AN - Before we start: I feel the need to explain why a certain song is mentioned in this chapter. Thank you to Yoan Liyu for pointing this out to me. Alright, so the song mentioed is the Barbie song "Two Voices, One Song." (Copyright Mattel Entertainment.) There is a very good reason for this. There are two sisters, Liana and Ember. As you will learn, Liana did not have a great childhood. Due to this, despite being eleven, her mind is stuck at a younger age. Due to this, she clings tightly to the Barbie series, as it was some of the first movies she ever saw. In this chapter, Liana insults that Ember is just like her (being a fan of the movies) because Ember still buys the movies. In truth, Ember still buys them because of Liana. The family is worried about breaking her fragile mental state, and is careful with what they say and do. The family is working with a therapist to help Liana, but there is only so much they can do until Liana decides to change. For those of you that hate Barbie, don't worry, this will be the only timed it is mentioned. I had just wanted to get across how bad Liana's condition was, and didn't do it clearly enough in the chapter. To be clear, it is also shown in the ways she dresses. I'm sorry to those who were confused, or turned off from this story because of it. Thank you for reading. If you are confused, please PM me.

Warnings before we start: Some people may find what is mentioned in this chapter uncomfortable. It does not go beyond the rating of this story. If you believe that what is written does, please PM me.

Underlined have pictures that can be found on Quotev and Wattpad. Italicized and bold are explained at the end.

—

If I had known this was was going to happen today, I never would have taken us here.

—

Two females were walking around in a downtown city area, the streets much less crowded then they should be. Skyscrapers tore through the sky around the two, cars rushing past. They were holding hands, and got stopped at a light. They were very clearly part of two different age groups, as the younger one stamped her feet in frustration.

"Oh come on! We're so close, I don't want to be stuck in a line!" She complained, puffing out her cheeks.

"Calm down, Liana. We've got those special tickets, remember? We'll be there and let through in a matter of minutes, no matter how many people there are." The older one chided. They were both speaking English.

"But Ember! I don't wanna wait!" Liana whined. Ember rolled her eyes and shook her head, bopping the other on the head.

"Be a little patient, alright? The building ins't gonna run away, you know." Ember giggled. The older girl, 17, had pink eyes and burnt curvy brown hair. She had lightly tanned skin, dressed in a casual sporty-esque style. A black baseball cap with bejeweled cat ears pointing up from it, her hair pulled through the gap in the back. A aqua colored loose tank top that read "I'M SO DONE." in large black letters. A off-shoulder pink and black coat hung from her elbows. Dark blue ripped jean shorts with fishnet tights underneath it. The outfit was finished with simple black velvet boots. Around her neck was a pair of neon green FLIPS headphones, connected to the phone in the back pocket of her shorts. She was sucking on a lollipop, eyes accented by a blue and pink eyeshadow, a style her mother, a makeup artist, insist she try for the day. Her mom was always trying new ideas and styles, practicing them on her daughter, even if they didn't completely match what she was wearing that day. She was a bit eccentric that way. Besides from that, the rest of her makeup was rather light, a clear shimmer on her lips. She had forgone any jewelry that day, just wearing some simple metal bangles on her wrist.

The younger one, 11, was in a vastly different style. With butter blonde hair, pale skin and icy blue eyes, she was dressed in a very cutesy style. Her hair was in two high pigtails that fell just below her chest, held by pale blue bows. Little jeweled flower pins had been twisted into her hair. She had on a white and icy blue striped knee high stockings, golden stars strewn around the clothing article. Her shoes seemed to clash, but at the same time not at all. Matching her necklace, she had on two bell bracelets, one on each hand. Her eyeshadow was much simpler, but there was glitter and stars near the outside of both eyes. Her lips were done with a pale pink, and her blush was pale as well. (Think of the Japanese kawaii style that has been trending.)

"Ember, can we sing that song together while we wait?" Liana asked. The two loved to sing together, and if they weren't talking, they were singing.

"You mean that one Barbie one you love? 'Two Voices, One Song?'"

"Yes, that one."

"Aren't you a bit old for that at eleven?" Ember smirked, looking down on Liana.

"Shut up! You were the one who still owned the movies when I met you!" Liana stuck out her tongue at Ember.

