Chapter 1:
All of the trials, sorrow, and pain had become too much to bear. And now
there was an emptiness inside of her. She could feel it slowly start to eat
away at her. Eventually she knew it would devour her, but she wouldn't wait
that long. So, taking one last shaky breath as she lay in her bed, she
placed the knife over her heart...
Sheridan's eyes fluttered open. What happened? Where was she? She sat up on
the bed she had been lying on and looked around her. 'Am I dead?' she
thought to herself. She remembered writing the suicide letter. The knife.
The blood. Rising to her feet, she turned around the other direction and
fell back down on the bed. In front of her was a wall of large windows, and
beyond that was the pearly gates of heaven. She had done it. She was dead
and she was in heaven..well, sorta. Why wasn't she inside the pearly gates?
Why was she here? Sheridan searched frantically around her.
There were no
doors in this big room. Her head lifted slowly upwards, and there she saw
the only way out. Flying. There was no ceiling, just the sky, so only
someone with wings could get out of here. She sat down on the bed facing the
pearly gates. "What's going on?" Sheridan cried out loud to herself, placing
her head in her hands. A hand touched her shoulder causing her to jump and
she immediately turned around to face them. Tears filled her eyes. It was an
angel. Her wings had pastel colored feathers and she wore a pure white
dress.
She was beautiful. Sheridan opened her mouth to speak, but the angel
silenced her. "Don't say anything yet, Sheridan, let me explain to you
what's going on first." The angel knew her name. Slowly, Sheridan sat back
on the bed, never taking her eyes off the angel. Her beauty was captivating.
The angel sat down with her. Her face turned from a loving smile into a more
serious look. "Sheridan," she began. "you've done a very bad thing. You
ended your life, but it shouldn't have ended yet." "I don't understand."
Sheridan replied. "Do you remember why you killed yourself, Sheridan?" She
lowered her head and closed her eyes as she thought of him. "Luis."
she
responded weakly, her voice hoarse as tears began sliding down her face. "I
killed myself because he had stopped loving me and-" "No he didn't." the
angel interrupted. Sheridan's face raised up to meet the angels' eyes. "I
don't believe you." Sheridan said sadly. "What if I could prove to you that
I'm right?" "So what if you could? What difference would that make?" "Listen
to me, Sheridan. God sent me here for a reason. My name is Daniella.
If I
can prove to you that you had a reason for living and you accept it, you can
go back to earth. But, if I can't convince you, I will take you through the
pearly gates with me and you will spend all eternity in heaven with God way
before you were supposed to." Sheridan thought for a minute. Why not? There
was no way she could convince her of Luis' love for her. "Ok, Daniella..I
accept your offer."
To Be Continued…
Chapter 2:
"Great, Sheridan! I promise you won't regret this." Daniella smiled.
Sheridan smiled in return. "So, what do we do first?" "Well, in order to
convince you that you did have a reason for living, we have to go through
all the reasons why you killed yourself and find meaning in them." Daniella
explained. "And what are those?" Sheridan asked cautiously. "All of the
trials, sorrow, pain, and emptiness you have ever experienced with Luis. If
you can find something fulfilling in all four of those, you can go back to
earth." Sheridan took a deep breath.
This was going to be hard. But she had
to do it. If there was hope for Luis and her, she would find out by
surviving these things. "Are you ready?" Daniella asked, taking Sheridan's
hand in her own. Sheridan nodded. "All right, the first thing we must go
through are all of the trials involving Luis." Daniella waved her hand and a
large golden mirror appeared in front of them.
"What's this?" Sheridan
asked. "Through this you can see your past, present, and future." "How do I
know if what I'm seeing is real?" "Sheridan, think about where you are.
There is no deception in heaven. Even if we aren't exactly inside the gates
yet." "Alright...where do we start?" "Well, we need to start at the
beginning, which would be the first time you met Luis."
***Image in mirror***
Sheridan cried as she sat outside her church in the dark. Why was life so
cruel? The boy she had liked for 3 months now had just broken her heart by
telling everyone how much he hated her. All she had ever wanted was to be
loved. Remembering the cruel words he had been saying even though he knew
she could hear him made her cry harder. She didn't hear the door open, or
hear the young man kneel down beside her. Without even bothering to look up,
she fell into his arms. She would take any comfort she could get right now.
