The sun was setting to the west. I had watched the sky change from an it's natural pale, mid-day blue to a smear of indigo, midnight blue, yellow, orange, pink, and red. It seems to fade so quickly. The blinding, white sun had fallen to the night, darkening to a deep, orange. The victorious side of the battlefield, was appearing as a dark blue, with tiny speaks of twinkling lights. The moon and its army of stars were heading for the finally blow against the lone Sun, its only protection were the traitorous clouds that slowly moved to the Moon's side.
As I watched the sky fight their eternal war, I noticed how fake it was. This wasn't the sky I knew. No one I knew would be staring at this sky. No one else was witnessing this battle.
The Sun appeared to me as a dimming beam of light, the moon and stars were only brightening lights. The sky was just a slow moving painting. It all looked fake and artificial to my new eyes. It wasn't like this before, was it? Where was I anyway?
I lay on the pavement for hours before I moved a single muscle. The day had already gone by before I managed to move my head. I moved it to the left, looking at the soccer field. The grass was unnaturally bright and lusciously green. The building beyond the field was massive and went on for what looked like miles.
To my right were a flight of stairs, which lead to another mammoth building. I was surrounded by buildings actually. I thought I was stuck in the middle of a small city at first, but then saw a golden plate by the stairs that read, "Afterlife Academy Building 3".
"Afterlife...Academy?" I asked myself. My voice was hushed and tired, as if I had just woken up from a long nap. I tried to find any recollection of Afterlife Academy, but my mind was completely blank. My slate had been wiped clean.
My eyes fixated on the dimming sky once more. By the time I managed to turn my head back to it, the warm orange and red colors were gone. I was left with the Moon and Stars, celebrating another victory in the darkness of the night.
I felt completely alone. The dropping temperature was my only companion, embracing me in its frozen grip. I began to shiver. I curled my stiff limbs in a small, human ball, as I quivered and shook. Resting my head on the cold pavement, I felt my eyelids become too heavy for me. They closed and I drifted off an endless ledge, falling deeper and deeper into a comfortable darkness. It shields me from the eternal fall, like hundreds of pairs of soft, blanket-like arms.

Did I fall asleep? I had to have. When I opened my eyes, the sun had reclaimed its victory over the night. It held its shining head high above the world, greeting me with its undying light.
I was finally able to move the rest of my body. I felt well-rested enough to get up. My sense of curiosity had come back so I was able to explore this brand new place. My limbs ached a bit a stood up and dusted my uniform off.
I looked down at my uniform, I didn't remember it. It was a light, summer outfight; a white dress shirt, black button up jacket with black buttons, long, skinny, black tie, and a pair of black dress pants. I was wearing a pair of black loafers. I guessed it was the school uniform, since I apparently attended the school. I couldn't recall ever going to a place called Afterlife Academy. What I was wearing felt rather plain. I didn't like it.
Looking around, I saw dozens of boys wearing the exact same outfit. The girls wore something similar. They were black jackets with matching, pleaded, thigh-high skirts, and clean, white neck ties. On their legs, they each had long, knee-high black socks, and plain, black shoes. Everyone walking passed I almost looked the same. Like I was watching the same people walk around over and over again. They were all so average, their faces blurred into one, boring person. No one really stuck out until I saw a boy with spikey, platinum blonde hair run towards me. He wasn't wearing the school uniform. His was different. He seemed different.
I thought he was just late for class or something, seeing as he ran as fast as his feet would allow, but then I noticed how he was running straight towards me. He didn't even try to pass me or avoid me.
We ended up colliding. He knocked into me with a tremendous force, seeing as he was bigger than me. I landed back on my back, hitting the pavement, and knocking the wind out of my lungs. With my body empty of oxygen, I began gasping for it, completely ignoring the immense pain that was coursing through my body, and the blonde haired boy that was now on top of me.
He poked, pinched, and pulled on my face. “You’re real,” he proclaimed as he took a final tug at my hair. His voice was soft, yet low, and had a think Irish over tone.
“Can you…stop grabbing me?” I asked slowly, trying to piece together the right words to say.
“Sorry, mate,” the blonde boy said as he picked himself up. He extended his hand, I took it, and he helped me up as well. “Well, let’s go. You have to meet them!” he said with so much energy it could’ve knocked me back over.
“I don’t understand,” I protested him as he attempted to wrap his arm around my shoulder, “who are you?” I asked. He looked at perplexed, as if I asked the dumbest question.
“I’m Niall James Horan, of course!” he shouted with such confidence. It was as if I should’ve already known who he was, like it was common knowledge. Maybe he was popular around school, but then why would a popular boy be talking to someone as new as me? I didn’t even know who I was so why was he so interested?
“Niall…” I muttered to myself, it was a name I never heard before, “like the river,” I remembered.
“Only bigger,” Niall winked, followed by a deep chuckle. I replied with an uncomfortable expression, which made him drop his large grin. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. I just…you need to talk to Anna. She can help you,”
“Whose Anna?” I asked.
“You’ll see,”
He wrapped his arm around me once more, this time I didn’t push him away. Niall seemed okay, a bit eccentric, but reliable. I trusted him, but only a little. So, I followed him up the tall stairs, into the building, and through a few hallways.
Niall talked often, mostly sarcastic remarks about the students walking around. He enjoyed cracking jokes, being funny, and showing off his charismatic personality. He smiled often, causing his bright blue eyes to crease under his pale, baby-like cheeks. His smile was lively, vibrant, and contagious. I had no idea who I was, where I came from, or anything really, but Niall could make me smile and forget all of that. Our conversations didn’t last long. He had some sort of A.D.D. it seemed because he could never stay on one topic for long. He constantly jumped around; picking out conversation pieces from whatever caught his eye. It was okay, though. In a way, it was entertaining, and gave me a sense of who he was.
“What’s your name by the way?” Niall finally asked as we closed in on a corridor.
I knew the question would come up, but I was unable to answer. I fell silent for a moment as I tried to recover any sort of trace of who I was.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what I look like, let alone my own name,” I answered truthfully.
Niall fell silent, which was strange because he had been so boastful the entire time.
“It happened to all of us,” he stated silently, “the amnesia goes away though. I promise you’ll be fine. We’ll help you figure out who you are. Also, you’re not too bad looking,” Niall winked at me, in an attempt to cheer me up. I cracked a smile.