"Hey, they were my childhood!" Ember defended, embarrassed.

Though these two are sisters, they are not the traditional type of sister. Ember was born to Julie Careese and Andreas Careese. As stated, her mother is a professional makeup artist, and is very good at her job. Now, if her mother is eccentric, her father would be considered plain crazy. He leads a motorcycle gang, but not the bad kind. They preform stunts, odd jobs, races, among other things, all of which they get legally paid for. They are often called the 'protectors of the community,' seeing how they have often helped save people in a plethora of different situations, often arriving just on time. The name of the gang is 'Revving Rose.' Now, what made people consider him crazy, was that most of his men were parolees. Before creating the group, he worked as a police officer, and he saw that many people brought in had been on parole, but had gone back to life of crime. In his mind, something obviously wasn't working with the system. So he quit his job, and started his legal motorcycle gang for paroles. It certainly hadn't been easy, and when asked why he decided to do this with his life, his response was 'because I want to show them that there is more to life then crime and steel bars. I want them to feel free, I don't want them to feel like society has quit on them. And I think to best way to do it is with motorcycles. I certainly feel free when I ride, so why shouldn't I share that with others?'

They had met one night when Andreas was out on a nightly ride with some of the members a little time after the gang had been started. They found Julie passed out at a bus stop. Thinking that something bad had happened, they had woken her up, but what they were told in response certainly wasn't what they were expecting. Apparently, she had waiting for the bus, but had gotten tired and fell asleep. No one had bothered to wake her up. Despite this, she was happy and cheery, which was just the start of her eccentricity, as Andreas would come to learn. They drove her to her hotel, but the two kept meeting even after that. Sparks started flying, and soon, Andreas was on one knee and proposing. She accepted, and then they were married, and having Ember.

Ember grew up her whole life around Revving Rose. She watched members come and go, she joined them in laughing and crying, she heard as people broke down crying thanking her father for what the group has done for them. She grew up being told that everyone deserves another chance, and she truly believed it. Who wouldn't, when the proof was in front of you everyday? It had been confusing to her when her father had to kick out a member one day. She had come up to him crying, asking why he had done what he did. He always said you should give people another chance! He had smiled at her sadly, and simply said "while that is true, for that to work, you need trust. If you keep giving people another chance, but they don't stop doing what they said they would, sooner or later, you need to stop giving them chances. Sometimes, it's the only way for a person to learn and grow." He explained. It took a long time for Ember to understand.

Ember loved Revving Rose, and they loved her. They always played around, and would help her with school work. The members of the group felt like they owed her family their lives, so one of them would usually be with Ember to protect her. Though it was annoying, they did have a reason for doing so. The group may have had the public opinion, but the director of police, Howard, wasn't a kind man; he was cruel hearted and corrupt, uncaring for both his men and the prisoners. He completely disagreed with Andreas' ideals, and Andreas' parole gang was losing him money. Ever since he had started it, there had been less inmates, and that meant less money coming in. And that meant less money for Howard. Howard thought he had hated Andreas when he was in the force, but now, oh how he despised him. And he wasn't against going after little Ember to get at Andreas. And that had been exactly what he had done. Ember doesn't like to remember the experience, but it was thanks to her attendant that day that she had been saved. And thanks to a recording done by an home stuck sick boy and a private investigation, Howard had been found guilty of not only kidnapping, but also of embezzlement, assault, and forgery. Many of his qualifications had been forged. Needless to say, he ended up in the slammer, and wouldn't be let out for a long time. A new director came in, and tensions settled. The Rose still followed Ember around still, and it was starting to annoy her. When she demanded they stop, they said they would if she learned to fight so she could defend herself.

She took the deal, and soon, they let her have her way, and stopped following her around as much. That made Ember much happier, but there was another thing that they did that absolutely embarrassed her to no end: they called her 'Lady Ember.' They had gotten a parole once, Kenji, who was not in the right state of mind. He was of Japanese descent, and prison had done a number on his mind. Ember had found him on the roof one day in the early morning, when she had been woken up by a terrible feeling. She was able to get him down from the edge, and he fell to his knees, crying and thanking her. Then Mayson, a younger guy in the gang, found them, right as Kenji then called her 'Ember-sama.' Mayson, who was getting closer, paused, before doubling over laughing. "H-he just called you 'Lady Ember!' You, a lady? Hah!" Mayson enjoyed anime, and had gotten Ember into the craze, so she didn't need him to translate for her, as she turned bright red.

