I would feel better after your death, but I only felt worse. I soon realized that it's not that I was jealous that you were better than me, but rather that you never seemed to look at me."

I watched her silently with an empty mind. I tried to process the words she was saying.

Her voice wavered, "I turned to drugs. I lost my job. I was homeless. I couldn't handle the guilt anymore. I went to the police to tell the truth, but they all laughed at me. They called me a crazy drug addict. They thought it was a far fetched story. How could all the workers of a high class car dealership be involved in such a thing? They refused to listen to me."

She turned to look at her granddaughter before looking back to me, "I became pregnant. I didn't know the father, but I decided it was best to turn my life around... I named her after you... I hoped that I could give her the life I stole from you..."

The granddaughter was shocked listening to the one sided conversation, "Grandmother... Did you kill someone?"

"...I did. And it was the worse mistake of my entire life..."

In her eyes, was honest remorse.

I felt troubled. I should hate her. She was the one that was responsible for my death. So how come I only feel pity when I look at her?

She sobbed silently, "Leia... Leia... I'm so sorry... Leia... Please... Please punish me... Please... I'm so sorry... Forgive me..."

I walked to her side as I listened to the machines beep louder and louder. I reached down and held her hand, "It's alright..."

I can't forgive her for my death... But...

I squeezed her hand and smiled softly, "I'm here now."

A wrinkled smile appeared on her tear stained face, "Leia... I... I have always..."

Her breathing became more labored as her heart rate increased. Alarms went off from the machines causing her granddaughter to panic, "Grandma! I'm going to get a nurse! Just hold on!"

As I held her hand, the machines flatlined. The light faded from behind her eyes. Her mouth still frozen by what she wanted to say to me. I stared at her dead body with complicated feelings. My hand was still within her grasp.

The original Seri stepped forward, "She stood by while they drugged you to kill you. Why would you comfort her now?"

I wiped the tears forming at my eyes, "I'm not sure either... Perhaps I am softer than I thought I was."

The scene disappeared and we were in darkness once more. The original Seri watched my expression closely, "Do you regret knowing the truth? Do you regret what you did in life?"

"No... I don't..." I forced a smile, "Even though it wasn't the best life... It was still my life."

The original Seri looked away as she pondered my words. After a while, she spoke. "You should go back now."

I nodded, but hesitated. I looked at her once more, "I just have one last question to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"Why was the novel called the six heavenly gods? The description said that the six heavenly gods wanted Mary's love. William. Dante. Lucius. Artie. Mathias. However, that was just five. I thought that it was just a typo, but now I'm not so sure. Who was the sixth?"

A gentle smile crossed the original Seri's face, "I fear the sixth was one who was killed very early in the story."

I was astounded, "So you really were the sixth..." I smacked my forehead, "I should have known you were one of the main characters! What side character would have such distinctive hair and strange colored eyes?! How could I be so stupid. Does that mean I'm also considered a god?!"

"I wouldn't say a god." She gave a light chuckle, "Perhaps a goddess."

"A goddess?"

Her smile disappeared instantly. Her voice was ominous and dark, "If you so even dare touch my Mary, I won't forgive you. I don't care who you're with, but Mary is off limits."

I was so shocked by her sudden hostility that I couldn't even react. Before I knew what was happening, she reached out to smack my face. Her slap sent me flying backwards into darkness and back to my body which was face down on a bed.