We stood in front of a door for a second. The sign high above the door read, “Principal’s Office” in bold white letters. Niall instructed me to cover my ears because of the “secret password”. It seemed a bit childish, but I obeyed, clasping my hands over my ears. He knocked on the wooden door three times and then muttered a few words.
The door slowly pulled open and a tall, tan skinned boy stepped out. I watched as Niall raised his hand high in the air, smiled brightly, and said something to him. The boy just smirked, sticking his nose in the air, and turning around.
Niall turned to me and laughed. He placed his hands over mine and pulled my hands away from my ears. “You could’ve listened,” he said.
“But you said the password was a secret,” I replied. He just chucked more.

I was taken into the room by Niall’s grip around my hand. I was greeted by a group of five people. They quickly surrounded me, examining me, and touching me like Niall did when we first met. I wasn’t sure if I could protest all five people. I couldn’t even speak because of the way they were groping my face. A short girl with long, ruby red hair squeezed my cheeks together, causing my lips to look like a fish.
“He’s not bad,” she said before strutting off to the back of the small mob.
The tan boy then looked me straight in the eye, as if he were examining my soul. He was quiet and rather handsome. He had a few piercings; his ears and eyebrow. He had dark brown hair, cut short, but styled very cool-like. He seemed edgy and hard, but his eyes were a soft, calming brown. He walked off with a “humph”.
A pair of boys, walking side by side, stood in front of me. Their faces were almost as happy and cheery as Niall’s. They appeared more kind rather than hyperactive, unlike Niall. One boy was short with a shaved head, light colored brown eyes, and a soft, baby face. He appeared as quiet as he was. The boy standing next to him a bit taller, a cheery looking fellow. His face was baby-like, but chiseled, like a teen heart-throbbed. His eyes were a dazzling blue and his hair, dark brown, and perfectly combed over to the side. He greeted me with a higher pitched voice, saying “Welcome,” as he ruffled my hair.
Behind them was a slender, sad, and mousy girl. Her hair was incredibly long, raven black, with a blue ribbon tied around it, the bow resting on top of her head. She stood in front of me quietly, not speaking, but I could hear subtle noises from under her breath. It was as if she was attempting to say something, but her small voice wouldn’t allow it. She starred up at me with unusually bright, green eyes. They sparkled like emeralds, piercing into mine. She simply walked away and stood in the corner to my left, shielded by the darkness.
They still surrounded me, in a half circle close to the door. I felt cornered, but not threatened. They all looked at me in different ways. The mousy girl looked at me like I was a terrifying creature. The tan boy, standing beside her looked at me like I hadn’t earned his respect yet. The red haired girl stood with her arms crossed, pursing her lips, and tapping her foot. She seemed impatient. The last two boys looked eager and happy to see me, like I was a friend from another time that they hadn’t seen in a while.
Niall stood next to me and began pointing out each person, introducing them to me.

