Woke up from death

Ariel’s POV

Everything was happening very fast, a little too fast. I was sinking and there was nothing I could do about it. I could see the surface of the water, could see the reflected light of the hill as it got farther and farther away from me.

I looked downwards, beneath me, and panicked because I knew that I couldn’t help myself. I tried to struggle out of its grip, but I couldn’t. Instead, I lost more precious air.

My chest hurt terribly, and even my lungs too felt like they couldn’t hold on any longer. I could feel my heartbeat accelerate and the air I breathed in was suddenly replaced with something heavy.

Instinctively, I tried fighting back, I tried fighting against the silliness and the ache; I thrashed around, kicking as I tried to get to the surface of the water but I wasn’t lucky.

Instead, it began to hurt even more; it felt like I was being stabbed in the chest with a knife so heavy and sharp that it had swiftly cut through my skin and numbed my body. I tried fighting again with my last strength, but that didn’t last long for suddenly it didn’t hurt anymore.

I instantly knew that I wouldn’t make it, and the realization made me suddenly calm. Flashes of what happened at the top of the cliff fleeted past my mind and I smiled. 

They had won.

With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes and eagerly succumbed to the darkness that followed.

My eyes suddenly snapped open though, and surprisingly I was no longer in the water but somewhere else totally. I thought that the afterlife was supposed to be beautiful and I was supposed to be reliving my happiest moments.

So what the hell was this?

At first, I still felt pain; I thought there was no pain after death.

The blinding light from the window across the room fell on my face, and I squinted at it. I sat up slowly when my stomach rumbled, and I felt… hungry?

I couldn’t help but wonder if I had been saved by a sailor or perhaps a pirate, but when I opened my eyes, I was shocked to realize that I was in my old room. The curtains, the table everything was exactly the way I had left it two years ago.

Almost as soon as I got up, My Nana(grandmother) walked in with a cup of steaming chocolate in her hands, and I couldn’t help but jerk up in fright because my Nana was dead..!

Was I stuck in some kind of dream… or a different universe?

I was really confused. A sudden pain shot up the back of my head, which made me yelp in pain. Thank goodness I could talk at least.

“Get up Ariel, your friends have been downstairs, waiting for you.” Nana suddenly talked, thus snapping me out of my reverie. My friends?

"What friends Nana?" I asked her in shock. She threw a quizzical look at me which made me conclude that this wasn't the afterlife after all. 

This was my life two years ago just before I lost everything. I wore the same clothes, had the same stupid hair, and looked the same except that I wasn't the same. 

Perhaps the moon goddess had heard my cries after all and had probably decided to give me another chance. 

I was still in a daze when I heard the unmistakable voice of the she devil coming from downstairs; it was my best friend Chloe or used to be best friend. 

She was downstairs and wanted me to come with her as usual; This wasn’t the afterlife! It was me going back to my old life! I couldn’t really understand why the moon goddess would do this to me but I was sure to use it for my own personal gain.

I stood up to look around my body for anything that would seem different and when I discovered that there was none, I jumped up in excitement. 

I even had to splash cold water onto my face just to make sure this wasn't an illusion and smirked when I felt the water run down the length of my face.

I had been very unobservant in my last life, paying little to almost no attention to the people around me, and had let them walk all over me like a piece of rag, but not anymore.

Today was the day my best friend had found out that I was destined to be the next Luna and the day they had probably begun to plot against me. 

The last Luna who had borne no child for our late Alpha had decided to pick the next Luna amongst the strongest girls in our pack; was I strong? No.

Did she pick me? Yes.

…and would I still let them find out? Of course, Yes. 

This was going to be a whole new chapter. I quickly put on a black hoodie and some jeans so I'd feel in a whole new mood, but then I removed them. 

I couldn’t keep thinking like I used to; I just died and couldn’t afford to make them all notice that there was something off about me. I decided to put on my usual white fluffy dress with flats and styled my hair into a tight bun. 

I quickly rushed outside my room, feigning surprise when I saw Chloe at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey girl, what took you so long?" Her fake act of concern made me feel nauseous but I couldn't let her know that. Today she was going to introduce me to her so-called cousin, Jenna. More like her spy. 

Chloe found out I was the destined Luna when she read my grandma's diary last week. She had always thought it'll be her. I mean she had all the signs; She wolfed out early, had amazing features and a commanding presence, and even if she hadn't gotten the promised power yet, she was the right person to give if you asked me. Not now anyways. 

I lost my parents at a very young age. They literally disappeared. All I had left was my Nana and my aunt who lived 2 miles away. 

I began wondering why they kept the secret from me; Information really is key, and I couldn't help but think that maybe I wouldn't have died if I had known what I was capable of. 

I hadn't wolfed out yet but I will soon. I hugged Chloe and giggled like a little puppy, whilst behaving like the naive little girl who couldn't survive without her best friend.

We went off to school, walking hand in hand and I couldn't wait to see the look on my boyfriend's face. My body ached to uncover all the lies about him and his family, how his mother was a witch and how she had manipulated the alpha into marrying her.

She had married the Alpha while thinking she would bear him a child only for him to die weeks later; and so she had resorted to killing the first Luna just so that she could make her son Alpha, well that was until the first Luna was given the chance to vote a Luna.

Being able to come back from death changes your perspective of things. Everyone looked different to me now and all I wanted to do was just expose their dirty little secrets.

"What are you thinking of, girl?" Chloe asked me as soon as she stepped out of the car while I shook my head gently at her as a form of reply; but when she looked away, I quickly gave her the "I'm going to end you” eye and smirked as I continued walking.

I walked into school so confidently, beaming bright smiles at everyone as if it was quite obvious that I had died yesterday.

I opened my locker and was trying to fit my books in when I noticed someone walked up to me. 

"Why are you always so happy, Arie?” I heard the person say but smiled again as usual. He definitely had no clue; he was one of my many stalkers, Trent.

I promised myself to act normal, even though I knew I had lived through these scenes before. I kept glancing at the door, waiting for my boyfriend but he just didn’t come today.

I picked up my phone, wanting to text him.

“Planning my demise already, are you dear?” I wanted to text but I didn't though; I just simply said hey.

I weirdly dropped the phone but didn’t wait too long though, for my phone’s screen immediately brightened up, and his text notification popped in. 

The bastard!