Chapter 2: When it Rains, it Pours...Flaming Hot Lava From the Sky

*AMY'S POV*

As soon as the meteor hit, there was fire everywhere.  I struggle to get the flames around me out.  The impact was so severe that almost all my clothes were incinerated.  I hear screaming around me...

Amy: Is anyone hurt?

Kelsey: I don't think so...
Zoey: I'm okay.

Rebecca: *silence*

Amy: Bec?  REBECCA!

I can't hear her...but she has to be here...she just has to be.

As the smoke clears and the flames subside, I see a dark figure...my stomach drops.

He walks over, closer to the hole in the ground, and from it, a transparent figure rises...and looks eerily like my sister.  No.  This is not happening.

Amy: No!  You can't take her!  Please!  Take me instead...please!
Pleeeaasssse!

No matter how much I scream at him, he doesn't speak to me, doesn't even acknowledge that I'm here.

Kelsey: What's he doing?  Sissy?
Kelsey, normally so strong and wise-cracking, sounds like a little girl, using the nickname our mother gave me years ago.



I watch as the shadowy figure absorbs the other figure before fading away itself...and suddenly it hits me.  My sister has been killed.
She's dead...gone...my heart aches more than I ever thought it could.

I don't know what to do...a headstone appears, and I know that's where her remains are encased.



I walk over to my remaining little sister...
Kelsey: *sniffles* Sissy?  Is she...?

I don't know what to tell her...what to say to make this better...I am at a loss for words.  I'm the one that's supposed to make sure everyone else is okay, that's my job...I failed Rebecca and I'm failing Kelsey now.

I do the only thing I know to do...



I throw my arms around her and let her sob.

Even though Rebecca is gone, it occurs to me that Zoey, Kelsey, and I are in some real trouble.  Our clothes have been singed off our bodies and the only thing we have been able to buy has been blown off the lot.

Kelsey: What are we going to do now?
Amy: I don't know...
Zoey: We just need a minute...



My heart is aching so much that I am sure I'm going to need more than a minute...I'm probably going to need a lifetime and that still won't be enough.

I couldn't think of a worse time, but right then, my phone rings.



Amy: Hello?
Female Voice: Take her to the Science Facility...
Amy: Excuse me?  Who is this?
Female Voice: Trust me.  Gather your sister's remains and go to the Science Facility.  They can save her there.
Amy: They can bring her back?
Female voice: In a sense.
Amy: Who are you?  H-how did you know...?
Female Voice: That doesn't matter now...just go.
The line goes dead.

Kelsey: Who was that?
I don't want to get her hopes up, so I don't tell her what the voice told me.
Amy: It was a prank...I'm going to have to go...

Kelsey: Wait, I'm starving.

Oh crap, that's right...my stomach growls as if to say, "Me too!" We were starving before the meteor hit...funny how easily basic needs can be forgotten...I don't need to lose anyone else, so I head to the grocery store and buy some cheap produce...that will sustain us for now.  While I'm in there, I ask the clerk where the science facility is and he points me in the right direction.



Kelsey and Zoey eat the produce while I get Rebecca's remains.
We all need to shower and see if we can't salvage our clothes, but I don't care about any of that right now.



Amy: I'm going to fix this, I swear.

I leave both Kelsey and Zoey sobbing...this better work.

When I get to the science building and walk in, the receptionist takes one look at me and points me to the door that says "Reanimation".

When I walk through the front door, a man in a white coat greets me.
Man: You've recently suffered a loss, yes?
Amy: Uh...yeah...I was told you can help.
Man: Give me the remains.

I reluctantly hand my sister over to him...God, I hope this works.

Having to wait, I can't help but lean my head down and doze off.

Rebecca: Amy...wake up!

I look around groggily...was it all a dream?

As soon as I see my sister, I realize that it wasn't.

**********

*REBECCA'S POV*

Talk about a bad fucking day.  I think this one takes the cake....I wake up starving, then a damn meteor comes and freakin' kills me...I remember standing and staring at all the rubble and looking around at Zoey, Amy, and Kelsey...thinking they look like crap because their clothes had been blown off...but then this dude in a cloak comes up to me and introduces himself as the Angel of Death.  Then he tells me he's going to guide me to the Other Side.  I protested, but it didn't matter.  He grabbed my hand and we were gliding down a tunnel, when suddenly he stopped.

