37

When Nem opened her eyes, the first thing she noted was a light in the distance. Her next thought was of Greg and their argument, and that he’d be sorry she had died.

She remembered the force of his hands on her body, and falling, and wondered why he would pounce on her. He hadn’t been physical before, so why this now? Perhaps her husband would celebrate her death.

Before she traveled into the light, there had been time to consider everything. Why, when they were by the river, had her anger become all-consuming? That wasn’t the Nem persona she’d cultivated over the years, the calm, consistent girl always aware of her emotions. To behave otherwise presented a danger for Greg and their unborn child.

Oh, the baby.

The poor thing would have died with her. She felt angry again. One thing to kill her but another to take this precious darling’s life.

What was that light?

The brightness hurt, causing her to squint. How long before she entered the glow? She tried to pull her hand up to shield her face, but her arms no longer responded. That made sense. After all, she probably only imagined she still possessed a body. Damn, the light annoyed her though.

She couldn’t think about Greg anymore, or the baby; a pain in her head above her eyebrows (which she couldn’t possess if she had no body) kept distracting her.

Wait though, she wanted to keep thinking about him.

This wasn’t adding up to make any kind of sense. Would he have killed her on purpose? No, now she thought about it, this must have been an accident. She recalled his hands on her, a heaving, pushing but that didn’t mean… oh, she’d never know now because that glow kept pulling at her. People coming back from death said loved ones awaited to show you the way.

This was not great news because she was short on loved ones who had passed over. Only her mom. She wasn’t sure though, after the way she’d used the diary, if it might be a happy reunion. That’s if Nem even ended up in heaven.

She had tried to be fair to those whose names appeared in the diary, but there’d been mistakes. Innocent errors, yes, but people had died or gotten sick or terrible things had happened to them and their families. This was why, after she’d left school, she used the book less. This might be the reason her mother hid the book—too easily misused.

Why isn’t the light doing anything?

She hadn’t moved an inch and the sharp, white rays still stretched toward her. Was she meant to do something? Her legs weren’t responding, neither were her arms. So what was going on?

If Greg was here, he’d know how to help. Since they’d met, his love and calmness had inspired her. At that thought, her heart twinged, the heart that no longer beat. Talk about bad luck. But her spirit lifted at the thought of seeing her mom again. She’d apologize for bringing the kitten home and creating a tragedy.