can you please tell me what's going on
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xxxxin her bed, olivia peacefully lay, her long and wavy chestnut brown hair splayed out around her. she lay on her right side, blankets were piled up on top of her, as well as a calico cat. outside the sky was dark, the moon blotted out by a dark cloud. the streets were silent. in her dream things were just as calm. but then came the horrible sensation that she didn't understand. burning, her lungs were burning. she couldn't breathe. she gasped for air, but all she could breathe in was the heat. something pierced her skin, waking her up.
xxxxbolting upright in bed, olivia pried her cat off of her, wincing as the calico tried to cling onto her skin.
fluffy, whats the matter? she croaked, still unable to breathe for some reason. coughing, she stumbled out of bed. the room was smokey, and through the cracked bedroom door a light burned.
fire! olivia thought, coughing again. making her way to the door, she grabbed hold of the handle and creaked the door open. at first she didn't register the pain, but after a moment she felt the burn on her hand arise. olivia mentally scolded herself. one was never supposed to touch a door handle in the case of a fire. the door handle conducted the heat and burned olivia.
xxxxstaring out into her apartment olivia wanted to sob. the living room and connected kitchen were ablaze. everything seemed to be turning to ashes before her eyes. coughing once more, olivia quickly shut her bedroom door. she didn't want any more smoke making its way into her bedroom. now wide awake and clenching her burnt hand, olivia surged toward the window. she drew the curtains and shoved the window open. staring down below olivia saw that the apartment below her was on fire as well. had the flames started below and made their way up to her home? it seems like that's what had happened.
xxxxstaring down at the street, olivia cursed. there wasn't any fire escape on the side of the building. she lived in a shoddy place, and there were many hazards around, and the lack of a fire escape was just one of them. olivia knew she could never jump down. her apartment was on the seventh floor, a drop from there would instantly kill her.
xxxxracking her brain for a way out of the fire, olivia couldn't come up with anything. to actually get out of her apartment she'd have to run through the fire, and she wasn't about to get third degree burns on her body or leave fluffy behind.
xxxxa sob built in olivia's throat. she wasn't ready to die. she didn't want to die. she had finally started to build up a new life from her horrible past. backing away from the window olivia grabbed fluffy. she leaned back against the wall trying to stay far away from the fire. sliding down so she was sitting, olivia once again felt like a scared little girl huddled in the corner of her bedroom, trying to hide from her parents yelling in the other room. every night her father would come home in a drunken rage. he'd trash the house, throwing things around the kitchen and living room. he'd fight with olivias mom, screaming at her, she would scream right back. sometimes he left for the night then he'd come home in the morning and olivia's parents would act like nothing ever happened. finally one day her mother packed a suitcase and left, leaving olivia with her father.
xxxxburying her face into fluffy's fur, olivia sobbed. her bedroom door was beginning to burn away, flames taking over her room. the structure began crumbling away, bits and pieces of the ceiling tumbling down into the flames.
xxxxas she cried she hadn't realized that outside sirens were wailing. firefighters were making their way up the floors to the fire. within her apartment came a loud bang. lifting her head, olivia heard a shout.
h-hello! olivia cried out. for a moment everything was silent and olivia feared that they hadn't heard her. then, pushing through the fire, came a firefighter. overrun with relief, olivia stood up. she surged toward the firefighter, but underneath her the floor gave way. halfway across her room she fell into the burning apartment below her. with one last effort she tossed fluffy upwards and reached her hand out, but it was too late. she hit the fire below, crashing to the ground.
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pain. pain is what olivia felt. it was intense and all over her body. she felt as if every bone in her body had been broken. her head throbbed. her throat was parched and her tongue dry. olivia could still feel the fire burning her away. fearful, she opened her eyes. a bright white light blinded her. weakly, she brought her hand over her face to shield her eyes from the light. her pain began to subside. sitting up, olivia looked around. she was in a small room. the place was bare, having now furniture. everything was white. she sat on a white tiled floor. fluorescent lights glowed above her. to her left a white door, looking to be made of steel, stood. it was the only exit.
