He looked up at the unfamiliar white ceiling of his hospital room. He was disappointed in what was going on with his life now. Most of the black hair which he once wore proudly had to be cut off by the doctors. He was pretty much bald now, much to his chagrin. All he ever wanted was to play the violin well for his parents, his friends and the girl he’s loved since he was a kid. And by his standards, and most other people’s standards but it seemed someone thought otherwise. He was on his way home from school that day when a speeding car impacted him. He became unable to move, his spine seriously damaged by the crash. As he lay on the hospital bed, wondering what was to become of him, a soft touch came upon his shoulder. He turned to see an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

"Hello there Marcus, how are you?" a somewhat sing-song but still enchanting voice.

There she stood, an attractive young woman. Her hair, which was as black as midnight with no stars, was long and reached well past her shoulders. It looked like it was reaching all the way up to her waist. Her skin was fair, milky white and smooth as silk to both the eye and to the touch. Her lips, which were a powerful ruby red, curled up and smiled. She sat by his head, crossed her legs and adjusted the loose lock on her gold bracelet. Brushing her hair back a little, she looked Marcus with her deep green eyes, she smiled again. A simple smile, not showing any teeth but it was a calming one.

"My name is Nicolette, I’m what one might call an Angel of Temptation." She said to him gently. Her voice soothing, subtle and strangely honest enchanted the young Marcus. "You see, you’re at an important crossroads now. I’m here to present you with your two choices; continue to live in this world as you are or die and live the life you’ve always wanted but never had in the big place in the sky."

"You mean Heaven?"

"Call it whatever you want, it doesn’t matter. So, let’s back up a little and find a little background on you, alright?" Nicolette snapped her fingers and out of nowhere, a laptop computer appeared and she began to access her records. "Marcus Avery, you’re eighteen years old. Your mother died while you were still at the tender age of four, you have been alienated from your father since then. Your friends Marla and Sebastian have lost contact with you around…two years ago. And then of course, there’s that pretty girl living next door. What was her name again? Erika was it? Yeah, her name’s Erika."

"I don’t suppose you know how she feels about me?" Marcus asked somewhat nervously.

"She’s in love with you, just waiting for you to make the first move. You’re doing the same thing too right? You’re both pretty much too scared to take the risk of making the first mistake. You’re both into classical music, violins specifically. Both of you have the lovelies Prussian blue eyes and dark brown hair. I think the two of you are a nice match." Nicolette sighed, closing her computer and holding his hand. "I have the authorization to offer you the world you’ve always dreamed off. Your mother alive again, you being on speaking terms with your father again, hanging out with Marla and Sebastian and of course, the magnificent Erika by your side."

"And my alternative to that is what?"

"Well…you live out the rest of your life a cripple, alienated from your father even more, Marla and Sebastian will both die in a car accident and Erika will meet and fall in love with an abusive, Brad Pitt-wannabe, alcoholic, cocaine sniffing, marijuana smoking car freak, a typical guy. In simple terms, she’ll fall in love with the wrong guy. She’ll get burned by that and never love again, dying cold and lonely, her only company being a young girl who will work as her nurse. Neither of you will ever admit your feelings in this scenario. It’s not exactly bright and shiny, is it?"

Marcus once again looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the hospital room, weighing his options. It was a simple choice, even to a spineless coward like him. He sighed; Nicolette seemed to offer him the perfect world, a world where anything and everything is just as he imagined it. She was offering a world where everything is shaped according to how he wanted it to be shaped. But of course, there had to be a price. There were always strings attached to deals like this. To enter that world, he had to die in this world; it was the only way to go to the world Nicolette offered. Dying meant breaking Erika’s heart.

"What about Erik? What happens to her if I take your option?" he asked. "Will she be alright?"

"She’ll grieve for you but it’ll serve to make her stronger. After a while, she’ll live a full and happy life. She would have been happier had you confessed your feelings for her before, you know. Basically, she’s going to live a nice life though." Nicolette answered with an almost cutting honesty. "I can’t give you the specifics because that’s out of my jurisdiction. You’re already dead but since no one knows that yet, I’ve given you the two options that you have. Now, what’s your answer?"

"I think you already knew my answer before you even came here."

"But I always leave room for people to disappoint me." She smiled softly. "I’m glad you didn’t though. Now, rest your body, close your eyes and concentrate on the sound of my voice…"

Okay, I'm not really sure why I even put this up and why it's here. So don't ask me.