"Shh," the boy soothed. "whatever it is can't be that bad."
Sheridan
sniffled and eased up on her crying. What was it about this guy that made
her feel so safe and calm? She pulled back slightly to look into his eyes.
Even though it was dark outside, she could make out his features. He was a
little bit older than her, or at least he looked it. The young man had
liquid brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was so handsome. She smiled
slightly and pulled away from his embrace. "There now, see? Whatever it was,
it wasn't as bad as you thought. My name's Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.
What's
yours?" "Sheridan..Sheridan Crane." "That's a great name for a beautiful
girl such as yourself." Sheridan blushed. "Thank you." "Want to tell me what
was wrong?" "You know, it's not that important anymore. Let's talk about
something else." Luis flashed her a killer smile. They talked for a couple
of hours, getting to know eachother better. That had been the best night of
Sheridan's life.
Daniella looked over at Sheridan, whom was lost in the image. She had a
dreamy smile on her face as she watched her past. Daniella smiled as well,
but she knew that dreamy look on Sheridan's face wouldn't last long. The
images of her past weren't going to be as happy as what she just saw. She
let out a sigh as the next images began to play.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 3:
Before Sheridan knew what hit her, Luis and her had become the best of
friends. They always sat next to eachother at church and could talk for
hours about anything. After awhile, they had began meeting in a secluded
spot in a forest that was encircled by willow trees. It was quiet and they
knew they could be alone there. Sometimes they would lie down under the
stars and listen to the wind soar through the willows. It was so romantic,
but Luis and Sheridan hadn't gotten past the 'friends' stage yet.
One night, after five months of spending almost every single free second
together, when the stars were shining down brightly from the heavens above,
Sheridan received a phone call from Luis to come to their clearing as soon
as she could. So, making herself as presentable as possible, she snuck out
to be with him.
Upon arrival, Sheridan noticed glowing behind the long stems of the weeping
willow trees. Pushing them aside slowly, her mouth dropped open in shock.
Candles were lit all around her. Looking around, she wandered to the center
of the clearing. She shivered when a cool breeze ran over her and she
wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly, two strong yet gentle hands ran
down her arms slowly, causing her to shiver again. Luis. She turned around
slowly, opening her mouth to say something, but was instead met by a
passionate kiss. Her first kiss. She responded to his tongue lashing against
hers as her hands found his hair.
His hands found her back and pulled her
closer to him, closing the gap between them. Her hands moved roughly through
his hair as his tongue massaged hers. After what seemed forever, they needed
air, and they hesitantly removed their mouths from eachother. "Sheridan,"
Luis began, his voice hoarse from their fiery kiss. "I love you. I would
never hurt you like I know you've been hurt so many times in the past. I'm
the man that will love you truly and unconditionally for the rest of your
life. And I'll spend every single day from now on trying to prove that to
you."
"Oh, Luis.." Sheridan smiled as tears of happiness spilled down her
face. She pulled him into a love-filled kiss. "I've waited my whole life to
hear those words." she whispered against his mouth as they continued to kiss
eachother hungrily. "I meant them too. I love you with all of my heart and
soul." "I love you too, Luis. So much.." she cried happily before catching
his mouth in a fervent kiss.
Sheridan looked over at Daniella and blushed. They both knew what would be
happening next. "Would you like to be alone for the next few moments,
Sheridan?" Sheridan nodded and Daniella smiled before flying away. She
quickly returned her attention to the images in the mirror.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 4:
As he turned off his car engine, Luis sighed, trying with all of his might
to fight back the tears he knew were running down his face. He picked up the
single red rose from the passenger seat of his car. Today was Sheridan's
funeral. God, he just couldn't believe it. Why would she do this? He loved
her, he had pledged his life to her. Luis refused to believe that she had
actually killed herself. It just wasn't right. And if she had done it, there
sure as hell would have been a good reason. Maybe it was his fault. Maybe if
he had spent more time with her, told her he loved her more often...