xxxxgetting to her feet, olivia began to stumble toward the door. her legs felt like jelly beneath her. getting to the door, she leaned on it for a moment. many questions swam through her head. but first, she wanted to find a way out of wherever she was. after taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, olivia pushed the door open. there was another more blinding light. she stepped into it, her mind seeming to clear, her exhaustion evaporating, and her strength returning. then she reached the other side. her head became clammed with thoughts and questions again. a wave of tiredness washed over her. and her legs became jelly once more.
xxxxglancing around the room, olivia found herself standing in a court room. the court room wasn't a normal court room though. like the room before, everything was white. the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the lights, the furniture. all of it, white. where the judge would sit were three robed figures. while their faces should've been visible, they weren't. the one on the left had a black void as a face. the middle one had a smokey gray void in place of their face. that sent shivers down olivia's spine. the smoke reminded her of the smoke that filled her apartment. and the final one, the one on the right, had a white void as a face.
xxxxolivia wasnt sure what gender any of them were for their bodies were hidden under large white robes.
wh- olivia was about to ask
where am i? but the three figures before her spoke.
xxxxsilence! the yelled in unison, their voices reverberating throughout the court room. olivia shut her mouth as they continued.
xxxxolivia gale. died at age twenty two. burned to death in a house fire. had a tragic childhood. planned to be a doctor. yet, did nothing with her life. the black voided face said.
xxxxshe may not of done anything with her life, but that is only because she died at such a young age. she had many plans before her. it was cut short in a way that could not be avoided. the white void added.
xxxxtrue, but even in her short life she did many wrongs. ran away when twelve. stole from many unsuspecting victims. broke and entered a house, stealing money.xxxxshe only did all of this because of her struggled past. she ran away from her father, who was not an able guardian. she stole from mortals so she could survive. plus, she did good in her life as well. she turned her life around. she quit stealing and got a job. she provided for herself. the black void seemed to be against her while the white void was standing up for her.
xxxxonce again, true. but she did nothing worthy to enter the bright city.xxxxnor did she do anything to be casted down to the dark hallows.xxxxolivia was tired standing around as these two, whatever they were, judged her life. anger washed over her. they had no right to scrutinize her like this.
can you please tell me what's going on! olivia yelled. the three voids turned toward her, regarding her.
xxxxno one has ever dared speak to us as you do. so you will learn to hold your tongue! they hissed in perfect synchronization. olivia's anger melted away. the three robed figures were scary before, but now that she had angered them she felt like curling up and dying... again. olivia nodded.
xxxxolivia gale, we have decided your fate. you have done many wrongs in your life. the black void spoke.
xxxxbut you also had a hard past. the white void continued.
xxxxso you shall be sent to the dimmed until you prove yourself worthy or unworthy. the gray void finished. this was the first time that olivia heard the middle void talk on their own. their voice sounded maliciously happy about this conclusion. olivia was about to protest, but a smokey haze engulfed her. feeling trapped in her apartment once more she screamed.
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xxxxstill screaming, olivia found herself in a new place. her voice died her throat. now where was she? she stood in the middle of an empty field. they sky above was cloudy and overcast, the clouds above were mixed gray colors. the world around looked like it was stuck in grayscale. nothing had color to it. in the distance before her was an outline of a town. glancing back, olivia saw more field. it seemed to go on forever. taking a shaky breath she tried to calm herself. everything was hard to process. she had just died. then three, judges? yeah, she'll call them judges. three judges evaluated her life. they didn't think her a very good person nor a very bad person so they sent her to... what did they call it? the dimmed. they sent her to the dimmed. olivia felt as if her head might explode. at least that'd be less painful than her first death.
xxxxwith shaky feet olivia started toward the town in the distance. as she got closer to it she noticed that there wasn't just one town. many towns seemed to be spread out around the field. they dotted the terrain.
how many people live in the dimmed? olivia wondered.
xxxxit didn't take olivia long to reach the town. she stopped at the outskirts. everything was so sad looking. the buildings all looked old and rusty. some were boarded up. a few had graffiti, the gray colors faded. there was nobody out on the streets or side walks. everything was quiet.
does anyone even live here? olivia thought. stepping into the town, olivia aimlessly walked. she wasn't sure if she should call out or not. would anybody hear her? then a voice came from behind her, making her jump.
