Chapter 1: Death

If anyone else were to look in upon Catherine's life, they would pity her while dismissing her to a simple cancer victim, one that would only add to the yearly census of of those that die from the disease.

But if you were to ask Catherine, she would say she was a fighter, one who would try her best to survive no matter what the situation was.

From the time she could first began memorizing information in her brain, she had recalled herself being inside the hospital.

While she originally thought nothing was wrong with her since she could recall her mom and dad being with her all the time, as she gradually grew up, she noticed her parents diminishing moods and the tears they always shed.

At the age of 13, she finally learned why they were always sad, she was suffering from both leukemia and lymphoma cancer. With both of the diseases being aggressive inside her body, the doctors guessed that she wouldn't live past 15.

But she wouldn't allow that to stop her. Instead, she fought. She fought against the cancers that were ravaging her body and the treatment that made her lose all of her hair. She fought against the feelings of depression and jealousy that were haunting her because she couldn't understand why she had to be born with cancer while others get to enjoy their lives to the fullest. She fought against the despair that she had because she never knew if she would wake up the morning after she went to sleep. She fought against the immense grief that would consume most after her parents sold all of their belongings and disappeared on her just as she was getting ready to go into another operation. The only reason she could continue to afford to be in the hospital and get treatment was due to the doctor and two nurses who used their own money to pay for it.

Perhaps her grief may have consumed her if not for one of her nurses, Nancy, who introduced her to the realms of fiction.

From anime like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Black Clover, to cartoons like Gravity Falls, Teen Titans, and Adventure Time, to comics like Marvel and DC. The fictional characters who could face anything with a smile on their faces shined like a beacon to Catherine, and it gave her hope. It gave her the hope that she could do the same, that she could face her cancer head-on and win like an inspiration to all others who suffer like her.

She never gave up. She never gave in to her dark feelings. Instead, she believed in her hope. But hope was not enough. The world still showed her no kindness.

She lay on the hospital bed, completely pale with parts of her body cold to the touch. Inside the room were the doctor and the two nurses, all of whom could be seen having a concern in their eyes, with one of the nurses even seemingly about to cry.

"What are you crying for Nancy, I'm just taking another nap." Catherine said in a croaked voice while making a joke to the nurse.

Nancy could no longer hold back her tears as she asked Catherine "How can you make a joke right now!! You're dying!! And we can't even help you!" Nancy screamed while seemingly blaming herself.

"It's not your fault at all Nancy. If not for you, Delores, and Dr. Jackson, I would have given up after my parents left." Catherine said with a smile.

Dr. Jackson cleared his throat before he said "It's almost time Catherine, you don't have long left. Do you have anything else to say?"

Catherine smiled and spoke "Thank you for everything you three have done for me. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. Thank you for paying my medical bills when my parents left me to die. Thank you for becoming a family for me to depend on when I didn't have anyone else. Thank you for introducing me to fiction, which let me leave my reality and enjoy the fictional ones. And thank you for being here with me." By the time she finished, all three had begun crying.

She then closed her eyes and took one last deep breath, before she stopped moving completely, unable to breathe anymore. Nancy and Delores broke down in tears while Dr. Jackson wiped the tears from his eyes while writing something down.

"Catherine Bates, deceased at the age of 17. Passed from Leukemia and Lymphoma cancer."

The three looked once more at the hospital bed, and with Catherine's body lying lifelessly on it.

The three could only recall all the memories that they had with Catherine while they once again cried for her death.

However, unknown to them, a ball of light took pity on her and sent her soul to a new world and powers that she would find familiar.