Daniel inhaled deeply, and exhaled a heavy breath. As he listened to their stories, the ones who talked about it at least, he realized most were accidents. His sarcastic tone, and fake confidence gave way for a moment, as he ran his hand through his hair, down to his neck, resting it on his chin, resting in deep thought for a moment. He gave them all a sad looking, but genuine smile, muttering the word sorry to them.
His anxiety kicked in. His mind began to race again. He was already getting lost in his own thoughts. 'I can't tell them how I died... They don't know me... Why the fuck am I so insecure... I was a drunken idiot and drove off a cliff... Why I was drunk? Well my life wasn't exactly good... But it wasn't bad? I don't know... I miss it. Or am I scared of this uncertainty? Is any of this real? Are they my imagination? No...this is real... Oh man... I wonder if anyone gave a shit I was dead? Probably not.... Who knows? I would like to think who cares... But for some reason I do... Not that it would matter due to me being dead and all? But I feel amazing... Is this really death?' These were all of his thoughts in the moments after Zephyr mentioned to take a breath. He still had not revealed to the group how he died, but he was sure they could put two and two together, and figure that he indeed did pass away on Earth, and ended up with the rest of them. 'Why... ' He looked at this motley crew. A couple of them hadn't even said a word yet, noting the two other guys there, one looked like an average guy, while the other had a tie, and vest on. Then there was a guy with a pretty standard suit, and an ugly butterfly tie. But his tone indicated one of intelligence at least. There was an Asian girl there, who seemed entirely dry, and sarcastic, somewhat like himself in that sense. He wondered if that was a defense, a wall she put up. Then there was Zephyr, who seemed to have herself together, and when she spoke, she had a calming tone, which was nice to hear. Genuine even. Then there was another guy, who seemed a little older than the rest, worldly even. His was the voice he heard after Zephyrs when he awoke. Three more women, one in a nice black jacket, who seemed extremely calm. All them were somewhat calm actually. 'We all just fucking died for Christ's sake...' One of the others, wearing a nice yellow dress. She seemed really well spoken. High class even, 'I wonder what happened there... Usually the rich stay living...' He thought, as he looked over to the last woman, in a purple jacket and black jeans. When she eventually spoke, he realized she was French.
A few of them began to introduce themselves, which was good for Daniel, as he could put a name to their faces, as it appeared they would all be around one another for a bit. 'Zephyr, Wen, Vincent, hey that's my cousins name... Anais, Ophelia'. Daniel watched as the worldly looking guy stared off, at the most intense purple flowers he had ever seen, and introduced himself as William, and watched as he headed towards a river.
Daniel looked around again. This place that was so calming, serene, and beautiful. Turning away from the group, looking out towards the rolling hills that lay before him, their green and blue hues shining in this sun. The floating castles are what got him the most. 'Shit... Maybe we should go to one of those? Maybe someone can explain where we are....' He thought as he followed the lay of the land again. His eyes trailed up, gazing into the sky. Such beautiful colors, hues mixing even, into colors he couldn't even imagine existed. It was all very surreal. Transfixed, he took note that while yes, it seemed to be daytime, stars were twinkling still. He had always been a star gazer, 'If were remotely anywhere near home... Then...constellations should be visible.' He thought as though he had forgotten he was with the group. He didn't mean to, he just happened to be begging, looking for a sign to know where he was. 'Beautiful... But nothing...'
He turned toward the group, minus William now, and spoke, "My name is Daniel James Acosta." He said, as he gave them a whole hearted smile. He didn't know these people one bit. But it looked as though they would be around each other for a while, so might as well be friendly. "Obviously..." He said as the smile faded, and a lost look and tone came over his voice. He still didn't wanna talk about how he died. "Obviously I died." He said, still remembering that night vividly. His whole life crashing down on him. Heart broken, life broken. His friends had abandoned him, his brother didn't speak to him, and his parents were dead. 'My... Parents... I wonder if they're around...' If this was the place we came to after death, maybe he would be lucky enough to see them here. 'Probably not.'
Although he was in emotional pain, his face seemed to not show, he appeared to look as though he just had a headache. He headed in the direction William went as well, making his way towards the river. He passed by many exotic looking plants. All were beautiful, all were unique. He heard the rushing water get closer with each step he took. It was a calming sound to him, but then again... Everything here seemed to be calming. He had most track of William, as he made it to the river. The water was rushing at a decent pace, and it was so crystal clear. Even the water, something as simple as water, was beautiful here. He looked down river, and noticed the summit of a small mountain. The water was flowing up the mountain. "Well... Shits different here I guess..." He thought aloud as he jumped onto a rock a good few feet into the river, and sat down. 'This place is truly beautiful... But is it all it seems to be? I've noticed no life... The physics here are a different as well' he thought, as he sat down, and leaned to his side, putting his hand in the water. 'Cool to the touch, such a nice feeling.' He said splashing a bit, watching the water float for a second before going back. He smiled, and shook his head. 'I hope night time is as pleasant here as the day'. He brought some water up in his hand, and splashed his face. 'The water feels so nice...' He thought, as he wiped his face, making sure there was none in his beard. 'Such a nice place... But I can't help but wonder what the hell its hiding... No way is this place this nice all the time...'
Its funny, to him at least. He's sitting there wondering about this place, but in the back of his mind, he thought of home. Sure, it wasn't the best place, and of course he was going through some stuff, but he did miss it. His love, had broken him, sending him spiraling down, all the way down, off of a cliff. Literally. But after all of that, he couldn't help but still feel alone. Sure, there were these people around him, but he felt as though he were an island in the middle of the ocean. Sitting there, he put his elbows to his knees, and hung his head in his hands. "The fuck am I gonna do..." He thought aloud.