CHAPTER ONE: AFTERLIFE

August 4, 1980

"Help!! Help me please!!"

Veronica said while trying so hard to catch her breath. She reached the man infront of her to beg for help. But he refused. He continued digging a six-feet deep grave. Veronica cried and beg for mercy but he didn't listen. He carried her almost lifeless body and throw her to her grave. He stared at her for the very last time and whisper,

" I had no choice, they needed me. I have to do this, I'm sorry"

Then he took a deep breathe and starts covering Veronica's dying body with dirt 'till she got fully buried--- six feet under.

Veronica struggled so hard, she even tried to save some breath. Hoping that someone would come looking for her. Hoping for someone to dig her up. But until her last breath, no one came. She was filled with wrath.

So much anger, she didn't accept her death! She died without closing both of her eyes. She died unwillingly.

Veronica is a very sweet 20-year old lady. She went to church every Sunday. Even though she became an orphan since she was 11-year old, she never kept any anger. She showed God a very pure faith. A prayer every night, saying how thankful she was for her beautiful life. A beautiful, joyful and colorful life that suddenly ended for some wrongful reason. She didn't even got her 1st kiss. She haven't love a man. She didn't had the chance to feel the love that she deserved. For all the good deeds that she does and all the happiness that she missed, heaven made an exception.

God sent one of his angels to call Veronica out from her grave. The angel removed all the dirts from her. The angel called her to rise and climb up from her six feet grave. Looking like a live lady. A very angelic lady. Veronica felt so much happiness that she didn't know what to say. She just said,

"Why? Why do I feel so alive yet my heart stopped beating?" the angel replied,

" You deserve all the chance to be happy my dear, but still there are rules. You're taken out from your grave, we woke up your brain but not your heart so there'll be some times when you're gonna feel lifeless although you kept on breathing. Unless you---"

"Unless I what? And also what if the people around me found out that I'm dead inside?" she asked.

" Unless you find your true love. And no, they wouldn't notice unless they check your heartbeat, and also when it is exactly 3am."

"Why? What would happen every 3 am?" she asked again.

"Well you can't spend exactly 24 hours a day being alive. So every 3am, exactly for 1 minute you will be on your real stage. A rotten corpse to be honest. But after that you'll be alive again." the angel answered.

"Okay then, I'll take that great opportunity to finish the life that I wanted."

"Well not exactly...."

"Hmm why is that?"

"Because you wouldn't be able to grow old, even a bit. And by any chance, if the person who killed you asked forgiveness sincerely infront of you, you'll have only 24 hours to be alive. After that you'll be sent straight to heaven---with us."

"Even if by then I already found my true love?" she asked

"Yes, Veronica. Rules is rules." the angel answered.

She was stunned by their magical conversation. She couldn't believe what just happened. But when she's about to confirm if she's really alive or if she just had some hallucinations before dying---- the angel was already gone and left not a single sign of existence.

She walked away from her grave confused but she chose to move on to her new kind of life.

She wanted to have a fresh start so she moved far away from her town. Maybe to lessen the chance that someone ask for a sincere apology so that she could live longer.

So she packed her things along with her greatest secret and moved out of their town. Some of her friends asked why she suddenly decided to move but of course, she gave them false reasons.

She kept searching for a love so pure that it could bring her heart beat back. But years passed by, still no sign of the man she's looking for.

20 years came by as fast as the wind. She became tired of looking, of moving in and out in every town. Yes, every 3 years she is forced to move again and again because she never aged----just like the angel said.

Year 2003, She decided to go to church for the last time. Then she prayed.

"Oh God, I felt so tired. Please if I've got no reason in this world, if I'm meant to be alone... without feeling my heart beat, just take me with you. I'm fine, you gave me more than enough kindness and I thank you for that. But I can't live heartless anymore. I'm tired!"

She wiped her tears while staring at nowhere.

She decided to head back to her home, the town where she died. But when she's walking near a bridge, someone caught her attention.

There's a man who's about to jump! She ran as fast as she could to save the man and luckily, she was just in time. She talked with the man,

"Hey there, what you're about to do is very wrong. A lot of people wanted life but sometimes life becomes unfair. And here you are, wasting it?"

" I know, I know, it's just that... I hate my dad! And I kinda hate my life. We used to be happy, but when I turned 12 years old, the happiness is done. He never talked to me, care for me, listen to me. He acts as if I'm invincible. I don't even know why. Oh I'm sorry I talked a lot."

After his story, she was surprised. She held her chest and felt something. Yes it was, it was a heart beat!

Without hesitating, she forced the man to go with her.

"Umm since I saved you're life, you owe me one! So here's the deal, let's have a coffee to know each other well!" She said as she grabbed her arms.

She waited so long to felt a single heart beat. And now that she felt it, she didn't want it to stop. She love the warmth of a beating heart so she decided to know the man better.

The man seemed to be startled, he didn't expect a fast move from a very angelic lady like Veronica. His thoughts suddenly went blanked. Things happened so fast, will it last long?