Your Song (Klance AU)

2. Keith

Keith awoke in a white room. His brain felt foggy and his vision was blurry. Sitting up, he was surprised his limbs felt so light. He couldn't remember a time when that ever happened to him. But that didn't matter, where was he? He squinted as he looked around, waiting for his vision to clear. After a few seconds, it did and he found himself in a hospital room. Memories from the night before hit him like a punch in the gut. Had it been the night before? How long had he been there?

"Effie." He said aloud. The truck hit her side. She got the brunt of the impact. Was she okay? He had to find out. Luckily, that was the moment she decided to come through the door. Literally. "Effie. What- how ━?"

"Oh wonderful. You're finally awake." She walked to his side and sat in a chair left there. For people who visited, he thought.

"You just ━"

She did jazz hands, "Ta-da! I'm dead."

His heart stopped. His breathing stopped. Everything stopped. It didn't matter what he had seen. His closest friend could not be dead. That's...what?

"But you're right here." He finally said. "Why would you say something like that? Don't joke about it, Effie."

She shook her head, smiling sadly. "The truck hit us pretty hard, Keith. I died instantly. I'm just a Soul now."

"But you're right here," he insisted. A small part of him wondering why she would be talking about her soul at a time like this.

"I am here. For now. To explain and say goodbye to you and my family. But I'm not alive anymore. One hundred percent dead."

"If you passed through the door, how are you sitting on that chair?"

"I'm not actually. I'm hovering half a centimeter above it. When I walked too. It's pretense to make it easier for you. I know this can be a little hard to get used to." Keith looked at her closely. She was...see through. She shimmered like mist in the sunlight.

Tears threatened to spill over. "How long has it been?"

"Two weeks. My funeral is next Wednesday. I leave when it ends."

"You can't stay?"

She gave him another sad smile, "I'm dead, slug. I don't belong here anymore."

"Of course you belong here. You're my friend."

"Shiro visits everyday." She changed the subject. "He brings Allura and Matt sometimes. His parents came by last week. But they had to go back. They didn't have enough money to stay and hospital bills aren't cheap."

The tears spilled over. At least he was awake now and they wouldn't have to pay anymore. But his friend was dead. "Effie. I wish you weren't dead."

She chuckled, "You aren't the only one."

"You're a great friend you know that?" Were. She no longer is. It made Keith upset to notice his mistake.

"Oh I know. I had to beg them to let me talk to you so you would understand your situation. I wouldn't want you to get stuck an Eidolon."

In his confusion, his tears ceased falling. "Them? My situation? Eidolon?"

"Well, as most people call them. Ghosts."

"What?"

She frowned, "Haven't you noticed? Keith, you're a ghost."

"What are you..." Keith looked down at himself. His legs looked fine. They were under a blanket but he felt them there. To make sure, he reached out to remove the blanket and that's when he noticed his arm. It shimmered, just like Effie, and if he focused- his torso, through it, he saw...himself. More specifically, his upper half. There he was, laying on the bed. He looked up at Effie. "I'm... dead?"