"Shut up Mayson!" She hissed. "Please don't call me that, Kenji..." Ember begged, turning back to the Japanese man. Kenji looked legitimately confused before a look of realization came across his face.

"Oh right! This isn't Japan! Here, you would be 'Lady Ember!' So then, Lady Ember!" He bowed down low to her. "Thank you for saving me! I am forever indebted to you!" Ember only got redder, as Mayson fell to the ground, crippled from laughter. The nickname stuck, and Kenji basically became her personal assistant after that day. Her life became less crazy as she got older, though she was preparing to take over the group after her father. She ended having to get used the nickname in the end. None of them stopped calling her it, and Ember knew they wouldn't stop any time soon.

"And you still have them even now! You even buy the new ones that come out! So don't say anything to me about being too old for Barbie!" Liana jabbed.

"Alright, geez!" Ember flipped the earphones so they were facing outward, and grabbed her phone. "I only like them for the music, you know..." she stated under her breath.

Liana snorted. "Yeah right. We both know that's not true."

"Whatever." Ember sighed. "Pop or movie version?"

"Pop please."

Liana is adopted. Her real parents... were not the greatest people in the world. And that's just taking it lightly. They were abusive. They weren't physically abusive, but they were mentally and psychologically abusive. To make a long story short, Revving Rose and Ember found her during a night drive. Ember was 12, it was the end of the school year, and Andreas told Ember that if she did well in her state testing, he would take her along on a night drive. She ended up doing really well, and as per their deal, he took her out with Revving Roses. They had stopped for a water break, before they headed back to the base. They had ended up on the poorer side of the city, and Ember swore she heard something unusual. She started wandering off in the direction of the sound, Raewyn, Andreas' third-in-command, following her. What they found horrified them. They found a little seven year old girl, curled up in trash, covered in dirt and caked blood, legs brought up close to her body and arms wrapped around her head. She was hardly dressed, and it had been a cold few nights recently. There were bite marks from different animals and some obviously infected areas. She was quite obviously sleep deprived, sniveling and trying to hold back her cries, almost sounding like a baby animal.

The girl was brought to the hospital after much effort from Ember and Raewyn, where she started a slow recovery. When Andreas attempted to find out what had happened, a resident of the area they were in that night told him about the abuse the girl went through and that she had been abandoned there a few nights ago. When asked how she knew, and why she didn't help, she leveled him a dead stare, and said "this is the slums. Everyone and no one knows what's goes on around here. Of course, you're of a whole different world. You wouldn't be able to understand this." She claimed, then continued, blowing out a plum of smoke. "As for why I didn't help her, son, I can barely take care of what I have. I can't afford to take care of another human. The same is true about the others around here." That was all he got before the lady walked away. He had come home that day, tired and depressed. The Careese's were paying for Liana's recovery, and when Ember asked what was wrong, she was only patted on the head. She was told that the girl didn't have great childhood, and not to mention it to her. He then asked if she wanted a new sister.

Liana isn't the name she was given at birth. It was a name she picked for herself. When the Careese's were allowed to visit the girl a week after her admission, she was quiet, and barely talked. She didn't respond to being told that she would be the new member of their family, only giving them a quiet 'okay.' When Julie and Andreas had to leave to talk to the hospital staff, Ember took the opportunity to try to talk to her new sister, though she did most of the talking. Still, Liana seemed to open up to Ember, even if it was only a little. When Ember asked if she had ever seen a movie, and Liana shook her head no, Ember had a mini panic attack.

