Gerard ran through the streets looking everywhere for his sister, but not really having an idea where he was going. The day was quickly coming to an end and he could tell that it would be completely dark soon. If only he could find a phone and call his sister. She’ll tell him that he’s fine – except for the fact that he’s losing his mind. He kept walking along the sidewalk, keeping his eyes open in case he saw his sister or a phone. It was surprising that Frank and his girl friend didn’t follow him. Of course, they were probably just something his mind conjured up as an explanation as to where he was and what was going on; not that it was a great explanation. For goodness sake, he didn’t even have imaginary friends when he was six, why on earth would he have them at the age of twenty one?
It was already dark and he was starting to get hungry, unfortunately he didn’t have anywhere to go.
“Are you lost?” a voice asked, pulling him from his reverie and he looked up to see an elderly woman staring at him intently.
“Kind of, well, completely lost actually,” he admitted sheepishly. “I… If only I knew where I was.”
“Well, if you knew where you were then you wouldn’t have been lost,” she smiled in response.
He couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle. Her innocent little joke helped him to relax a little.
“I know, but it’s not just that I’m lost. I have no idea in what city I’m in or how far from home it is. It doesn’t help that a couple of nuts told me this completely ridiculous story,” he explained, feeling stupid at the way he was rambling.
This poor woman probably thought that he was high or something.
“Ah, you’re the new arrival,” she said.
“Excuse me?” he stuttered a little shocked.
“You must be cold and starving. Come inside and I’ll make you something to eat,” the old lady offered.
Something in the back of his head told him that he could trust her so he decided to follow her into her small house. Inside the house it was nice and warm. The atmosphere was welcoming like a home should be. Only now in the light of the kitchen could he see how small and frail the old woman was. She was barely five feet tall and she looked a lot older than his initial thoughts.
“You must be extremely confused,” she stated, placing a hot, cooked meal in front of him before she sat down across from him.
“I am,” he admitted, hungrily digging into his food.
It felt like he hasn’t eaten in days. The old woman watched him intently, smiling warmly at him.
“What’s your name?” she wondered.
“Gerard,” he mumbled through a mouth full of food.
“It’s nice to meet you, Gerard. You can just call me Nana,” she told him. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together these next couple of weeks.”
He stopped eating momentarily to look up at her questioningly.
“Someone has to help you get settled in on Una,” came her simple answer.
“Not that again!” he complained, jumping up from the table.
“Gerard, sit down,” she said in a firm voice.
The authority with which she spoke, shocked him, freezing him in place.
“I understand that you’re scared and that all of this is very near impossible to believe, but you can’t keep running from it. The sooner you accept the reality of the situation the better for everyone,” she spoke again, a little more calmly.
He slowly sat back down, his eyes staying locked on hers.
“Normally, I’m all for subtlety, but I have a feeling that you don’t like playing games and the easiest way to get through to you would be to tell you straightforward. You are dead. Nothing is going to change that fact. However, you have been given a second chance to live…”
“So I’ve been told, but what good is a second life if I’m stuck on my own with nothing?” Gerard asked a little angrily. “I don’t know anyone. I don’t have friends. I don’t have family! I tried looking for my sister, but…”
“Your sister?” Nana interrupted surprised.
“Yes, she was in the car with me when we got in an accident,” he explained for what seemed the hundredth time that day.
“And you remember her?” she asked frowning deeply.
“That is such a stupid question and yet everyone seems to ask it,” he groaned aggravated. “She’s my sister of course I remember her.”
“That’s interesting,” Nana murmured absentmindedly.
“I’m sorry, but how long have you been stuck here?” Gerard asked trying to figure out if she wasn’t crazier than he felt at that point. “Family is normally unforgettable.”
“Forgive me, I know that,” she replied. “It’s just… When people arrive on Una, they normally don’t remember their old lives. They only remember important details like their names, ages and how they died. They only start to remember their old lives after several weeks, months or years even. You see, it’s like a self-preservation system. People have enough to cope with getting used to their new life here. They don’t need the longing of their old lives too.”
Gerard frowned deeply, “I see.”
“It may seem impossible now, but trust me that it’ll get better. As soon as you learn how everything here works and you find your feet, it’s really not that bad. Life on Una is pretty much the same as that on earth,” she smiled reassuringly.
He nodded in understanding.
“Until that time though, you’ll be staying with me,” Nana stated.
“I can’t…” he started, but she stopped him.
