Michelle blinked several times before her eyes became accustomed to the bright light. She immediately knew that she was in a hospital. Fortunately she wasn’t in some hideous hospital robe and there were no machines or IV’s attached to her which made sneaking out a million times easier. She was in a large ward, filled with patients. The brunette successfully reached the door and made her way out into the hallway without being caught. She didn’t know which way was out and chose to go left down the hallway.

***

Tatiana saw the small girl sneak out of the ward and down the hallway and decided to follow her. She would guess that the girl was only 5’1 tall and she had long, wavy brown hair. The girl didn’t seem to know where she was going, because she was turning hallways left and right not really going anywhere.
Tatiana cleared her throat and she girl spun around, staring at her wide-eyed.
“Where are you going?” she asked the girl, amused.

***

Michelle looked around the white walls of the hospital hallway frantically trying to think up an excuse. The girl with black hair and beige and red highlights standing in front of her looked at her with dark brown, almond shaped eyes, waiting for an answer.
“I’ve been released,” she blurted out. “The doctor said it’s totally unnecessary for me to stay in the hospital any longer.”
“Really?” the raven haired beauty asked amused. “What got you in here in the first place?”
“I, uhm… fell… down the stairs,” Michelle lied.
She’d always been a terrible liar, but she didn’t have a choice right now. She didn’t belong here.
“I’m Tatiana,” the girl introduced herself, “But you can just call me Tati or Tay-dee.”
Michelle was surprised by her sudden friendliness.
“Michelle, but my friends call me Chelle,” she replied.
Tati smiled brightly, her lip ring glinting in the bright hospital lights.
“It’s nice to meet you, Chelle. Would you like to go out for some coffee?”
That last question caught her off guard.
“Uhm, sure, I guess,” she accepted uncertainly.
“Just let me change quickly and I’ll be with you,” Tati told her, disappearing into a changing room to change out of her nurse’s uniform.
She reappeared a few minutes later in faded blue jeans and a grey t-shirt.
“Come on,” she smiled at Michelle, leading her down the hallway.

***

“You’re a shy person, aren’t you?” Tati asked the girl as they walked to a coffee shop not far from the hospital.
“Only until I get to know you better,” Chelle nodded.
Tati smiled, “Don’t worry. I promise I don’t bite, though my boyfriend might.”
Chelle smiled, “I’d like to meet him then.”
Tati cracked up, “Soon.”
“So, how old are you, Chelle?” Tati asked her, once they were sat down in a booth and both holding a steaming cup of coffee.
“I’m seventeen.”
“What did you do to end up here?” Tati asked, suddenly serious.
“Where?” Chelle asked confused.
“Let me rephrase that. What were you doing in the hospital?”
Michelle immediately looked down at her wrists, but frowned deeply when she didn’t see any marks on them.
“Chelle, did you commit suicide?” Tati asked shocked when she saw the girl across the table from her looking at her wrists.
“I tried, but obviously it failed,” she admitted.
Tatiana gulped, not exactly sure where to go from here. It was Ray’s job to tell souls about Una.
“Chelle, I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise me that you won’t run off,” she told the teen seriously.
Michelle wondered what on earth could be so serious, but nodded.
“Your suicide attempt was successful. You’re dead. You’re in a place called Una. People younger than twenty five who die come here in order to get a second chance at life,” she quickly explained, keeping a close eye on the brunette in case she decided to make a dash for it.
It was the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard, but for some strange reason Michelle believed her.
“You’re not running away?” Tati asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“Should I?” Chelle wanted to know, smiling.
Tati frowned confused.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Chelle nodded in response.
“You’re dead,” Tati repeated in case she didn’t hear her the first time.
“I heard you the first time,” Chelle clarified.
“And you’re not upset?”
“No,” she shook her head. “I committed suicide for a reason. I didn’t want to live anymore. I should be happy about this.”
“Unbelievable,” Tatiana mumbled. “Come on, there’s someone you have to meet.”
The two girls got up and headed out onto the busy street.

***

Nana saw the two girls approaching and walked over to greet them.
“Hello, Tatiana! This is a nice surprise,” she smiled warmly.
“Hi, Nana,” the brown-eyed girl greeted Nana with a hug. “I’ve got a soul.”
Nana’s eyes drifted over to the young girl standing next to Tati and smiled.
“Welcome to Una,” she said sincerely.
“Thank you,” Chelle smiled. “By the way, my name’s Michelle.”
“Well, come inside,” Nana invited them, walking ahead.
“I’ll boil some water for coffee,” Nana told them. “Tati? Make yourself at home,” Nana told Chelle who just nodded.
“Where did you find her?” Nana asked Tati once they were in the kitchen and out of hearing shot of Michelle.
“She was sneaking around the hospital. I told her that she’s dead and where she is,” Tati informed her.
“You did?” Nana frowned. “She seems so calm.”
“I know! But she says that she had wanted to die. She committed suicide,” she explained.
“Oh, dear. A girl that young taking her life? That’s very sad,” Nana stated sadly.
“Nana, I’m going to ask you a huge favor. I know it’s not my job, but can Chelle stay with me and Ray. He can help me help her settle in,” Tati requested.
“Have you taken a specific interest in her?” Nana asked surprised.
“I don’t know. There’s something about her… I don’t know.”
“Okay,” Nana nodded. “She may need a girl’s guidance just in case she’s still fragile.”

***

Chelle looked around the old living room. She was surprised to see that there weren’t any photographs on the walls or the mantelpiece. Normally old ladies are very fond of their memories and families. She slightly jumped when the front door suddenly swung open and someone came barging in. The dark haired boy froze in place and blinked a couple of times. She felt slightly self-conscious as his hazel eyes stared at her intently.
Frank froze as soon as his eyes fell on the unfamiliar girl. She was beautiful. His eyes took in every part of her. She had several piercings including a hoop on the left side of her nose and a small diamond stud on the right of her lip. She was a short 5’1 and had long, wavy brown hair. Her hazel eyes stared back at him with the same intensity he had been looking at her with.
“Hi,” he managed to say. “I’m Frank.”
“Chelle,” she breathed out.
“Hey, Frank,” Tati grinned, coming from the kitchen with Nana.
“Tati!” he said surprised, tearing his gaze from the beautiful brunette.
“We better get going before it gets dark,” Tati turned to tell Nana. “We’ll be seeing you soon though.”
“Really?” Frank asked excited at the thought of possibly seeing Chelle again.
“Yes, of course,” Tati smiled at him. “See you.”
“Who was that?” Frank asked as soon as the two girls had left.
“Tati found the girl in the hospital. She’s new,” Nana informed him.
He nodded absentmindedly.
“I’ll be in my room,” he told Nana, before disappearing through the doorway.
Nana shook her head smiling. She saw trouble coming. She knew that look on Frank’s face. He liked Chelle. Maybe she can tie him down a little bit.