Obsession

The sister story to Proud. Please read that first. This is from Zoe's point of view.

Zoe smiled at her little sister as they walked down a path in Woodbury Park. Lily had been bothering Zoe to take a walk with her for hours, but she had just finished her homework up. High school was hard. Then, Lily dropped Zoe’s hand and ran a bit farther ahead.

“Come on sis.” She yelled, giggling.

Zoe smiled, before answering back

“Okay Lils. Just give me a second.”

Walking leisurely, Zoe walked up to Lily. Zoe reached for Lily’s hand, but the young girl darted off again, smiling wildly.

“Can’t catch me!” She yelled, jumping off the sidewalk and into the road. Zoe’s eyes widened in horror. A truck was approaching, and it was obvious that neither Lily nor the truck driver had seen each other.

“Lily!” Zoe yelled, springing forward, pushing her little sister out of the path of the car with all her might. With a terrible bang, the truck hit her, and she could feel herself flying through the air. Fear filled her for a split second, but it was replaced by a calmness that seemed to take her over, burdening her limbs with weight. Her eyes, which had seen flashes of green trees and brown dirt fluttered shut, and the last thing she heard was her little sister screaming her name, and a gruff voice asking if she was alright.

Zoe sat up with a gasp. She was on a fluffy bed piled high with her old childhood toys. A window let light stream through and illuminate her face. Hesitantly, she reached her hand up and felt her face. No injuries. The scar she’d had since she was seven years old and had tried to eat a stapler was missing. She felt more alert than she’d had in years.

“Welcome.” A feminine voice said, startling Zoe. With a yelp, she fell out of the bed. “I am your ICtNtA. That stands for Introductory Course to Navigating the Afterlife. Your memory may be a little fuzzy. Here is a recap of your life, and subsequent death. Zoe Jackard, age 16, died in a car crash protecting your sister.”

It wasn’t a dream then. Zoe felt herself collapse inside. Her sister, her bright light, had watched her die. On the upside, Zoe had died protecting Lily. She could accept that.

“Because of this act of selflessness,” the ICtNtA continued, “You have been blessed to the afterlife.”

Zoe listened as the ICtNtA told her all of her privileges. Zoe was only interested in one thing however. The Vido was a machine that allowed her to see her family and speak to them in times of hardship. She watched her sister, as Lily grew full of grief and guilt. She watched as Lily was pulled slowly into a black hole of depression. The ICtNtA had warned her that newly departed usually became obsessed with still living family members, but this was more than an obsession. Zoe knew what she had to do. She was the only one in her family who could protect her little sister, and now she was gone. Where had their parents been when Zoe had saved Lily’s life? They hadn’t been there. They hadn’t been protecting Lily like Zoe had. And Zoe wouldn’t allow her sacrifice to go to waste. She whispered into the Vido, burrowing her way into Lily’s heart. They needed to be together. Zoe was certain of this. Zoe was the only one strong enough to protect her little sister. The ICtNtA told her she was becoming obsessed, but Zoe no longer cared. All that mattered was Lily. And when Lily jumped in front of the car, ending her own life, Zoe sat back, letting the Vido rest on her bed. The two sisters would be united soon, and then nothing could stop them. When Lily, having been allowed into the afterlife because of her love for her sister, and her depression, asked Zoe why she had heard her voice in the days before her death, Zoe put on a convincing act and cried.

“I wanted to help you.” Zoe had sobbed. “But it was your own mind. I couldn’t save you from that.”

Lily accepted this, and hugged her older sister back, hands clenching the fabric of the afterlife's white dresses tightly. Zoe gripped her tighter, and swore to herself that she would never let go. 

Author's Note

Any and all reviews are welcome. Also, if you get the reference to HoO, good job!