“You don’t have a choice,” she interrupted him, the authority from earlier back in her voice. “If you’re worried about being stuck with an old woman like me, you can relax. I have two youngsters staying here as well. You’re not the first person I’ll be taking care of you know,” she finished smiling.
“Thank you,” he said gratefully.

***

“Where the hell could he possibly be???” Rae exclaimed angrily. “We’ve looked everywhere!”
“By now, he’s probably a lost cause already,” Frank gave his opinion. “We should get home too before it gets too late. Let’s not tempt fate.”
Rae nodded in agreement and they started to walk in the opposite direction than they were headed in.
“I hate when they run. Why can’t they just take it easy for once; accept the truth and not run like the devil is after them?” Rae wondered out loud.
“Seriously,” Frank laughed, “If someone told you that you were dead and in the second life, would you have taken it easy?”
“No,” she admitted. “But come on! Why run away from us when we’re only trying to help? Where the hell do they plan on running to? It’s not like they have anywhere to go; a clue where to go for that matter.”
“Fair enough,” he conceded, pushing the door open for her to enter into the house.
“They have to realize that they’re not on earth anymore. Things don’t work the same,” Rae continued, stepping into the living room.
“Don’t you think it’s exactly the realization that they’re not on earth anymore that sends them running?” Frank snickered.
“Finally, you’re home! Where have you been?” a tall male with a large afro asked, coming into the room.
“We found a newcomer and he ran. We went looking for him,” Rae explained.
“Of course he did,” the man replied. “Hey, Frank.”
“What’s up, Ray?” Frank grinned in response.
“Well, quite frankly, it seems that people on earth are dying more quickly than usual,” he replied.
“What do you mean?” Rae asked confused.
“You found a new arrival today and Nana has one in the kitchen as well,” he explained. “He showed up about half an hour ago.”
Their heads turned in the direction of the kitchen as they heard Nana coming closer, talking to someone else.
“You’ll have to share a room with Frank, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” she was saying to the newcomer as they entered the living room.
Frank and Rae’s eyes grew wide as they realized who it was.
“You’re home!” Nana smiled brightly as she noticed the two of them standing in the living room with Ray. “I want you to meet Gerard.”
“You stupid idiot!” Rae exclaimed, stomping towards him and shoving him hard. “What were you thinking just running off like that? Was dying once today not enough??”
Gerard stared back at her taken aback.
“You need to realize that you’re not on earth anymore! Things don’t work the same. You’re not the only thing out there at night!” she shouted, pointing out the window. “If you pull a stunt like that again, running off into the night…”
“We’ll be picking you up with a sponge,” Frank finished her sentence for her in all seriousness.
“That’s enough,” Nana’s voice sounded calmly. “Ray, would you like to stay the night?”
“Thanks, Nana, but I have to get back home to Tatiana,” he declined. “I should probably get going. I wouldn’t want to be out too late,” he stated, looking at Gerard seriously.
“Right,” Nana nodded. “Thanks for everything.”
“No problemo,” he grinned. “Later everyone,” he waved, leaving out the front door.
“What do you say we all go to bed and then we’ll talk in the morning?” Nana suggested.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Rae agreed, still glaring at Gerard.
He could tell that the red head was majorly pissed at him, though he didn’t understand exactly why.
“Good night everyone!” Nana said heartily. “Frank, Gerard will be sleeping in your room.”
“Sure,” the dark-haired boy shrugged, smiling.
As Nana left the room, Rae turned on her heel and followed her.
“Dude, Rae is super pissed at you,” Frank snickered as soon as she was out of hearing shot.
“I noticed,” he agreed. “But why?”
“Don’t worry about it. She has a bit of a temper. The color of her hair should already explain that,” he chuckled.
“But her hair isn’t naturally red,” Gerard pointed out.
“She is a natural redhead,” Frank grinned, “But she colors her hair deep red.”
“Right,” Gerard nodded.
“So let’s go to bed too. Oh, and a bit of advice, don’t piss Rae off too much. Actually, you might want to stay on her good side.”
“Why?” Gerard wanted to know.
“Besides the fact that you live together now, I’m willing to bet a hundred dollars that Nana will be putting the two of you together,” the teen explained.
Gerard’s eyes grew wide and Frank burst out laughing.
“Don’t look so worried. I simply meant that Rae is going to be put in charge of showing you around and teaching you about life on Una. She was the one who taught me and that’s pretty much what she does now. So unless you want her to push you off a cliff or feed you to some kind of creature, be good.”
Gerard gulped, “Okay, just don’t piss her off. I can do that.”
Frank cracked up again, “Sure you can.”