PART 2 Death is a fortuitous event, unstoppable and cannot be undone. What death had taken, it could never be returned. But what if you were given a second chance to live? A second life with no restriction except for one: You can never go back to how your life had been. Would this second chance to live be worth living? — KYLE Some people would need a gun pointed right into their skull or a death threat before lying to someone they love. But me? All I needed was my fear and selfishness in order to justify what I did to Kate. Well, truth be told, I wasn't even supposed to see her. I wasn't even allowed to talk to her. Hell, I should have remained dead in her knowledge. But I defied all those restrictions. And for what? The answer was quite obvious. I needed Kate. I needed her more than I did when everything was normal. I scoffed. Normal. I don't think I would be able to feel that way ever again. From the moment I opened my eyes and realized that I was not allowed to retur

Another Kyle-induced evening and I was worse than a hyper one-year-old by daylight. I cooked breakfast, which, believe me, never happened in LA. I run through some classic but lively and meaningful CDs stacked beside the player and let them hum around the house. Aunt Hilda and my cousin Allen agreed that Matt was a good influence despite the fact that I hadn't even talked to the guy or just said Hi. It was ridiculous, but I would let them assume whatever they wanted. Just as long as they don't hit the right chords, I'd be fine; ecstatic even. But then again, too much won't be good, and I have proof of that. My Aunt decided to set me up with Matt. And Allen, the ever generous alien, had called the person mentioned immediately, telling him that the gang planned to meet at Bob's Café in Lacson Street by four in the afternoon. So basically, despite my outward protest and insistence that I couldn't meet up with him, I had no other choice. At precisely 4, I was fairly seated outside Bo

I woke up with a start. Kyle wasn't able to come last night, and I dreamed about him dying, which made me shiver despite the heat. I threw the covers off of me and found the house eerily silent. I raked the whole bed for my phone and found it lying under my pillow. The time read 9:02 am, and there was no single call or text. I sighed and again shivered at the haunting silence. Usually, by this time, Aunt Hilda would be singing downstairs, in the shower, or somewhere else. The house wasn't soundproof, and my Aunt's singing voice was shrill and off-key. I'm afraid that even the mouse hiding in her ceiling could hear it. So waking up in a silent house was saying something. I knew for a fact that Allen would either be in bed or had not come home yet from last night's partying at the club. He went out with his friends, and typically, he would be home late or crash at one of his friend's places. But Aunt Hilda was here. I got out of bed, finger-combing my hair. I padded towards

I would have stayed with Aunt Hilda at the funeral home, but most of the adults there told me that I should get some rest and be back tomorrow. The adults I meant were mostly siblings of Aunt Hilda's late husband. Some of them were already children of one of the siblings. My brain was too dysfunctional to tell whether I wasn't introduced or barely paying attention. Either way, I wanted to stay and make sure Aunt Hilda was taken care of. However, I was left with no choice when half of them forced me to go home. So, home we went. I didn't try to have a conversation. I hardly knew anyone considering I hadn't even met them until today. Hence I went straight to my room and locked the door. It was when I was alone that my legs wobbled. I had to sit on the bed and slump my shoulders. I couldn't decide whether to cry or scream. Both options would be a nice way to express everything I felt. It didn't matter if anyone heard me or not. All I wanted was to release the bottled-up emotion

MATT Kyle Jason Meridez was killing himself. As the Death Reaper, I can't deny how pleased I was to watch him suffer. After all, he was subject to punishment. I saw everything that had happened to him and Katherine, and it made me realize that I was wrong to conclude that their love was strong. I was hoping they won't be this shallow. But I guess I was wrong. It disappointed me to see them fall apart after a little argument. Katherine seemed to be the resilient one. I cannot say the same about Kyle. Perhaps, it was the reason why he was the one who had to die. Who believes in forever anyway? It's only a lame promise. Nothing lasts forever. Love blinded people. Tsk. I glanced at the time on the wristwatch attached to my hand and clicked my tongue. "I wonder if she'll make it in time," I chuckled. "Ooh, this would definitely be very entertaining." -- KATE When the car halted, I practically jumped out of it and approached the large house in front of me. But before I coul