Chapter Text
Death, it seemed, was not the end. Her last memories were the screeching of brakes; the crash of a tree hitting the bumpers, sending the car into a frightening spin; a sickening crunch as they came to a stop against the trees on the other side of the road; and her last few heartbeats echoing in her ears, as the screams of her boyfriend died away and the scream of sirens became more distant moment by moment.
She found herself lying by the side of the road, gently resting in the grass. She picked herself up; she was wearing her favourite outfit of a comfy brown cardigan, a blouse and skirt with tights and her favourite heels; a far cry from the ridiculously tiny dress she had been wearing in the car. Her soft brown ringlets fell around her shoulders.
She looked around; she was on the roadside near where she had died, but no cars stood there now; the road was deserted but for a petite, smiling woman standing further up the road.
“Ah, you’re awake!” the woman chirped, making her way over. “I knew it was today, but the authorities didn’t note down the exact time and I forgot to ask Blue. How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly good, I think. What’s happened to me? Am I… dead?”
“Quite correct, dear.” The woman smiled inanely.
“So what am I doing here? Is there… an afterlife or something?”
“Yes. Shall we sit down while I explain?” A pair of wrought iron chairs and a matching table appeared on the grass at the woman’s gesture, a tea set with gentle wisps of vapor rising from the full cups resting on the table. The two sat down, and the woman offered her the milk jug.
“I guess I’d better introduce myself.” The smiling woman said. “My name is Nova, I’m one of the more senior angels in our little department-”
“Angels?” the interruption came.
“Yes, angels, Belle.” She replied. “I’m part of the department of guardian angels, whose job is to look after specific humans and guide them towards finding their best selves and their true loves.”
“Are you my guardian angel?” Belle asked, taking a sip of tea- her favourite Earl Grey, with exactly the right amount of milk and sugar to her taste.
Nova giggled at this. “No, my dear. The Boss decides who gets which guardian angel- it’s all part of the plan. Your death before your time was part of the plan too, believe it or not.”
“Err… The Boss?”
Nova gave her a look.
“You know- Aslan, Allah, God, Jehovah…”
“The Boss. Right. So if my death was part of the plan, what am I still doing here? Shouldn’t I be in heaven or hell or purgatory or something?”
“Well, it’s true that most people move on, as it were. But The Boss chooses certain special people of pure heart to stay and become guardian angels, and you are one such person.” Nova beamed at her as if she had just won the jackpot.
Belle felt confused. “But why me?”
“Well, it tends to happen to people who aren’t quite done with the world yet. If you’ve never met your true love, your soul will have trouble moving on until you’re sure they’ve moved on too. Hence the alarming number of ghosts about- don’t worry about them too much. The Boss will protect you.”
“Okay…” Belle took another sip of tea as she pondered. “I assume that my boyfriend moved on?”
Nova nodded with a sad smile. “Gavin Knight had nothing holding his soul here strongly. He’s at peace now. I take it you’re not too surprised.”
She gave a wry smile. “Well, no. We weren’t that close. He was far too superficial, and I only really had him as a boyfriend to keep my dad happy.” Her smile fell, and transitioned to worry. “Is my father okay? Oh no… I don’t want this to hurt him. He lost my mother, it’ll break him to lose me too!” A small sob left her lips.
A white lace hankie was presented under her nose as her sobs continued. “Your father will be fine, dear. Your mother Colette has been watching over the both of you as a guardian angel for some time now- she has been and will continue to look after your father as long as he lives.”
Another small hiccup left her as her sobs quieted. “My mother? She’s a guardian angel too?”
“She’s been watching over your father and you ever since she died. Colette is one of the best of us, but she’s been busy with your father over the last few days. Anniversaries are always hard on the grieving.”
“Anniversaries?! How long has it been since I died?” Belle exclaimed with alarm.
“A year and a day.” Nova smiled sadly. “That’s how long it takes us to ‘wake up’ as it were. Blue then assigns someone to talk the new guardian angel through the ropes before they go find their first assignment. Which is why I’m here talking to you!” she gestured with a flourish. “Do you have any questions?”
Belle looked across at her in mild stunned amazement, before her expression changed to a thoughtful pondering. She stirred her tea absentmindedly as Nova started to drink hers.
“So, what am I meant to do as a guardian angel? How can I help the person I’m assigned to if I’m basically a ghost?”
“Well,” and Nova put her tea down, steepling her fingers, “you’re going to be spending your time following your target, learning about their life and improving it for their happiness however you think best. But don’t worry- you will be able to interact with the world in a limited way to influence events and help them. It may take some experimentation to work out what you can do, and Blue may reward you more abilities if you do well-”
“Blue?”
“Our manager, as it were. She oversees the department and takes orders from The Boss. Lovely lady, a stickler for the rules at times, but if you get on her good side she will help you fight the good fight to the end!”
“Right.” Belle forced a smile; Nova was being very informative, but too chatty for her taste. “Listen, is there, like, a handbook for all this? And how do I find my target?” Belle stood up from her tea. “I don’t know about you, but I’d kind of like to get started.” She smiled at Nova, a more genuine smile as Nova got up, vanished the tea, and produced a beautifully bound book out of thin air.
“This should let you know everything you need to know!” She chirped.
“How do I do the making things out of thin air? That must be so cool!” Belle laughed.
Nova shrugged in reply. “It’s part of my ability; makes this whole jig a lot more comfortable. Now, shall I set up your link?” She stepped over to Belle after handing her the book and, with golden light flowing from her fingers, poked her gently in the stomach.
It took Belle a few blinks after the light faded to see again properly, but once her vision cleared she saw a translucent golden cord flowing from her middle in the direction of town.
Nova giggled at her expression of surprise. “It’s called the lifeline. It will always lead you to the life you are meant to guard.”
“It’s beautiful,” Belle said, waving her hand through it; it didn’t move but flowed about gently at her movement. “Do you have one of these too?”
“Yep, but we can’t see each other’s lifelines. They also let you hear any prayers or distress your person gives or goes through, which can be really helpful if you use it right.” Nova smiled. “Speaking of which, my life is calling. Must run. Good luck!” Nova darted forward, pecked her on the cheek, then spun around and vanished in a cloud of smoke as pink as her dress.
“Well, I guess I’ve got work to do.” Belle muttered to herself. She tucked the handbook under her arm, gave a last cursory look around, and then started up the road, following the golden thread. “I’m so glad heels hurt less in the afterlife…” she muttered as she walked away from the road where she had died.