Angel of Death: It seems there has been an intervention.  You may go.

Then he drops me off in this clinic I'm not familiar with at all, and I'm surrounded by doctors telling me my sister is waiting in the waiting room for me.

When I try to walk, I notice there is something very different about me.  I'm gliding, and when I look down, things are even weirder...I am a reddish-orange color with fiery sparks coming off of me...and I'm transparent...shit.

I go out into the hallway and see Amy asleep in a chair.

She wakes up when I holler at her and jumps when she sees me.

Amy: What the hell...?
Rebecca: I know...not really my color, is it?
Amy laughs, jumps up and hugs me.
Amy: Only your ass would say that.
Rebecca: It's part of my charm.
Amy: Let's go, I can't wait to see the looks on Kelsey and Zoey's faces.



Rebecca: Um...Amy...didn't you think to change your clothes?
Amy: You should talk...you reek.
Rebecca: I think getting hit by a burning ball of rock from space makes you sweat a little.
Amy: Good point.
Rebecca: What are we doing to do about this?  Can I still be a musician this way?
Amy: I don't know...I'm just glad we have you back.

Kelsey and Zoey felt the same way, even though they were freaked out about the whole ghost persona.

Kelsey: Bright side?  At least your close enough to yellow that I can sorta see you.
I glare at her, but honestly I'm thankful to be back semi-alive.



Of course, even though I'm a ghost, I still have all the basic needs of a human...I need to eat, shower, and sleep...and what's weird is that I can feel everything just like I used to.



Which means I can play guitar...yay!  Not to mention, I think I'm getting better faster!  That's a perk!
I have a perfect song in mind...
*Sang to the tune of If I Die Young by The Band Perry*
"If I die young, sweep up all my ashes, put me in a zip-lock with no holes, take me to a clinic, my dear, and I'll be back, but I'll be clear.  Uh-oh, uh-oh."
Probably not worth a Grammy, but not bad on the fly, huh?

**********

*KELSEY'S POV*



I am definitely glad we were able to save Bec...even if she's a ghost now...at least she's not gone.
But anyway...what am I doing here, rummaging through trash, you ask?  Well, starting to stink for one, but also collecting anything that might be of value.  Rebecca sent me here, but I don't really know what I'm looking for...so far I've found a bunch of piles of scrap which each sell for like 2 simoleons...so I've been here all damn day...after all the morning drama.  That damn meteor hitting had one positive...pieces of it were everywhere, so I started picking them up, and I realized they had some value...there was probably around 300 simoleons worth of space rock on our lot...SWEET!

When I get done here, I'm so exhausted I head home and pass out in my sleeping bag.



In the morning, I head to the library and get something to eat, but I stink to high heaven, so I head over to the public pool for a shower.



Where I meet this guy...his name is...oh...German...yeah, that's it...German Fenton.  He seems like a lot of fun.



After hanging out...and making out for the afternoon, I'm hungry again, and since we have a little bit of money, I stop at a food truck and buy a taco...which I immediately regret...it was extremely greasy, it tasted like ass anyway, and I threw it up...and it still tasted like ass...yummy, right?  I bet you're hungry now...go grab a snack, I'll wait.



So anyway...that old classmate of Rebecca's invites us all to a party...his name is Bill Sharp, by the way...I don't think he knows quite what to think now that Rebecca is transparent...I think he's trying to figure out if he can still get in her pants...hell, I wonder if anyone can get in her pants now...especially since they can see through her...yeah, things could get awkward...



I, on the other hand, know that people can get in my pants...only kidding...sort of.  Bill's roommate, Hugh Rhodes is hardcore flirting with me though.



And he happens to be a sensational kisser...
Does it look bad that I'm kissing two different people in one day?
Well, ya know what?  If it does...quit being so damn judgmental!
I can't help it if I'm a flirt...


**********
*AMY'S POV*



I have been working my ass off lately at this hacking thing...I feel bad, but it's really our only stable source of income right now...Kelsey went picking through the junkyard, but sometimes it has stuff and sometimes it doesn't.  Anyway, between the hacking and selling the scraps, we are able to build a room...with a toilet!