xxxxhey there sunshine. turning around olivia was met with a guy leaning on a lamppost. he was young looking, maybe in his mid twenties. he had dark hair that wasn't very well kept. his eyes were cold and cruel. they could have been either green or brown, it was hard to tell though since everything in this world was either black, white, or gray. he wore a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. around his waist hung a gun holster, but the gun wasn't there. he was swinging it around on his finger.
xxxxolivia's head was screaming at her to run, but her legs just wouldn't work.
hmm, shy, are we? the guy said. he walked toward her, smiling in a malicious way.
i'm the sheriff around here, so it's my job to greet the new souls that are sent here. he stopped a few feet from olivia, still swinging the gun around his index finger.
xxxxyou don't look like a sheriff. olivia squeaked.
xxxxoh? i guess you're right there. i'm new to the job. ever since the last guy was sent to the bright city for stopping a murder i've been the police. the sheriff put the gun in its holster.
xxxxa murder? how can someone be killed if they're already dead?xxxxwhen alive you are trying to work your way up in life, but you can also fall down. here in the dimmed your soul isn't at rest. it's buzzing around trying to move on to either a better or worse place. so it's like being alive, making it possible to be killed. but if you're killed in here, there's no redo. you're immediately sent down to the dark hollows. you don't want to be sent to the dark hollows, sunshine. xxxxthe explanation didn't help olivia feel any better.
okay then. how long have you been sheriff?xxxxoh, maybe an hour or so. i was trying to find the fugitive, but then you popped up.xxxxwait, the killer is still running around!? the sheriff ignored her question and walked by olivia.
xxxxlet's get you moved in sunshine. olivia turned and followed after the sheriff, still trying to wrap her mind around everything.
xxxxstop calling me sunshine. my name is olivia. she corrected him. to her left she noticed movement. looking to the side she saw a face peering out of a window staring at her.
what do you mean by move in?xxxxthat's nice. i don't care what your name is. olivia wondered how this guy became the sheriff. he certainly didn't act like one.
when someone comes to the dimmed they get a place to stay. check your pocket, there should be a key.xxxx hearing this olivia started to pat her pockets. sure enough she felt something odd in pocket of her sweatpants. reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small gray colored key. it had the number three engraved on it. she had no clue how it got there, she had died late at night so she was in her pajamas, meaning she had nothing in her pockets.
xxxxthe sheriff turned a corner olivia trailing after him. he walked for a few more yards before stopping before an apartment building. it was only two stories high. it was made from brick and had a flat rooftop. on either side it was connected to other buildings. on its right it was connected to a deli, and on its left it was connected to boarded up building.
xxxxopening the door, the sheriff walked in. olivia walked in after him. the place was depressing looking. lights flickered above. a set of stairs off to the right lead up to the second floor. there was a hallway down the center of the room, doors spaced out along the walls. olivia looked down at her key. the three on it must stand for room three since there was no third floor. heading down the hallway olivia easily found her room. she put the key into the lock and turned it. the door clicked and swung open. she was greeted with a small hallway. to the right was an open door which lead to a bathroom. walking further into her apartment olivia shook her head. to the left was the saddest looking kitchen. dirty counters line the wall. a black fridge was to the far right. there was nothing else. no sink, no dishwasher, no microwave. on the other side of the room was a small bed shoved into the corner. a dresser stood across from the bed.
xxxxnext to her stood the sheriff.
wow, you got a kitchen and a bathroom! old gray face must like you. with that he turned around and started to leave.
xxxxhey, wait! olivia turned and surged after him. she grabbed his shoulder and turned around.
this has go to be a mistake or-or a joke! this seemed to amuse the sheriff. his eyes glinted with amusement.
xxxxit's no mistake darling and it's no joke. you died and the deciders didn't think you deserved a glorious afterlife or a horrible one, so they sent you here to the halfway point. the sheriff shrugged olivias hand off of his shoulder. olivia stood for a moment, trying to accept this fact.
xxxxokay. alright. i think i get it. thank sheriff... uh, whats your name? olivia didnt get it. nothing was alright or okay either, and it showed. her expression was a mixture of fear and confusion.
xxxxcall me sheriff shade. sheriff shade stepped back out of the apartment and closed the door, leaving olivia to contemplate her new life.