Luis knew thinking about the 'what if's' weren't going to bring her back.
No, that would take a miracle. And he would do anything just to hold her
again. 'Lord, give me strength today.' he prayed silently to himself before
exiting his car and walking slowly in the pouring rain into the church, red
rose in hand. Could it be possible the angel's cried for their love tonight?
Sheridan, a giddy smile spread across her face, sighed happily as she
continued watching the mirror. She didn't remember it being this good. Soon,
Daniella returned when the last images of their love making had played. She
delicately placed her hand on Sheridan's shoulder. Daniella knew she would
be needing comfort for the remainder of the images.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 5:
"Alright, Sheridan." Daniella began as she temporarily made the images in
the mirror disappear. "I know you already know this, but now the trials
begin-" "I'm ready." Sheridan interrupted. Daniella forced a weak smile of
encouragement and made the images reappear.
Sheridan awoke the next morning in her bed, a lovesick smile spread across
her face. Today she would introduce Luis to her parents, and they could
begin dating as an official couple.
Ding-dong! The doorbell rang at 6 pm. Luis was going to be having dinner
with her family. Sheridan could hardly wait. She opened the door and they
greeted eachother with a warm hug. "I missed your warm body next to mine
last night." Luis whispered in her ear as they embraced. Sheridan kissed his
neck before pulling away from him. "Luis, these are my parents, Julian and
Ivy." Luis smiled and shook their hands.
Everything was going fine until it came time for dinner. Luis sat across
from Sheridan, his foot entangling with hers underneath the table. They
couldn't take their eyes off eachother, and Ivy took notice. She cleared her
throat loudly, snapping them both back to reality. Sheridan tried not to
blush and Luis adverted his eyes from Mrs.. Crane's. Julian flashed Sheridan
a look of disapproval. "So, Luis," Sheridan's mother broke the awkward
silence.
"What makes you think you're good enough to date my daughter?" she
asked coldly, taking a sip of her wine. "Well, we've known eachother for
almost a year, and I've loved her since the minute I've laid eyes on her."
Luis and Sheridan exchanged their love gaze again. Sheridan's mother laughed
cruelly. "Love? You actually think you're in love? You're to young to even
comprehend the word." "Excuse me, Mrs.. Crane, but I don't see where you get
off telling me about love." Ivy nearly gagged on her wine as she gasped.
"Luis, if you don't mind, I'd like it if you would please leave."
Ivy
demanded pointing toward the front door. Sheridan opened her mouth to
protest, but Ivy shot her an icy glare. Luis, not knowing what else to do,
got up and began to walk away from the dining room. Sheridan jumped from her
chair and began to walk out with him. "Don't even think about it young
lady!" Julian yelled. Sheridan shot her parents a look of hate and went
after Luis before they could say another word.
She found Luis outside in front of her house. "Oh God, Luis..I'm so sorry. I
don't know what went wrong." Sheridan's eyes pleaded with his. He pulled her
close. "It's not your fault hon. We'll get through this trial ok? I'll never
leave you, whether your parents like it or not." Sheridan smiled at his
sweet words. Luis bent his head down slightly and kissed her lovingly
goodnight.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 6:
The next morning, Sheridan walked into the awkward silence of her parents
for breakfast. She sat down without making eye contact with Ivy's ice cold
glare. After a few more minutes of quiet, Ivy spoke. "You are not to see
that boy again, Sheridan." Sheridan's head shot up to meet her mother's
cruel eyes. "But mot-" "Don't contradict your mother, Sheridan. Do what she
says. Now finish your breakfast and leave this table." Sheridan looked over
at her father with tears filling up her already blood shot eyes. Their heads
were down, not even caring to lift them up to meet hers.
"I HATE YOU! I HATE
BOTH OF YOU! YOU'RE COLD-BLOODED AND HAVE NO HEART!" She screamed at both of
them and ran from the table. Julian raised his head to meet Ivy's. "Her
running from this table seems to be becoming a habit." Ivy nodded her head
in agreement. "That was actually funny, darling. You must be sober. I'll go
get you some more brandy." Ivy smirked as Julian rolled his eyes.