"What?! You've never really truly seen a movie before?" Another head shake, as Liana backed a little away from her in panic. But Ember just went on. "I have some movies with me! They're Barbie!" She said, pulling them out of her backpack. "They're really cool! Wanna see?" Scared, but beyond curious at this point, Liana gave a small 'sure' in reply. Happy, Ember quickly opened up one of the movies and put it into the CD reader connected to the TV in the room. "This first one is called 'Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper!'" Ember said as she hurriedly turned off most of the lights and moved her chair right next to Liana, remote in her hand and smiling. "You're gonna love it!" And, just as Ember said, Liana had loved it, so much that she wanted to hear the music again. So Liana used the menu options to listen to each song individually. (Yes, as far as I remember, this was a real feature of the disc.) Ember started singing along to the songs, Liana looking at her in surprise. The second movie to come on was 'Barbie as the Island Princess.' Someway through this movie, Julie and Andreas had come back to the room to talk to the two, but after seeing how happy Liana was, they smiled and left to finish some finalizing paperwork. The third movie was 'Barbie and the Diamond Castle.' For some reason, this one really affected Liana, and she started crying at the end. Ember panicked, unsure what to do, saying sorry to Liana for whatever she did, when her new sister cut her off.

"Linana." She said. "Can my name be Liana?" She asked. Liana was the name of the main character, along with her friend Alexa.

Ember immediately paused, before smiling brightly. "Of course! Well then," she held her hand out to her newly named sister. "Nice to meet you, Liana!"

—

Ember tapped away on her phone, pulling up a music app and searching the song. "All right, got it. You want to sing Alexa's part again?" Ember asked, reaching for the play button.

"Of course." Despite picking Liana as her name years ago, she enjoyed Alexa's parts more than Liana's. A tap was heard, and then music started streaming out of Ember's headphones right as the light changed.

Cue "Two Voices, One Song." Sung by Melissa Lyons and Cassidy Ladden; copyright Mattel Entertainment

As the song ended, the two stopped in front of the building they were trying to reach, a long line of people already waiting. It was a new national monument, commissioned by the government, and just passing safety regulations recently. They had wanted to check the structural integrity of the building, since the first time they tried to build, the entire thing came down due to a structural problem. It killed and injured a lot of workers, and the project had to be put on hold and was held back a long while. But today, it was finally open to the public, many gathering to see it in its completion. Though, they had many more than expected, since they also agreed to hold a medium sized pop culture con in the building during the first three opening days, many people being drawn in for the con. This, of course, included anime, which was what had drawn Ember and Liana in. Shortly after Ember had been introduced to the world of anime, Liana had been quickly drawn in. They had similar tastes, though they disagreed on some aspects. They watched shows like Nurarihyon no Mago and Katekyō Hitman Reborn!, though Ember will admit she is guilty of not finishing shows, something she had done with both of the before mentioned shows. She watched some of it, but usually read up on the rest, though it never gave her as clear of a understanding as watching the anime or reading the manga could. She enjoys it, but hasn't watched as much as she grows older.

Liana was much more of binge watcher than her. She had finished both shows, and many others. Ember isn't sure at this point if she read of the manga of the two stories or not at this point; she reads and watches so much of it. Though others might consider this a problem, Ember was happy Liana found something she enjoyed so much. Though she is much better than she was, the affects of the abuse is still there. She lost seven years of her childhood, and it comes through in her daily life, one of those being the way she dresses. She doesn't dress like she does because of anime (though anime definitely influenced it once she was introduced.) She was dressing this way from the day she was allowed home. It's her way of trying to get her childhood back. The Careese' let it happen; this was something she needed to heal, was what her therapist had said. It may get better with time, but something like this just doesn't disappear. They would have to wait to see how she improves over the years.

"Oh come on! There's already so many people here! This sucks!" Liana cried.

Ember rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember the tickets Mayson got for us?" She asked, pulling them out of a hidden pocket in her jacket. Mayson, their fathers second in command, was the one who had introduced them to anime. He had won the two tickets in a raffle, but decided to give them to Liana and Ember. "I'll come later." He said. "Enjoy yourselves! This will be your first con, right?" Had been his response when Ember asked why.

"Oh yeah!" Liana said, taking the ticket handed to her. They then followed the directions given to them. Walk to the front of the group, and show the guards your tickets. You'll be let through, and you'll go through the typical security check. After that, you'll be ushered to the opening hall. You'll be given special passes to wear, which prove that you have access to limited events and items, and you'll be let in. Walking in, the two were shocked. The main hall was huge and beautiful, and it was only the third floor. There were booths all around, and full of people who had gotten there early enough to not be stopped in the crowd.