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xxxxfor aabout a week now olivia had locked herself up in her room. she only went out in the morning and evening to get food at the deli next to her apartment building. that was another thing. when olivia arrived in the dimmed she didn't just get a key to an apartment. she was given a few hundred dollars to start herself off, but sooner or later she'd have to get herself a job. olivia felt like that she was living her old life once again, except this time everything sucked even more.
xxxxolivia was also very bored. there was no tv in her apartment, nor aws there a book shelf and she didn't have her phone. during the day she would sit on her bed and stare at the floor, lost in thought. she would think about how to leave the dimmed. what did one have to do to move onto the bright city? sometimes the sheriff would stop by. he was apparently supposed to check up on all of the residents of the town, but olivia figured that he just wanted to flirt with her. olivia would usually just slam the door shut on him and go back to thinking. sometimes, though, olivia could actually have a conversation with shade without him flirting with her.
xxxxa knock on her door pulled olivia from her thought. she climbed out of her bed and wandered over to the door.
here we go again. she muttered, opening the door. olivia expected to see shade leaning against the wall, a stupid grin on his face. instead shade was breathing heavy. his left eye was black, he'd obviously been punched. his gun was drawn. the expression on his face was anger.
what's going on? what happened to you? xxxxthat guy who tried to kill another guy from a few days ago is wrecking havoc on the town. he punched me and ran off laughing. he made it personal. i need your help to stop him. shade growled, shoving his gun into olivia's hand.
xxxxwhy do you need my help? i don't know how to use a gun! there are probably much more qualified people out there to help you. olivia tied to give shade his gun back, but he refused to take it.
xxxxall the qualified people are in the bright city. you're the best i've got. now let's go. shade stormed off. olivia followed after him, thinking that he wasn't in the right mind. he was thinking emotionally with his anger, not logically.
xxxxshade burst out of the apartment building. he turned right and plodded down along the sidewalk. olivia had to run to catch up with him. he was clearly on a mission to get this guy.
do you know where he is?xxxxno. he coldly said.
but we'll find him.❧❧❧❧
xxxxfinding him took a while. the guy was slick. he didn't leave a trail. he would destroy or vandalize something then move on to destroy or vandalize something else. by the time olivia and shade found whatever the guy had done he was long gone. but finally the duo found him. he was sitting on a bus bench. a baseball bat leaned on the bench next to him. he had long possibly brown hair. his nose was crooked, probably broken years ago and didn't heal right. he wore a gray hoodie, the hood up, and black jeans. he was currently eating a meatball sub. olivia and shade hid behind a corner, keeping out of his sight.
xxxxso who is this guy? how are we going to stop him? olivia whispered.
xxxxdunno who he is. but he came in a few hours before you did. he didn't enjoy his ruling so he started throwing a tantrum. busted windows in, beat stuff to scrap piles with that bat of his. finally the old sheriff found him. he put up a good fight against this punk, saved some kid. since he saved the kid the sheriff was brought into the bright city, but the sheriff never got to lock this guy up, so he got away free. for a few days there was no action from him, now he's back and throwing another tantrum. shade explained. olivia nodded.
xxxx her mind was working, trying to create a game plan.
alright then. get out there, shoot at him, but don't hit him. once he's scared arrest him. olivia suggested.
xxxxand what do you do? stand by and watch? shade grumbled, looking back at her. this time he didn't look amused.
xxxxexactly. olivia shoved shade forward. he grunted, almost tripping and falling over. standing up straight, he pointed his gun at the baseball bat boy. he shot a warning shot, the bullet hitting the ground a few feet from the guy on the bench. bat boy shot to his feet, grabbing his bat. he shot a torrent of cusses at shade, angerly waving his bat around.
xxxxshade stepped forward toward the guy.
put the bat down, or my next shot will be more accurate. shade yelled. bat boy didn't like that. he started toward shade, yelling angerly. shade shot another warning shot.
xxxxfrom behind olivia came heavy footsteps. she turned around and saw another hooded figure standing at the end of the street. he held a machete in his hand.
