The words echoed in Justin�s mind like a bad dream. �D...dead,� he whispered. �But that can�t be, I�m here, breathing, walking, & talking. That�s not a very funny thing to say. So tell me the truth of what�s going on.� He walked into the room she�d walked into & saw her sitting at a table with a small book in her hands. He sat across from her. �Why don�t you look up at me?� he asked, referring to her constantly bowed head.
She didn�t answer, instead she set the book on the table & slid it across to him. �Read it Justin...� He stared down at the book then looked back up to her. �It�ll explain everything Justin. Follow everything it says & things should be clear by the time I return,� she said as she rose to her feet, slowly moving to the door.
He looked over in her direction, only to find her gone, the door shut as if no one had ever opened it. He looked down at the book with no face or title. He opened the book & read the front page where the book�s title was. � �Your New World�... What?� He turned the page & read by the clear line that read, �For Justin Randall Timberlake� that it had apparently been made for him. He bit his lip & looked at the door, expecting Caitlin to be there, but when she wasn�t, he sighed & looked back to the small book in his hands.
As he turned to the next page he began reading quietly, but out loud. �Welcome to your new world Justin. Sorry if your arrival has you confused, worried, &/or scared, but I assure you by the time you complete this book, you should understand. If not, ask your angel. Do not wonder who he or she is.. If you�re reading this book, then you have already met him or her.� A tear rolled down his cheek. �This is real.. I�m actually dead,� he thought to himself. �No more Jonathon, Steven, I�m gone to them...� �But why aren�t the guys here? They were in the same wreck?� Justin sighed & turned the page, watching wide-eyed as the page suddenly filled with text as if it had read his mind of the answer. He read what now filled part of the next page.
�The reason you friends, JC, Joey, Lance, & Chris are not here, is because they have their own new worlds to cope with. Like you, they each have their own afterlife task to perform. You must learn to deal with your new world & task before you can have the change to meet up with your friends again. It can not be guaranteed that you will see them once more, but it is not so that you won�t see them. Be assured that right now they are not adjusting as well as you are so far.�
�Okay, so if I ask a question & turn the page, the answer will be there?� He looked at the next page & saw nothing, but when he looked at the page the answer to his previous was on, he saw at the bottom of the page, �Yes.� was printed at the bottom. �So the book likes to save space...� �So, how did I die & why was everyone & everything frozen? And why was there ice that wasn�t cold & wet, to my touch, but slippery when I stepped on it?� He watched as the next page filled up.
�In the lively world, you died when the bus turned off the highway & down the mountainside. We froze what you saw at a time before you died so you could see everything again. Everything was only frozen to you, Justin. It was all frozen in time because now that you were dead, nothing could go on around you. If you are dead, what actions are there for you to see?� Justin paused a moment & looked at the door, thinking he head it open, but seeing no one was there he went back to the book. �The ice you saw was the result of the cold that death brings. It wasn�t cold to you because you were as cold as it was, which was also the reason it wasn�t wet when you touched it...your skin wasn�t warm to cause it to melt from your touch. The reason you slipped on it however, was because your shoes weren�t cold. They were warm, causing only heat to cause melting.�
�How is my family going to handle this? How is it going to affect their lives?�
When he turned the page, he frowned at what he saw. �They won�t take it very well. This book can only tell you how things go in the process they go in. Sadly, it can not tell you any future outcomes.� �Okay, now that I know what I wish I didn�t, how do I get Caitlin back in here?� Underneath the previous answer, appeared another one. �Go outside, she�s waiting for you.�
Justin shut the book, almost expecting to hear an �ouch� & walked outside, when he didn�t hear the expected response. There he saw Caitlin, swinging in mid-air. �How are you doing that?� he asked as he walked over to her & looked for any sign of a swing, not seeing one.
She stopped & stood up, looking at him. �It�s something I�ll be teaching you later. But I wouldn�t advise trying to do it before you�re told how. It can be quite painful if you don�t know how to do it.�
�How is it painful?�
�Well if you don�t understand how to do the swing then you fall to the ground & hurt yourself, simple as that.�
Justin cocked his head to the right, looking as if he were in deep thought. �How long did it take you to learn it?�
�Quite a while, 13 life years...� she answered, looking at him. It was when she looked up at him that he saw she was very beautiful.
�The book said you were my angel?�
�That is correct.�
�I thought angels have wings & halos...?�
It was Caitlin�s turn to cock her head to the right as she stared at Justin. �Would it make you feel more comfortable if I had those things?�
�Don�t you already have them?�
�The wings yes, but the halo, no... We don�t actually have halos.�
�So you do have wings? Well, where are they?� he slowly walked around her in search of her wings, but when he came across no wings, he stood infront of her.
�Just because we have them, doesn�t mean we should constantly have them out. Do you wish to see them?� When Justin nodded, she let her wings emerge from her back, stretching them out before folding them behind her back. Justin walked behind her & carefully touched his fingertips to them, feeling the softness beneath them.
�Your wings are so beautiful Caitlin,� he said as he looked up at her face when she turned to face him.
�Thank you Justin.�
�Um, just curious, but when do I get mine?�
�You�ll have yours soon enough,� she answered. �But for now you must be patient.�
He furrowed his brow & looked to the edge he�d climbed up almost an hour ago. He looked from her to the edge before he made his way over, looking down to see everything was still the same. �So everyday I�m going to see this same sight? It�s never going to change?� he asked, not looking back at her as she approached him.
She was standing by his side when he looked up at her again, his eyes glistening slightly from the tears forming. �I�m afraid so.�
�Is there a way to change any of it?�
�I�ll be teaching you that first thing tomorrow... But right now you need to rest. We�re doing a lot tomorrow & granted, you may be in an afterworld, but you still need rest like before. You won�t need to eat or drink to sustain �life� but if it�ll make you feel more comfortable...you would be allowed.