"Woah, it's amazing!" Liana said, shock written all over her face.

"Yeah, it is really is!" Ember agreed. Liana then pulled hard on her arm, pulling her forward.

"Come on, lets go already!"

—

Two hours had passed already, and Liana and Ember were on one of the higher floors, having a early lunch. Around them were different bags, Ember happily munching on her konpeitō. Ember sweat dropped. "Haven't you had enough candy, Liana?"

Liana pouted at her. "No, of course not! One can never have enough candy. It is the single greatest human invention! Alongside anime." She claimed.

"Right..." Ember faked laughed, her phone giving off a beep. Picking it up, she saw the caller ID as Mayson. Smiling, she picked up the phone and put it on speaker. "Hey Mayson!"

"Hey there Lady Em!" He cheered, his deep kind voice coming through the intercom. He had a habit of shortening people's names when he saw fit. "You two having fun?"

"Yweph!" (Yep) Liana answered, her mouth full of the little sugar candy. Mayson laughed.

"Must be if Little Lady Li is stuffing her face!" After Liana was introduced the group, they though it unfair that they called Ember 'Lady Ember' and Liana nothing. Mayson, of course having anime on his mind, proposed 'Little Lady Liana,' Sailor Moon being his inspiration. They all agreed to it, and from that day, she was little lady.

"You on your way, Mayson?"

"Even better! I'm on line." He said. "Since most people came in the morning, the line is moving quicker than before. I'll be in there soon, alright?"

"Got it! We're up on the eleventh floor, near the balcony that overlooks the rest of the building. We'll wait for you here, ok?"

"Yeah, meet us here, Mayson!" Liana called, having finally swallowed the candy she stuffed in her mouth.

"Hear ya nice and clear, La-" That was when all hell broke lose.

Loud booms simultaneously came from below and above the two, loud screams entering the space, cutting off what Mayson was about to say, the building trembling and throwing the two to the ground. Ember's phone was catapulted from her hand. "What the hell?!" Ember shouted, as Liana looked around in horror.

"Ember, w-what is happening?" She stuttered, horrified.

"I don't know!" Ember shouted in response, running to the balcony, stumbling when another tremor shook the entire building. Looking over the edge, she was horrified by what she saw. There was fire and smoke and people running everywhere. There was blood, a sickening iron haze entering the air. She heard the sickening crunch as two people were crushed by a falling hanging light. Bile crawled up her throat, burning her insides. She threw herself away from the edge, falling to her side as she brought up her barely digested lunch. She heard Liana crying behind her as the fourth tremor came, resulting in more heart-wrenching screaming, crying and yelling. If felt closer this time.

She was shocked out of her state when she heard her name being yelled from her phone a few feet from her. Snatching it up desperately, she beards Mayson's cries of horror growing more and more desperate as despair ate as his mind from their lack of response. "Mayson, calm down! I'm here, I'm ok!" Ember called to him, her throat raw from the stomach acids brought up.

"Lady Ember?! You're there?! Oh my god, I thought you were dead... is little lady with you?!"

"Yes, she is! She's fine, just crying. But, what do you mean dead?! What the hell is going on, Mayson?!"

"Explosions, that what's going on! They're saying it's a terrorist attack!" He shouted. Ember froze, almost dropping the phone, not hearing whatever it was that Mayson said next. A terrorist attack? No way. That... couldn't be. They couldn't be caught in a terrorist attack, could they? She didn't register the fifth explosion, nor the fact that the explosions were slowly getting closer to the two. There's just no way... horror and disbelief ate at her. She could barely force the words out of her mouth.

"A terrorist attack? Explosions? You're kidding right? You are kidding right?!" Ember shouted, desperation overwhelming her.