“This is the Heathen Combat Squad,” Niall announced.
“I told you, we’re not called that!” the red haired girl quickly shouted.
“I’m sorry, we’re the ‘Ban of Blasphemy,’” Niall corrected.
“No, that names stupid too,” the tan boy sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Hell’s Elites sounds like a biker gang!” she yelled.
“It’s better than “Ban of Blasphemy’,” he replied.
“This may take a minute,” Niall warned me. I couldn’t help but give out a small laugh.
“Why not a name that does sound like we’re part of a Satanic cult?” the cheery boy chimed in.
“But we’re against God!” the hot headed girl with hair to match continued on, fighting with almost every person.
Their bickering went on for a few minutes. They went back and forth on names, leaving me with more questions than answered. Their fighting was comical, maybe even hysterical. The red head shouted and protested with passion while everyone threw it their ideas. She quickly shot them down.
She finally sighed, crossing her arms once more.
“Our name is undecided right now,” she huffed. Niall sighed as well.
“Well, this is the Undecided Right Now Organization. This is our secret headquarters,” Niall began.
“It’s not too secret with the door wide open and everyone peaking in,” I pointed out.
Behind us was a crowd of students, curious to all of the yelling and commotion. Random faces peered into the open and loud room, their eyes wide.
Niall checked behind him and quickly closed the door with a hard ‘bang’.

He pointed to each member of the “Organization”, beginning with the quiet girl in the corner.
“That’s Ayame Higanashi, she’s quiet, obviously, but she’s really kind and loves to cook. I feel as if her love for us is expressed in her delicious dishes,” Niall began. As he complimented her, Ayame let out a bashful smile. She covered her brightening cheeks with her hands, looking to the ground to hide her joy. “The wannabe bad boy next to her is Zayn Malik. Obviously, he’s tough, rugged, and strong, but we’re all positive that he has a collection of stuffed teddy bears somewhere,” Niall explained. As he joked with Zayn, Zayn decided to walk up and give him a good rap on the head. It didn’t seem to effect Niall at all. He might have built a tolerance.
After knocking him on the head, Zayn returned to his spot in the half circle.
“The lovely red head standing beside him is Annaliese Ramsey, or Anna. She’s the closest thing we could find to a leader. She’s bossy, stubborn, and sometimes cruel, but in the end she really cares for all of us,” he continued on, ignored the obvious bump swelling on his head.
“The smiling boys are Louis Tomlinson,” he pointed to the heart-throb, “and Liam Payne,” he then pointed to the silent one, “they’re virtually inseparable. They follow each other everywhere. They’re practically glued to the hip. Both every nice and friendly, so they work together,” he finished.


As he finished his short introduction, Annaliese stepped forward, replacing her cold look with a sweet smile. She stood in front of me, extending her hand for a friendly shake.
“Welcome to our Organization, I trust you’ll be joining,” she said very straight forward, waiting for me to take her hand.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, rejecting her hand. Her sweet face fell into a confused one. She then twisted her lips, biting the inside of her cheek.
“Why not?” she asked. She looked like I had just stood her up at Prom.
“I have no idea what any of this is,” I answered, looking around the office. It appeared to be a teacher’s lounge, aside from the large, dark, wooden desk that sat in the back of the room.