Check that out!  It's nothing special, the paneling and flooring were free, but the next little bit of money that we get is going to put a shower in there...or maybe get a refrigerator...so we don't have to leave our property to eat.  That is going to be nice.  Of course, the only bad thing is that our bills went from 2 simoleons to 10...apparently actually having a light on the lot to use brings up our electric bill...who knew?



I don't know how many times I've run into a block while hacking...and broke the computer at the library...



At least I know how to fix them...more or less...ok, so I shocked myself a couple times, but doesn't that happen to everyone?



It's not like I haven't tried finding other ways to get money...like catching butterflies...but this monarch one is only worth 5 simoleons...



Well, with hacking every night and scowering the junkyard several times a day, we have enough money to FINALLY buy a refrigerator, a sink, and a table with three chairs.  None of it's pretty, but it works...and I'm really glad to finally have some stuff at home.

**********


*ZOEY'S POV*

Ok, my mind is sufficiently blown, thanks life.  As you well know, things got weird with that meteor, then went into that special realm reserved for the truly bizarre...I think they call it fucking nuts.



Don't get me wrong, I am really thankful that Rebecca isn't gone...but my brain is pretty much wanting to shut down from trying to figure out what the hell is going on...I have way too many questions to be rolling around in my head without any answers.



All I can do is focus on my writing...I'm basically just trying to raise my skill level so that I can start a professional writing career.  After years of soul searching, I know it's what I want to do.  I tried to get into directing at one point, but I don't like people well enough to care whether they're hitting their mark or not...and I found myself constantly wanting to focus on the script instead of all the lights, camera, action stuff.
Then I thought about teaching, but I soon realized I'm not a big fan of children...I've always enjoyed writing and have been pretty good at it (I can check your paper for grammatical errors in under a minute), so I think I have found my calling.

Thankfully, I am really close to getting my skill level to the point where I will be able to write and get paid for it.



We did make a little more money and could finally afford to buy a shower.



You all have no idea how wonderful it is to shower without worrying if the janitor is going to pick that moment to come in and clean.

**********


*REBECCA'S POV*



I have almost gotten my guitar skill level up to five...when i do, I can get a job in the music career...at least I hope I can.  Hopefully they will still hire me even if I am not exactly human anymore...

And I have figured out another way to entertain myself...



I can scare people now!  I really owe Kelsey from all the times she's scared me over the years...



And she is scared out of her wits...she almost peed herself...and we have a toilet now!  Hahaha!

Kelsey: Bitch!  I oughtta punch you.
Rebecca:  I'm not scared of you anymore Kels...
Kelsey: You should be...
Rebecca: I have already died, remember?  What else could you possibly do to me?
Kelsey: I could kill you again, then keep bringing you back for more ass kickings...how about that?

Damn, she has a point...



Anyway...because we are broke again after spending money on more house stuff, I salvaged a bunch of furniture that we can set up.  This couch doesn't look too bad.



So I set up this couch and chair...even though we don't really have a living room built yet...

Kelsey: Crap, Bec, did you rob a homeless man or something?
Rebecca: No, asshole, I salvaged these from the junkyard.  Aren't they awesome?
Kelsey: Uh...yeah...awesome.



Then Amy & Zoey show up.
Amy: Ick!  What is that smell?
Rebecca: I don't know, probably that dog...
Kelsey: Quit blaming the dog!
Rebecca: It's not ME!
Kelsey: No, but it's that nasty furniture you dragged home.
Zoey: Ugh, that stuff reeks, Bec.  Where did you find it?
Rebecca: The junkyard.
Amy & Zoey: Ewwww!
Amy: get that stuff out of here, are you crazy?  It could have rodents in it or something.
Kelsey: I wouldn't worry so much about rodents...I would worry more about fleas or crabs.

Ok, fine, they bitched about them so much I decided to store them elsewhere...but I'm going to fix them up and they'll be great...then they'll see.



My biggest news though (good news that doesn't involve my death, at least), is that I got a job in the music industry!  I'm just at an entry position at this point, but I'm confident I'll be moving up soon!



So there you have it...we have been able to build a bathroom in it's entirety...and now we're working on a living room...or kitchen...or dining room...hopefully we'll be able to sleep inside very soon.