"EMBER!" Mayson screamed at her, effectively waking her up from her denial. "I don't if you've been listening, but you need to get out of there now. If you don't, both you and Liana will die!" That seemed to finally register, as Ember grabbed at Liana's arm in a death grip, taking off for the stairs. They were just a second early before the balcony they were on went up in flames in a ear shattering explosion. The two were knocked the floor by the force, the phone being knocked away, much farther away this time. The flames licked at them, steadily growing closer. Their skin reddened as the flames burned brighter, both screaming in agony. Still, Ember forced herself up, her body screaming in protest. At this point, smoke had covered the area, mixing with the haze of iron, and the horrid stench of burning bodies. Ember didn't get very far before a painful hacking stopped her in her place. She fell to her knees. Her lungs burned, the smoke burned; her heartbeat thudded against her skull as her body shook.

Ember heard a thump behind her, as the flames crackled, and another explosion went off below them. Liana had fallen to the ground, trying to get up; being behind Ember during the explosion meant she had taken the brunt of it, and she was much tinier than Ember; the lack of oxygen was getting to her quicker. Ember panicked once again, her mind and resolve kicking into overdrive. She once again forced herself up, stumbling once she was on her trembling legs. She just wanted to fall asleep; sleep felt so much better than this. She could disappear from this hell, her mind whispered. Her eyes glazed over, as her body swayed. She could be free, she could be released from responsibility, a voice told her. She could fix this; she didn't have to feel anything anymore. He would take care of it all. All she had to do wa o. She looked behind her. There was Liana, the cusp of death surrounding her. And still, she reached out for her big sister. Ember's eyes focused on Liana, as her name was whispered through her dying lips. No, please... Not again. It can't... No, it won't! Not again! I won't let it! And then, everything shattered.

Ember's eyes widened. The haze around her mind disappeared, the pain of her body felt as if it evaporated. The feel of burning skin was still there, along with her burning lungs, but now, it felt as if they could truly escape. Running for Liana, Ember scooped her up, heading for the stairs. "Come on, wake up Liana... don't give up on me now..." she begged, taking the stairs two at a time. She reached the bottom of the stairs, racing for the main stairs that went right to the first floor.

She heard it before her body registered it. A deafening crack, the smell of something burning entering her nostrils. Liana being blown away from her, much like how her phone had been. And then, nothingness as she was hurdled to the ground. Her senses soon came back though, and she- she couldn't feel her legs. All her feeling from the waist down was just gone. Confused and terrified, she desperately blinked the black spots out of her eyes. She really wished she hadn't. Surrounding her were broken pillars and debris from the upper floors. There was shattered glass, and blood, just blood, everywhere. A pool was gathering below her head, and the if searing pain at the back of her head was anything to go on, she had been hit, hard, most likely by some falling steel. She reached her hand up to confirm, and she was met the stickiness of her own blood. Daring to take a peek at her legs, she immediately had to look away, lest she vomit again. Her waist and everything below had been crushed by falling steel supports, spattered with blood and what Ember could only guess was her muscle and bone. Just the thought of it had her dry heaving, saliva falling as she brought her bloody hand up to her mouth. As this happened, she felt a butterfly touch on her outstretched hand. Looking up, her eyes widened in relief, only for her pupils to shrink in horror.

Liana was burned, horribly. Burn marks covered her body, some of her skin charred black. Ember screamed in horror, the sound muffled by her hand, tears falling from her eyes. Despite this, Liana smiled at her and attempted to stumble over, her clothes mostly burnt but still somehow intact, arm reaching fully for Ember. She never made it, as her eyes darkened and she fell face forward in front of Ember, her hand falling in front of her, near Ember's face. Horror etched itself onto Ember's face, as she shakily reached her hand for her sisters burnt one. Lord no, she couldn't have died... there, right there! Ember had her hand around Liana's wrist. There was a heartbeat! A small, dying heartbeat, but it was still there! Not caring anymore about her horror, she drew her sister to herself with all the strength she could muster. She dragged Liana to be right next to her, and hugged her.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough to get us out of here. I'm sorry... If I had known this was going to happen today, I never would have taken us here." She cried. "I didn't want this to be our last memory together... but as long as we're together, we'll be ok. I promise." At that, she swore she could feel someone hugging back, but knew it was the blood loss; Liana was already gone. "I'm sorry this has to be how it ends. But I promise you," Ember stated, her resolve strong. "Wherever we end up, be it heaven, hell, or another earth, I'll find you. No matter where we go, no matter what happens, we'll still have each other. I don't care if you even forget about me! I'll find you! I promise!" And this time, I'll save us. Then, Ember closed her eyes, as the last explosions rocked the building.