Annaliese walked away from me slowly, strutting to the desk. She sat down in the big, leather, spinning chair, pressing her finger tips together. Two large, almost wall sized windows, were behind her. They gave a perfect view of the pale blue sky outside. It really gave her the appearance of a powerful leader, though she was small in size.
“Sit,” she ordered. No one else sat down, so I assumed she was still talking to me.
There were many spots to take. Two pale, purple loveseats sat in the middle of the room, with a large coffee table separating them. Wooden chairs (that were obviously stolen from classrooms) were scattered around, but the obvious choice was a square shaped, black, leather chair that sat in front of her desk.
I hesitantly made my way to that chair, as everyone’s glares followed my every move. I felt as I was being interrogated. Anna peered at me with a vicious look in her icy eyes. Fear rumbled inside my chest, quaking even stronger with each step.
I finally sat down, unable to say a word, Anna began her story.
“You’re attending Afterlife Academy, or Not-Quite-Dead High. The name explains it all, but unfortunately explains nothing. The world you’re in, right now, is not real,” she said very calmly, but sternly.
I was confused once more, but I grew use to it since everything was confusing here.
She continued on without a pause, “If you look around, you’ll see how fake everything is. The animals are too beautiful, the scenery is too perfect, and the people…well, the people are impossible. If you look around you’ll notice how unbelievably ordinary is. They plain, average, and boring. At first, they seem completely normal, but once her interact with them you see that they’re too normal. They act, speak, and behave like any person would. They have their own personalities and styles, but that’s because they’re programmed to. Their humanity stops there. If you shoot them, they don’t die. No illness affects them. They can’t get sick or die. Neither can we, but we’re real. We had lives, we lived at one point, while the students and teachers here have been walking these walls for eternity and will continue to do so forever. They never age, so it’s not a problem,” she explained.
“That doesn’t make sense,” I interjected.
“They’re not real so it makes perfect sense. You don’t understand yet, but you will. These people aren’t people. They’re just coding. They’re just programs created by God to simulate your average school experience. The students create drama like teenagers would, they make friends, and even have cliques. They don’t have lives. They simply play along like robots, because that’s all they are,” Anna went on.
“So you’re telling me, all of those people here aren’t real?” I asked.
“No, mate, we’re real,” Niall said.
“Yes, we’re real. Everyone in this room is a person with a soul, a heart, and story. The rest are NPC’s,” she explained.
“Like in a video game?”
“Exactly. When you talk to them, they interact with you. They may even try to be friends with you, but their sentences are fake. Their words mean nothing. If you slap a girl’s ass, she’s respond with a smack to the face. If you pick a fight with one of the jocks, they won’t hesitate to lay you out, but its only because they’re told to act like teenagers would,”
“That’s insane,” I commented.
“Yeah, it is, but this is Purgatory,” she stated. I gasped back, unable to respond, “We’re between the world of the living and the dead. We’re not quiet alive, but our souls haven’t been laid to rest, or whatever happens when you die. Something happened to us while we were alive that has transported us to this world, this false world, so we can fulfill whatever we didn’t in our youth,”
“It’s like we’ve been given a second chance to whatever we weren’t able to. Relive our dreams, or something,” Niall attempted to simplify Anna’s words, like I didn’t understand.
“I don’t understand, then why are all of you here and not ‘fulfilling your dreams’?” I questioned.
“Because we don’t want to be obliterated. Before you ask, it’s like passing on. We fulfill our dreams, live a full life, and move on to whatever there is after this. But, we don’t want that. God has wronged us in some cruel way and we want to fight back,” her sweet girlish voice became an angry growl as she got to the end. “I’m not going to follow God’s routine for me. Live a terrible life, come here, and try to fix it with phony smiles, fake friends, and fabricated feelings,”
No one in the room said a word while she talked, but I could feel them collectively agree with her. As she paused to let me ask whatever I had, the room flooded with an eerie silence. It made me shiver. The cold feeling of everyone’s sadness sent a sharp pain in my chest. I had to hold my breath to get rid of it.
“Listen, I’m not quite sure what any of this means, but if it answers my questions, I’ll fight with you guys, whatever that means,” I blindly said.
Annaliese picked her head up and looked at me. Her solemn expression became happy and bright. Her grayish eyes sparkled with joy.
“Welcome to the team,” she said, extending her hand like before. I took it this time, shaking it once.
I looked out the large windows. People were going about their lives. Some kids ran track while others walked in grounds, holding books and bags, talking and laughing. It made me feel sorry for them that they were just repetitive drones, cursed to continue their empty lives forever. If God created them and damned them to this place, then I’d be happy to fight him. My eyes then glanced up to the sky. I knew why it looked so strange and unnatural. It was because it was fake. Someone had stolen the sky I knew and replaced it with a moving painting, too perfect for the living world.