Sheridan threw herself on her bed, crying until she could cry no more. How
could they say that? Why didn't they like him? She didn't care..she loved
Luis, and in her mind it didn't matter what anyone else thought-not even her
parents. She got up and placed her ear against the door. The sounds of her
father's horrible jokes and her mother's groans filled her ears. "This is my
chance." Sheridan said outloud to herself. She picked up the phone and
dialed Luis' number.
BRINNGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!! BRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Moaning as he picked up the phone, a very tired Luis answered. "Hello?" "Hey
baby." "Oh hey babe. How are you feeling?" Luis replied, a smile on his face
now. "Um, actually, I need to see you. Can you meet me at our special place
in about 10 minutes?" "Of course...are you ok?" "Just meet me there."
"Alright, I'll see you in a few. Love you." Sheridan dwelled his words. "I
love you too. Bye."
Watching Sheridan crawl out through her window made Ivy cringe. Her first
impulse was to stop her, but wouldn't it be sweeter to follow her? Ivy
smiled evilly. If she found out where Sheridan had been sneaking off to
lately, she wouldn't have anywhere to go anymore. "Luis will never be with
my daughter again."
To Be Continued...
Chapter 7:
Sheridan paced back and forth in the little clearing where Luis and she had
made love for the first time. Memories filled her mind, causing her to be
lost in a happy daze. A pair of arms gently moved themselves around her
waist. She smiled warmly as Luis kissed her cheek. "Morning baby." he
mumbled softly. "Good morning." she cooed as his fingers grazed across her
stomach. Sheridan turned around to face him. "We need to talk." "Is this
about last night again?" "Yes, and this morning...my parents forbidded me
from every seeing you again."
"WHAT?! Why!?" "Your guess is as good as mine!
I don't know why they didn't like you.." she lowered her head. Luis kissed
her hair sweetly. "We'll get through this." Sheridan sighed at his words. "I
hope you're right."
Ivy peered through the trees. "Like hell he is. I'm going to stop this all
right now." And with that, she made her way through the trees to confront
Sheridan and Luis.
Sheridan jumped up from the bed and turned her head away from the mirror.
"What's wrong?" Daniella asked concerned. "You know what's wrong! You and I
both know what's going to happen next! And I refuse to watch it!" "NO!
Sheridan, you must face it! You have to watch it in order to get through
it!" "Forget it, Daniella! The deal is off!" And with that, Sheridan stormed
off crying.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 8:
Daniella looked deep into Sheridan's eyes. "Daniella, I can't do it..I just
can't.." "Yes, you can, Sheridan! Please, I know this is very hard to get
through. That's why I'm here, to help you through it." Sheridan looked up at
Daniella. "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did." "Does that mean you'll
continue with our deal?" Sheridan nodded and Daniella breathed a sigh of
relief. They sat down and watched the images return.
*****RETURN TO IMAGES ON THE MIRROR******
Luis and Sheridan were locked in an embrace, kissing eachother like it was
their last moment of peace. And even though they didn't know it yet, it was.
His hands roamed her body. "Make love to me, Luis." Sheridan sighed
seductively. And that's when everything started to go downhill...
Rather forcefully, Ivy grabbed Sheridan by the wrist and yanked her away
from Luis.
Sheridan screamed in pain. "Get your hands off of my daughter!"
Ivy screamed in Luis's face. "Hey, what the hell is your problem?!" Luis
yelled back. "Mother, what are you doing here?" Sheridan asked in shock.
"You be quiet you ungrateful little bitch!" Ivy barked at her. Sheridan was
taken aback by her mother's harsh words. Before Luis could say anything, Ivy
glared into his brown eyes, now darkened with everything going on. "I'm
having you thrown in jail for rape! And you will NEVER see my daughter
again!"
"LUIS!" Sheridan cried out to him. He didn't know what to do as Ivy
dragged her off. "I love your daughter, Mrs. Crane, with all of my heart!
You can throw me in jail, tell me I can never see her again, threaten me
with my life, but I'll never stop loving her!" He called out as they
disappeared into the woods. Luis meant it too, and one way or another, he
would prove it.
To Be Continued...