—

She was falling, falling, falling. She was falling, but it wasn't scary. She felt free, she felt relief, like everything was finally going to be alright. And then, it stopped. She landed gently, she could feel it, but where? She slowly opened her pink eyes, and all around her was a gentle white. It wasn't overpowering, and it wasn't foreboding. It was just, a gentle, reassuring kind of feeling. If she looked closely, she could see grayish blurry outlines; buildings, maybe? She couldn't tell. As her eyes swept the expanse, she saw a tall building, directly in front of her. It towered up above the others, and she drew her eyes up to the top. And up there, was a person, just sitting there in the ledge, swinging their legs. Their eyes met, and Ember was shocked to see pink eyes like hers. All of her life, she had never seen another person with pink eyes. The person smiled, before they pushed themselves off the roof. Shocked, Ember stood there frozen, until she realized- the person wasn't falling; they were floating. As they got closer, Ember realized just how similar the two looked: the same burnt brown hair, and same pink eyes. Though, this person's hair fell to their shoulders; Ember's own traveled down her back. Ember's eyes were a lighter, brighter pink than this persons, as well. When they landed, it was obvious this person was female; her body was even shaped like Ember's! Though, it was hard to tell- just like the rest of the world, her body, except for face, was white and blurry.

"Hello, Ember." The woman- it was obvious from her voice- greeted. Which was really strange coming from her own face.

"Hello, I guess?" Ember was uncomfortable with this situation. Surely, this couldn't be the afterlife, could it? Spending eternity with your doppelgänger, no thanks! "Who are you?" Ember was openly apprehensive, body tensing.

The newcomer blinked, before doubling over laughing. Ember starred at her in confusion, as a sweat drop fell down her face. "T-there's no need to look like you wanna tackle me, you know!" She then laughed even harder. "Or wait, are you preparing to run away? Unfortunately, even if you did, you'd just loop back right here!" She snickered.

Ember blinked. "What the hell is going on?" She asked dumbly, the tension of her body disappearing.

"Pftt! I'm sorry!" The not-Ember said, breathing in and out harshly in an attempt to stop laughing. "I just wasn't expecting that from you. Even after dying in an exploding building, still as eccentric as ever, just like your parents. I was honestly expecting you to lose it on me..." she stated under her breath, scratching the back of her head. "Look, guess I should explain. I'm God."

Ember blinked again, before deadpanning. "What."

"Um... yeah, I guess this form would make it hard to believe." God said, looking down at herself, before turning around and putting a finger in the air. "Look, everyone sees God a different way. It the reflection of their beliefs." She said, moving and twirling a bit. "Most of the time, I'm seen as a near perfect reflection of the soul I'm meeting. For most, it helps them to process what has happened to them. Though you," God said, turning back around. "Seem to have already accepted the fact you died. It the short time between here and the place of your death, you've processed and come to accept it. Right?" God questioned, though she seemed she already had the answer.

Ember dead panned. "I was trapped in an exploding building. Of course I knew I could die. But," she paused, and looked up. "I'll admit, I was pretty hysterical when it first happened. I didn't want to die. I refused to die. But, when my legs were crushed, I knew. I knew we wouldn't escape. I knew that hell would be the last thing I would see. I would be dying there. And when I saw Liana... it only affirmed that fact."

"Is that why the thought of death, knowing that you are dead, unbothers you so? Because you knew there was no way out."

Ember smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I guess that's part of it. But also because I made a promise to Liana. Come what may, I would find her, no matter what, no matter where we end up. Death won't stop me. I promised."

God smiled mysteriously, her eyes shadowed. "Really? Really truly? Though fate itself may turn against you?"

"Yes." Ember affirmed, resolve shining in her eyes, before she blinked, and the air of seriousness disappeared. "Wait, why are you asking this?"

God shook her head, the mysterious aura gone. "No reason. Just trying to get a feel for your personality." God then turned away from her. "So you're the fierce protector type of what yours, huh? Would even die for them if it meant they were safe, I guess?" She questioned.

Ember couldn't hear what was being said, but called out to her. "Um, God, is everything alright?"