uh, shade! she called to him.
xxxxkinda busy. he yelled back.
xxxxolivia sighed. she lifted her gun up and pointed it toward the hooded guy.
put it down or i'll shoot! she said, her voice wavering. she tried hard to act confident, but she had no clue if it was showing. machete guy surged forward, cruelly smiling. olivia stumbled backwards, bumping into shade just as he took another warning shot. the sound of something hitting the ground took olivia's attention. she looked just in time to see a blackness engulf bat boy.
xxxxyou- olivia! you made me shoot him! i- shade was cut off by a clicking sound and olivia screaming.
xxxxyou gave me an empty gun! she screamed. shade turned to see why olivia wanted to shoot. he saw the machete man. he hadn't expected for more than one guy to be out. he thought that there was only one vandalizer. shade had already shot all of his bullets, which meant the machete man was at an advantage.
xxxxrun! shade said. he dropped his gun and grabbed olivias hand, dragging her off as they ran. they ran past where bat boy had been. his bat had been left behind. olivia gabbed it as they ran past. behind them machete man followed. people watched them from within windows, none of them offering their help.
this way, follow me. shade said. together they weaved through the streets of the town. he ran them through alleys and even buildings. but shade made a wrong turn into an alley which was a dead end. they turned around to leave, but machete man blocked the exit.
xxxxi don't deserve to be here. machete man lowly said, his voice deep and gravely.
i should be in the bright city with my family. but they sent me here instead. but i'm going to show them that it was a mistake and i should be in the bright city! with that he ran at them.
xxxxolivia got in front of shade, shoving him back. she raised the bat and brought it down atop machete mans head. he crumpled to the ground, darkness devouring him. for a second everything was silent, then came shades yelling.
xxxxolivia! shade ran up to her as she fell to the ground. olivia wasn't the only one to get a hit, machete man had stabbed olivia just as she hit him in the head. the last thing she saw was shade kneeling over her. her sight grew dark. olivia died again.
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this time olivia felt no pain. her ind wasn't clogged, it was cleared. it was as if everything made sense now. her body wasn't stiff or hurting. she was relaxed, lying peacefully. she wasn't scared or worried, she was calm. her eyes fluttered open. above her was a beautiful and clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. sitting up, olivia breathed in the fresh air around her. before her stood a woman with long golden hair that fell over her shoulders. her skin was milky white. she wore a loose, silky, light blue dress. her eyes were like reflective blue pools. she smiled. olivia thought that her smile was the most beautiful thing ever, and she couldn't help but smile back.
welcome to the bright city. she said, her voice soft and kind.
xxxxlooking past the woman, olivia saw a city that looked a lot like hollywood, with big mansions, good looking people hanging out and having fun. behind her was a field of tall grass that went on for miles. oliva felt a peaceful serenity fill her. then she remember everything that just happened. she had died. she left shade behind in that horrible grayscale world full of hate. she wondered what happened to him.
xxxxjace, he is here. the woman said, pulling olivia from her thoughts.
xxxxjace? whose jace? olivia asked, standing up.
xxxxyou know him as shade. jace shade. he is here. i deemed him worthy of the bright city. i pulled him from the dimmed after you. due to your injury which had to heal before you awoke he gained consciousness first. it dawned upon olivia that this was the robed figure with the white void as a face. but now she wasn't wearing a robe or had a void as a face. the woman snapped her fingers. suddenly olivia was standing on beach. the sand was white and the waters a clear turquoise. before her stood shade himself.
xxxxhey sunshine. he said, smiling at her. he wore red swim trunks and sunglasses. this time his smile held a warmth that it didn't have before. olivia promptly punched him.
xxxxouch! why'd you do that? jace rubbed his arm, now frowning.
xxxxthat's for making me think you were still stuck back in the dimmed. oliva replied. she then pulled her friend into a hug.
and this is for being here. jace hugged her back. they stood for a few seconds just hugging, but olivia pulled away from jace, looking around.
xxxxwell, i'm glad you're alive. or... not in the dark hallows. technically were dead now since our souls moved on to this life. jace said.
xxxxshade.xxxxyeah?xxxxshut up.