"Hm?" God spun around to face her, before smiling gently. "No, nothing's wrong. Just, what I say next, don't freak out, alright?"

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I can do that..."

"Look, you're not going to heaven or hell. You're going to be reincarnated." God said, giving it to her straight.

Ember blinked. "Yeah, ok, cool." This time, it was God's turn to blink.

"Wait, just like that?! You're not gonna freak out or anything?" She asked.

"Why should I? You're God. You have all the power in the world. I don't imagine reincarnation is anything hard for you to do." Ember reasoned.

"Well, when you put it like that..." God admitted, before buffering herself up. "Both you and Liana will be reincarnated in the same world. When and how you'll be reincarnated is something I can't answer, but you will at least be reincarnated so that you to will be alive together." At that, Ember seemed to physically perk up, since it was quite obvious that she was curious of where Liana would end up. God smiled sadly. "This isn't an opportunity open to everyone, you know." God said, Ember looking at her in confusion. "There's a specific reason you two are being reincarnated. See, you two were supposed to live a lot longer. But, someone messed with your fates and put you in that explosion. My only explanation right now is that this person switched your fates with two people you were close with." At this, Ember's eyes widened, as her body shook. "I'm guessing you think you know who one of the people your fate was switched with was?" Ember nodded numbly.

"Mayson... he was planning to use the special tickets he earned to get into the con... you mean..." she fell to the ground. "Mayson would have died if someone hadn't messed with the fates?" She cried.

"Well, we can't know that. That's only a possibility. Who knows what could have really happened that led you two to be trapped in that attack." God reminded. Ember nodded, but it was obvious the prospect scared her. God looked at her. "Look, forget I said anything. You've been through enough. Don't dwell on it, alright?" God said, bending down to Ember, holding her hands. Ember sniffled and looked up into similar pink eyes. "Just calm down." With those words, that very sense washed over Ember, stopping her nerves and pausing her frazzled mind.

"Yeah, alright." Ember said, standing back up, still holding God's hands. "I'm ok now. Thank you for that." She said, releasing her hold and up a hand to wipe her eyes.

"Good, cause I ain't doing it again." God deadpanned. She then smiled cheerfully. "Alright then! Now, I can't guarantee anything, but is there any particular place you like to be reincarnated? You can be literally reincarnated anywhere, including a favorite show or book. As long as it's out there, I can put you there, I could even do a crossover! Though again, no guarantee. I can only do my best." God offered. Ember shook her head.

"While being reincarnated into a favorite anime of mine would be cool, I don't want that. Just, if I have to be reincarnated, I don't want to be reincarnated in a world that I know, able to predict to what will happen. I want to be in a place entirely new to me, one that will be exciting. And, if I can, I want to make everyone's life's who live there better."

God smiled brightly. "I know just the place! I think you'll love it!" God said. She then snapped her fingers, and the white surrounding them slowly started to disappear, revealing the color underneath. But as the white disappeared, so did Ember. Her body started to glow and disappear, as her eyes and hair slowly changed colors, not that Ember noticed. She was suddenly feeling very tired, like she could just sleep for hours. "Oh, one more thing." God said before Ember completely disappeared. "You're going to be keeping your memories. Hope they help in that world!" God waved, as Ember's eyes closed fully and she completely disappeared.

As soon as Ember disappeared, the smile fell from God's face. She sighed, and looked up into what was revealed to be a clear blue sky. What were thought to be buildings were tall trees of different kinds, and the building God was resting on? It was a tall twisting tower that reached beyond the sky. Still standing on the tree that she and Ember had been on, God watched as the trees around her all glowed, and one by one, girls that all looked similar to Ember, but all different at the same time, appeared from the light, each on top of their own trees. God then looked down to the new baby tree, a weeping sakura tree, in the middle of them all. "Please, Ember. Do what we couldn't. Fight this fate. Put this horrid cycle to an end, and save everyone at last."

(And end! God, that death scene was hard to write. I had to stop a lot because I felt I was gonna get sick from just writing it. Hope you enjoyed!)

Dictionary corner!

Konpeitō - A Japanese sugar candy candy that come in a variety of colors and flavors. Shaped liked stars.